Hey there. Welcome to today's episode. And today's episode is really gonna hit home, especially if you've ever wondered why a client who's seen like the perfect, most aligned, ideal fit. Was not an immediate yes. Why they needed more time, why they stalled, why they. Got on the call, wanted to get all the information, did all the steps of the process, and then just like wasn't ready to move forward.
Because one thing that I've learned over the years, and one thing that I hope that you really gained from this episode is that it's not always about pricing. Yes, price is a factor and it's a consideration, but when you're solving a more sophisticated problem dealing with high touch, high ticket. High trust level clients.
Price is not the only determining factor that is going to move somebody to wanna make a buying decision, and it's not always about your credentials, but it's definitely not because they didn't want what it is that you had to offer. Your most aligned self-led clients are often navigating some deep personal unspoken questions before they make high level investments. Or decide to renew a coaching relationship and wanna continue working with you.
And these aren't like the typical standard like myth busting objections, but they are invitations for you as the coach or the service provider to build messaging that holds space for their full humanity. Not just their ambition.
So I wanna pull back the curtain here a little bit and really give you a practical episode, walking you through the six private questions that your clients are probably asking themselves and what it means for how you show up in your content and your sales process and in your messaging overall. So let's get into it. I, you definitely probably wanna get your notebook or your notes app open if you're listening to this while you're driving.
You might wanna re-listen to this later when you can take some notes. 'cause I'm gonna give you here the six questions that most high ticket, high touch clients are probably asking themselves at while they're in the process of making their buying decision. And when we think about what are the questions that people and our most qualified leads are asking themselves when they're making buying decisions, you have to ask yourself where are they getting those answers?
Are those answers currently listed in my content? Am I speaking to those private questions in my podcast episodes? Am I addressing those private questions and handling them when we're on the sales call or in a DM sales conversation, or are you not addressing them at all? And I think that as you have been listening to this season of the podcast and really discussing what this perception gap is when you're dealing with higher ticket.
Higher trust, more sophisticated approaches to making buying decision type of clients. Yes. They need to know the deliverables. Yes. They need to know that you can actually deliver what it is that you're promising. Yes, they need to be able to trust you as an individual, but part of the job here is also to align your messaging with the how they are approaching making, buying decisions. And we really need to start thinking differently of. What is it that I'm selling to?
What is it that they are asking themselves privately that is influencing how they are approaching making their buying decision? And what are the questions that they are thinking through and analyzing to that is influencing their perceived risk associated with making the investment to hire you and then. Thirdly here, we need to start asking ourselves what are the questions that they're asking? And where are we giving them those answers?
Because if you're not addressing these things anywhere, that might be the reason why they're not buying. You know, if you're putting it all on them to connect all those dots, it's really our job. How can we use our content to connect those, if you're putting it all on them to connect all those dots, it's really our job. How can we use our content to connect those dots? How can we use, the conversations that we're having with these prospects to connect those dots?
And I just wanna share with you the top six questions that I see come up most often. That your buyers are probably thinking as well, and even you, when you're making your own buying decisions, you probably have thought some of these questions, because one thing I want you to be aware of is just because someone doesn't say yes right away doesn't mean that they're not serious.
Sometimes your most qualified, most aligned clients are sitting with deeply private questions before they make a high level investment. They're not stalling, they are discerning, and they're carrying a lot behind the scenes. Question number one, am I doing enough to justify this kind of support? I see this question come up often when. Business is stable.
When you're dealing with a client that is not in a crisis mode, they're not necessarily in the middle of a, a big launch, they're not necessarily trying to scale super fast. They're not in a crisis. They're not trying to unravel and unwind these expensive overhead expenses or backend issues like, so they start to really question, do I deserve this level of support right now? Do I need this level of support right now?
Like, is this a. A level of resourcing that I need on my team and on my cash flow and like on a monthly expense right now. And what I notice, especially since I've come back to doing more private one-on-one coaching, is I'd say about half of my clients are in this situation. They come to me in a pretty stable, spacious environment. Their revenue's probably been consistent over the last two to three years. They've been pretty lean. They haven't made any massive investments. They're.
Not growing super fast either. Like it's really like this steady, stable type of business. And I'll oftentimes when I'd come across clients like this is like, they are not, they typically only invest when there is a, a massive problem, like when they're in the middle of a crisis. Or they really have played it very, very safe for a good amount of time and they're really thinking to themselves like, you know what I, I got this far.
I know how to produce the type of results that I've been regularly producing, but I don't know where to grow beyond here. And because they haven't made a lot of investments in themselves that have maybe panned out or. You know, it's been more passive. Maybe their capacities look different, which is why things have been pretty stable. They're really trying to ask themselves like, one, do I deserve the type of support right now? Am I quote unquote doing enough?
Um, because there aren't these big fires to put out, it can feel like, do I even need support right now? Like when there isn't something on fire? And this is, I think, again, a commonplace. This is kind of like where I'm at right now when I've been making my own investment decisions for transparency is like nothing's broken. Nothing's on fire. I'm not in crisis mode. Do I even need support? And one thing that I've been telling myself is that.
I need to normalize being resourced even when things are steady. Like even with my therapy, my therapist is like, when you're in this state, this is where beautiful work can be created from. Creating from a place of steadiness, creating from a place of spaciousness, creating when you're not in crisis mode is one of the best places to dream and play with desire and think about what wants to come next. And also like, especially if you're not used to being resourced.
In seasons when it isn't a crisis and you also are not allowing, you are not allowing your past patterns to just manufacture crisis so that you stay in a crisis mode. This is a question that comes up often for buyers. So if your messaging only speaks to momentum and breakdowns or breakthroughs, or like these massive. Extreme states of like opportunity.
Oftentimes those clients will assume your offer isn't meant for people that are in the in-between or they'll really second guess whether or not making that investment in themselves is a smart or a good decision. And again, I think this really boils down to the individual and how they like to be resourced. 'cause again, I've been in business now for nine years and I'm at the point where I've had enough.
Ups and downs and, and ex business experiences to know that I wanna be well resourced even when things are steady. Like I, and it's not because I can't figure something out or I'm not capable of like, making my own decisions, but it's just like when you're running a business solo, when you, you know, have a really lean team. Maybe you have a VA or an assistant or an OBM. Or maybe somebody helping you with marketing content or a program coach, like you have team members that are doing for you.
You have nobody else around you that is also like thinking with you as a, as a solid sounding board for you to bounce your ideas off of. Um, and I think that's a really important thing. Um, it's that yes, you might need somebody to come in and help you develop a skillset or to help you put out an issue or to put out a fire. Or to help you fix a big issue that's going on in the business.
But the other ways in which you need to be resourced, especially when things are steady, is just having somebody else to be a strategic thinking partner with you, to be a sounding board for you to help and hold space while you're flushing out your thoughts and, and trying to decide what to do next. That's what's been really supportive for me, but that's definitely a question that comes up a lot is, am I doing enough to justify this kind of support?
The second question that I see come up often is, my business isn't the only thing I'm managing right now, and that is like the private thought that is going on through this person's head. Life is lifeing. They might be caring for a newborn, supporting a partner in recovery. They might be planning a wedding. They might be moving across the country. They might be navigating chronic illness or disease.
They might be caretaking for an elderly parent like I. When life is really lifeing in business is not the only thing that they're managing, but they're also managing this like larger personal life dynamic that is impacting their capacity, that is impacting their cognitive load. That's impacting like, yes, I need to grow the business, or, yes, I need to solve this in the business, but like I don't even have the mental bandwidth to think right now.
They're not backing out or hesitating, but they are assessing their capacity. They want to know, will this support actually hold me? Or will it demand more of me? And I think that's a really important distinction when you are in a state where your capacity is very tight and very limited because of whatever life is going on, which life will always be going on, and that is kind of the question that your prospect is holding.
We need to also think about like what type of support is best supportive for them in that season. And the skill, like if it's private one-on-one, that might be actually really beautiful 'cause you can tailor the dynamic with that individual and, and go with the ebbs and flows of what their capacity allows. But if you're te, if you're selling more of a curriculum based offer or teaching more of a skillset driven type of.
Thing you really need to do your job and do your due diligence in helping them identify is this the most pressing problem with the limited capacity that they have? And I think when I'm in the middle of a sales conversation with a prospect who's navigating that, that's a lot of what my questioning during the sales conversation is focused around is really helping them pinpoint. Yes, you have limited capacity. Yes, there's multiple things that are going on in the business.
One, how do you wanna be resourced? And two, what is the highest leverage problem for you to solve right now? And that might be a problem in the business, but it might just be like the problem that needs to be solved might just be space. Where they can be held, like the time with you on the coaching calls or the time with you in your meetings is for them to do their thinking. 'cause outside of that scheduled time with you, they don't have time to really do deep work thinking.
So highlight the kind of support that frees up their energy, not drains it and feels like another thing on their to-do list. Question number three is, is this going to create meaningful momentum or just add more to my plate? And I think this is coupled with question number two, but a little bit different of how that question kind of holds space in somebody when they're making a buying decision is that they've been probably burned before by containers that over promise or underdelivered.
They've maybe, you know, hired team members that said that they can do all these things. And when it comes down to it. The person really was like base, basic level. They were having to over manage, over micromanage that individual's deliverables because their experience didn't actually line up with what, what they said they could actually do. Like they've had some history, and this is, I think especially true when you're dealing with a more seasoned individual that you are.
Uh, looking to come on board and looking to convert either seasoned in their business or they've been around the block, like they've made multiple investments in themselves that maybe have or have not panned out. And the biggest thing here is that now they're just more discerning. They're not as naive or quick triggered to make the buying decision without really doing their due diligence. They are just much more discerning in their approach to making their buying decision.
So they don't want necessarily more. Quote, unquote, of these external deliverables that people have been promising, but they want better, they want higher quality, they want to make sure there's contextual specificity. They wanna make sure the nuance aligns with what they are personally experiencing in the business. 'cause again, they just are using a higher level of discernment to make their buying decision. And I think this is kind of true across the board right now.
Like I feel like this is something that I'm noticing. With my clients, with my clients who are dealing with their clients is that like people are just like not making lazy buying decisions right now. I think coupled with the sophistication of these individuals that we're selling to, many of us are not people's first stop. Like many of us are selling something, uh, to somebody who has had some level of exposure or experience to whatever it is in some capacity.
But couple that with what's going on economically right now. Like people are just more discerning before they make a buying decision, and your messaging should show the difference between. Like that noise and that, um, the, just continuously focusing on like, these are all the deliverables, but really your messaging should be doing a good job of supporting the prospect through their discernment like that.
And that's what I mean by going at different, at greater levels of depth in your messaging when you're trying to articulate not only what you do, but articulating your perspective to how you do it. And also articulating. Who is the best fit at what state and, and what season, and what state of time best aligns with that. So make it clear how your process is lean, strategic, personalized, like make it really clean and in your messaging and, and how you're articulating the value of your offer.
To align with the level of discernment your buyer is applying to that decision making. Question number four is, do I need this if I'm not actively struggling? And I think, again, this is kind of similar to number one, but a a, a slightly different dynamic. 'cause this is a really big one. They're realizing that support isn't just for moments of survival, but it's for sustainability. And that's really what they're coming to terms with.
I think again, if you're dealing with a more sophisticated buyer. And especially somebody who's been more seasoned, I really notice this being, um, a question that somebody is privately asking themselves when you're dealing with a really seasoned buyer. And what I mean by that is, like, for example, I'm nine years in a business. Like I mentioned, when I'm even hiring my own VA right now, I. Or hiring team to come on and support me.
I am way more discerning on whether or not I need the help versus can I use ai? Can I set up an automation or can I just, is it just faster for me to do it myself? And the reason being is because it's like I've been around the block. Like I, it's not that I don't know how to do the thing, um, I do know how to do the thing. I'm just trying to discern whether or not.
The level of effort that's required to do the thing, is it worth me outsourcing it and hiring somebody else to support me with it, especially when I'm not currently in a big struggle season.
And I think that is something true, again, when you're dealing with more seasoned buyers, is that oftentimes they've, they've made the mistake of hiring out of pressure and out of impulse before they have made the mistake of hiring out of desperation before they have made the mistake of abdicating themselves of the responsibility that they need to hold and just hire somebody to come in and be like, solve all my issues. They, they, they've made those mistakes before.
Now when they are hiring, they're just being much more discerning because they, they know that they cannot just totally abdicate themselves of any responsibility when they're hiring, whoever it is that they're hiring. They know that their effort and involvement is required. So now they're really assessing like, is this a big enough struggle for me to want to hire somebody to help?
And I think when you're thinking about how to address this in your messaging and in your content, I think really using storytelling. And using your content that shows clients that investing for stability rather than scarcity, I think is really, really important. Like you really need to paint that picture of what's possible when they choose to be supported proactively and when they choose to be, to support it with that level of like background, sophistication and experience under their belt.
And I think this is something where. If you've been even consuming my own content, I've been creating more content that's really aligns with this specific, uh, internal question that prospects are having. 'cause most of the clients that I'm working with now have been in business for 3, 5, 10, 15 years, like they've been around the block. So I really, I can't just. Sell to like, Hey, you need this so you can make more money. Or, Hey, you need this to save more time.
Like, I can't sell to those surface level generic statements anymore because my prospect is beyond that. Like really that contextual nuance. More storytelling, more like conversational dialogue and content is really effective here. Um, and also just really understanding like what do they classify as a struggle? What like, and what. What experience have they had? What have they already gone through?
What are the mistakes that they have made that they're trying to avoid making with the hires they're, that they're implementing now? And it does require me really pinpointing that, that, again, that contextual nuance with the prospect when I'm thinking about my messaging and my content, um, to make sure I'm landing where they are for that more sophisticated in-season buyer. But I see that question come up a lot when you're dealing.
With, converting clients and working with clients who are more further along, who've been around the block a little bit longer, versus when you're dealing with maybe like first time purchasers who are maybe, newer to what it is that you do. The fifth question is, what would change if I stayed lightly held right now? That is the fantasy of being gently anchored without the pressure. No hustle, no performance, just space to think clearly and be seen deeply. So I think this is very reflective here.
if you are selling a private one-on-one coaching container, if you are offering a done for you service and you are taking something off their plate like you're doing it for them or you're doing it with them in a very close proximity intimacy based type of container. And I think here it's like, what, would change if I stayed lightly held right? Now this goes back to some of the other questions I've already mentioned what would it look like if I just chose not to do this by myself?
And what would be the benefits, the pros, the cons, the consequences, and the trade-offs of like me choosing to invest in something where I do feel held versus just being taught what to do. And here you really wanna show what it looks like to be held in a high trust. Close proximity type of container.
This also could work for like really intimate masterminds or if you're like offering an upsell to a digital course where you're offering up like, Hey, there's a small community that we're gonna have for anybody that upgrades. Like, think of this as like these close proximity, intimate based offers because they're looking for a high trust space for them to be held, for them to be seen, for them to have space to externally process.
They're not looking for another place where they need to perform and do a bunch of stuff. Again, this is a more so again, for more seasoned buyers. 'cause a lot of the time they don't need to do more. They just need space to think more clearly. They need space to be held and processed through the decisions and the opportunities that are on their plate. 'cause oftentimes, when you're dealing with more seasoned buyers.
It's not that they have a lack of opportunities, it's not that they have a lack of things they could do. The hardest part now is trying to discern which steps they should take next, and they need space to process that. So this is especially important for clients who are used to being the strong one, the leader, the fixer, um, but them being able to have a space where they can kind of unravel and they don't have to have it all together.
And sometimes when you're dealing with clients who are not used to being in environments where they can be fully seen or they can be fully held, um, I think this is very true, like this has been very true for my own experience as a woman of color. Oftentimes when I'm investing in coaching containers or investing in support, I am like one of in the room, I'm like the only woman of color in the room or one of few in the room.
So there's still this armor that I'm always wearing when I'm going into these containers, kind of just by default. Versus like when I hired a one-on-one coach this past year. I was like, I can't hide behind my armor. Like it's just me and this other individual. It's just me and my mentor. And there is something that that comes to pass when you are used to kind of navigating in a space where you're used to not being held.
There is a different level of vulnerability and a greater level of trust that I think is, that takes place when you're making a buying decision. When you choose to be in close proximity with whatever the offer is. And I think that, again, if you're dealing with that type of buyer, who's used to having to code switch to some degree, who's used to having to put on the armor, who's used to hiding behind their intellect?
You know, investing in coaching programs or digital courses or whatever it is, where there it is more skillset based driven. It's more like tactile in the execution of whatever it is they're investing in versus if you're holding space for like private one-on-one, or if you are offering a, like, you know, an intimate mastermind or a very small group again, where there's close proximity, especially in a space where they feel like they can, that their armor is not required, but they, it.
They have to allow themselves to be seen. That can be very activating for a prospect. And so what would change if I stayed? Lightly held right now, like if I chose to be held in that way and chose to be seen in that way is a question that they are asking because it can be very vulnerable. But I think it's a beautiful dynamic, and again, I see this happen more with seasoned business owners 'cause they've been around the block. They know how to navigate these spaces.
They've had to navigate these spaces being the only one. Um, but I do think it's very true when I've dealt with other women of color hiring me. 'cause oftentimes I'm the first woman of color they've ever worked with. Um, and it's just like, there's a lot that doesn't have to be explained because I get it. You know, like we, there's enough shared live experiences where we, I get their deny their, the, I get the dynamic that they've also had to endure over the years through their investments.
Um, so just notice that, especially if you're selling a closer proximity based offer, this is probably a question your prospects are asking themselves.
And it's just like through our messaging part of the job, and I think really effective messaging here is really talking about how we hold space for our clients and sharing stories of what that high trust space looks like, the types of conversations that come up in these spaces and how that helps support us with helping them grow their business and what that experience like can be really powerful for your prospect.
The last question that I don't think a lot of people are actively asking themselves this question in this way, but this is definitely the question that's coming up is, am I protecting my peace or avoiding my edge? And this is the most nuanced question of them all, because your prospects are really learning how to honor their nervous system and honor their ambition at the same time.
And again, this is a question that is definitely for more of that high ticket, high touch, high trust type of clientele is when they are at a place. And again, I think we're seasoned business owners is 'cause they've reached their edge and probably fallen off the cliff multiple times in their journey. And now they're like, okay, I'm trying to balance this out. Like I have a lot going on in my personal life, or maybe I'm trying to have a baby in the next year.
Or like I, you know, I'm dealing with a chronic illness. Like they're dealing with something in their personal life, which all of us typically are. And then they're also like, okay, I got to a place of a good amount of stability in the business. I wanna grow, but I'm afraid of hitting that edge again. I'm afraid of like pushing myself too hard to the point where I burn out or I lose myself, or I get detached from my body, like in the ways that they've historically done.
And now they're trying to navigate that whole dynamic. And there's a little bit of fear and hesitation in that, and your messaging needs to validate both, both the rest and the stretch, both the regulation and the healthy amount of risk that is normal for any business owner who is trying to grow. I. I also see this come up with like my high level perfectionist clients who are like, I want to be great at this and if I'm not going to be great and be perfect, I don't wanna do it at all.
They're navigating that tension and dynamic. They may not say, I'm trying to protect my piece and avoiding my edge, but the way that they act is if I'm not gonna be perfect at this, I'm not gonna do it at all. And they're living in this like very extreme black and white. There's like very little room for gray area. Or there's just a lot of hesitation and discomfort in allowing themselves to be quote unquote beginners again when they're trying something new or exploring something new.
So really we wanna, in your messaging, you wanna speak to the tension between this growth and this groundedness. And normalizing it and putting language to it in context to whatever it is that you offer and sell, and show that your space and your container working with you honors the complexity of leading while still healing, parenting, grieving, transitioning, whatever it is that they're navigating and going through. I really hope this gives you something else to think about.
'cause when you're thinking about creating content and thinking about messaging, I want you to also start thinking about what are the private questions that my prospects are asking themselves when they are making buying decisions? And. How can I align my messaging in my content before somebody gets on a sales call to support these types of internal dialogue they're having with themselves?
And I really, this is what I really hope you take away from this, that if a client hesitates before investing, it does not always mean that they're ghosting you. It doesn't necessarily mean that they even doubt you or they don't respect you, or they don't trust you, or they don't think you're good enough. Oftentimes, most of the time it's discernment that they are navigating. It is life that they're trying to evaluate and how much they can hold right now.
Sometimes it's a sacred pause to ensure they're choosing support that aligns with who they are now, not who they were six months ago, a year ago, or two years ago, like they might be trying to. Slow down their decision making versus, especially if they used to be fast guns, you know, they would hear something, yep, I want it, da, da, da. Buy it, dupe. And then they immediately have buyers' regret, like they might be trying to change their approach to how they're making buying decisions.
And again, this is what I see most often with high trust, high touch, high ticket offers that you're selling, especially if you're dealing with more seasoned and mature business owners. So if your messaging only speaks to urgency or peak performance or this rapid, fast-paced growth at all costs, but you're dealing with a buyer who is more self-led, they are trying to lead with full body yeses.
They are more discerning in their decision making they may not see themselves reflected in your languaging and in your words. So you wanna make sure that your content creates space for their full humanity, for their ambition, their healing, their real lived in life experiences that they're going through right now. And that's what builds real trust.
That's what sustains those high level clients and makes them not only wanna hire you for the first time, but makes them want to repeat and rehire you and re-enroll over and over again. And that's what turns thoughtful maybes into really heart filled yeses. This requires you naming and knowing who your prospect is at an intimate level.
If you are listening to this, I can guarantee there's a level of depth that is currently missing in your messaging because you are not really speaking to that specific person at that specific moment in time. And I really hope this gives you some food for thought, for what you can be infusing into your content, into your messaging, and just being more forthcoming with.
And naming and claiming who it is that you serve and support, and how your offer really aligns with that depth of understanding that they really are looking for right now. So thank you so much for listening to this episode. If this resonated with you, I would love for you to take a moment, leave a review. It means a ton. It helps this podcast get out to other people just like you. So I really appreciate it., but share this with somebody else maybe your business bestie.
Drop this in your group chat and really start to think about this. Ask your business besties, like what are the questions that you thought about before you made the last buying decision that you made? Reflect on yourself and your own buying journey. What were the questions that you were privately asking yourselves when you were evaluating whether or not you were gonna hire or, or join a program or whatever it was? The last investment that you made. Have that dialogue.
'cause you may not know that from your prospects directly, but you can definitely talk to your business besties about what their experience is and what their internal dialogue is as a starting place to think about this in a little bit different of a way. So definitely share this episode with them. And if you have any other insights or any other questions, feel free to tag me on Instagram at isha hawk or send me a dm.
I would love to continue the conversation, but I really hope you enjoy this one, and I cannot wait to see you in the next episode.