In this issue, I’ll be sharing 3 questions you can ask in your next Discovery Call (DC).
I’m sharing this is because our DCs play a huge role in closing the client. When we learn to ask the right questions, we’re able to position our services as the solution to our client’s problems.
This is what allows us to charge premium.
Unfortunately, most creatives go about it wrong. Instead of focusing on how their services can help the client, they focus more on the features — the deliverables they’ll be giving the client.
In a Discovery Call, we need to ask the right questions, talk less, and listen more.
The first answer our prospects give is usually not the best or even the real answer, so whenever you ask your clients about their challenges, ask them “and what else?”
Make sure to pause, and let your client think. Don’t disrupt the silence.
Keep asking this question until you hear them say: “There is nothing else.”
Ways you can use this question:
And what else is the challenge for you?
And what else have you done to solve this challenge?
And what else are you looking to achieve?
Some clients frame their challenges as someone else’s challenge, especially if they have a team. When this happens, the challenge they give is detached from them.
The “for you” in this question is what pins the question to the person you’re talking to. It keeps the question personal and makes the person realize their struggle and what they need to figure out.
You want to use this question when the client avoids using the words “I” or “me.”
Here’s an example:
CLIENT: My VA is having a hard time keeping my social media presence consistent.
If you notice, the client is explaining the challenge of the VA, not their own challenge.
When this happens, you can reply like this:
YOU: I have a general sense of the challenge, but what’s the real challenge here for you?
You can even combine the first question to dig deeper: “And what else is the real challenge for you here?”
When we get into a Discovery Call, we might now always know what the client wants from us. This question also helps us avoid immediately assuming what the client needs.
A more straightforward version of “How can I help?” is “What do you want from me?” But make sure to be careful with your tone when asking this 😅
You can soften the question with:
Just so I know…
To help me understand better…
To make sure I’m clear…
These questions are important because:
It shows you what the client expects from you
It shows what they really want from you outside the deliverable
TL;DR
The Awe Question: And What Else?
The Focus Question: What’s the real challenge for you?
The Lazy Question: How can I help?
📖 Book: The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier — These were 3 out of the 7 questions I got from reading Michael’s book. If you’re looking to offer brand strategy and facilitate your own brand workshops, I recommend you read this book. I use some of the questions here in my consultations too.
📖 Book: Go Giver by John David Mann — This was a really good book that changed my mindset around giving value and building my network. This shows how giving will naturally lead to unexpected returns for the giver.
🎓 Events: I officially graduated university last week (August 27). I’m now beginning the next chapter of my life with an even stronger drive to building my branding agency. Happy to say that I can now fully focus on my business.
