Episode 227:
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Brandi: [00:00:00] Have you ever started discovery call and that Discovery call does not go as planned. You're like, heck yes, I'm going to do the dang thing. It's only going to be 15 20 minutes. I'm going to take charge. This is my call. Only then to get on the discovery call and that potential client completely takes over.
And the call then is not 15 to 20 minutes. It goes 30 45 minutes and maybe even an hour. And you have lost full control of the call. And instead of being the one interviewing, You feel like the interviewee. This episode is for you, my friend. And, even if you haven't had a discovery call, listen to this episode.
Because one thing I talk about is when you master your discovery call, you master your money. No matter if you've been doing this for one day, or one year, or 11 years, if you're not converting on your discovery calls like you want to be, [00:01:00] this is the episode for you. So let's jump on in to this week's episode.
Welcome back to another episode of the Serve Scale Soar. My name is Brandi Mowes. I am your host, and you are probably here. If you want to start grow and scale a freelance ad management business, or maybe you're ready to take it to the next step and hit those 10, K months while still putting your family first.
And if that is you, Hello, my friend, you are in the right place and I am excited to be back with another episode to help you do exactly that. And so this week's episode is all about how to command a discovery call. What happens when that discovery call [00:02:00] And I'm going to dive into all of this today. And so how this podcast came about is in the strategist society, which is my one on one and mentorship program, mastermind type thing.
And in there we have our weekly calls and sometimes those weekly calls are like guest experts. Sometimes it's me training on something that's very relevant right now. And sometimes it's just open Q and A. And during this open Q and A, one of our strategist society members came and she was like, I can land clients, but lately my discovery calls have been getting away from me.
Like how am I supposed to go into a discovery call? So I'm going to go through the 10 steps that I give. We'll link up to our discovery call episode so you know exactly what I'm talking about. And then what happens when the potential client starts interviewing me and takes over the conversation and then the [00:03:00] call goes on way past 15 to 20 minutes and we're looking at 45 minutes to an hour and I'm feeling like I just got interviewed instead of the one that was supposed to control the conversation and interview to make sure that that person's the right fit for me to help.
Because at the end of the day, y'all, that's exactly what a discovery call is, a sales call, whatever you call it. It's for us to find out if we can help the client. And then during that process, we're showing our value, not through strategy, or here's what I do, or here's what I would do specifically for you.
But. Using the 10 step guide on how to hold a successful discovery call, what we're doing is we're asking them very specific questions to find out if we can help them. And then through that, our goal is to sell them into the package that's right for them. Or say, you know what, I do believe I can help you, and this is how I would help you.
That's not strategy, that's your process. And so with that, [00:04:00] sometimes the tables get turned and you start being interviewed. And in this podcast episode, I want to talk about one, expectations going into the call. How is the call set up? We'll define who has the main role. And then second, I want to talk about how to prevent.
So I'm going to talk about how to get that from happening and third, I want to talk about how do we come back from that if that's the way it starts going. So this is going to be tons of practical, helpful advice in this episode. So the first thing that we have to talk about is how did the call come to be?
And so you're already going to be out of a power dynamic if you applied to the position in a way that feels like a job application. So there's two ways that the discovery call could be scheduled. One is they go through your scheduler and they schedule a time [00:05:00] using your intake form, your application form, your scheduler.
And then the other way that this can come about Is that you went through their application form. They're scheduler. Whenever you go through someone else's scheduler, you are already setting a power dynamic that's not in your favor. It is gonna be more like an interview. And in that case, you're gonna try to stick as closely to the discovery call process as possible.
But also being flexible enough to know that that's probably not gonna be how it is. They're probably gonna have questions for you. And when you're in that situation, which is not the situation we're gonna talk about today, but when you're in that situation, the big thing is you don't give away strategy.
Like you have to know that you cannot give away strategy during that time, and that's the only problem. There's a lot of problems when we do it like that, but it doesn't mean we're never going to submit a job application like that where [00:06:00] we're going through their scheduler, but it does mean that we have to pivot.
But when we pivot, we have to remember even though when they're quizzing us. We need to have the questions back. So when they say do you have any questions, you can come back with the questions you would ask on the discovery call. And we have to always be coming back to, if they're asking for specific strategies, say, it's really hard to diagnose what I would do without seeing inside your ad account.
So one of the first things we do when you work with us is we go into a deep dive into your account. We do a full audit to see what's worked in the past, what is working now, what audiences. So then we know already what is working and what isn't working. But I can't give you strategy until I get into your account and see what has already been working.
That's a great way to shift it back to this is how I work without giving strategy. So even if you're in that lesson power dynamic, because you went through their scheduler, you can still always be steering it back around [00:07:00] to where you're the one. Thank you. That has the really thoughtful answers and you're asking thoughtful questions.
Now, so in that situation, you've got a roll of the punches. You have to know how to do, So that's not what we're talking about today. Now, when they come to your scheduler and they scheduled, you've already set the time. There's only 20 minutes. So when you do that first question, And a lot of people like to skip this one.
When I asked this specific member, if they were going over this first part, they said, no, they were skipping it. One of the first things you have to do is set the tone of the call. When you get on the call, a lot of us default to small chat. And we want to, of course, have a little bit of that to break the ice, but then we need to very quickly, within one minute, get Get to okay.
So I want to respect your time and I need to respect my time in order to do that We only have 20 minutes together and I usually say 15. We only have 15 minutes together So I want to make sure that we can get to everything we need to in those 15 So how [00:08:00] this call is going to go So I'm going to ask you some questions.
I reviewed your application, but now I want to ask some just clarifying questions and to hear it in your own voice. And then once we go through that, I'll know if like I'm a good fit, if I can help you, if your account's one that I have the capacity to take on. Or if it's not a good fit, I'll let you know that too.
But if it is a good fit, then I'll go into what it looks like to work together. And then at the end, we can go over our next steps. Does that sound good to you? Okay, great. A lot of you are skipping that step and it's really crucial because right there you're setting the tone of the call. This isn't a strategy call.
This is for me to ask you. I'm going to ask you questions and then show you what it looks like to work with me. And we have to lean into that. If you're skipping that part, you're already setting that the tone of the call is just willy nilly. Anyone can do anything when we set the agenda, when we set the tone, all the expectations of what this call is and isn't already set in the [00:09:00] beginning.
And very rarely do people go outside of that scope. Now they will. And that's when we troubleshoot. But the first thing you have to do is set the tone. When you set the tone, you are going to set your call up for success. So we've talked about power dynamics. How do you stay in control? One is that they come through your scheduler and if they don't, then you have to ask those questions and not give strategy.
These calls are not for strategy. Then we went into how do you really set the tone? How do you stay in control? It's by setting the agenda. And so many of y'all want to skip this step for some reason, and it's like the easiest step. So we need to set the tone. And then how do we troubleshoot? So you're going through, you've asked them questions, but now they've went on a tangent.
They're like, and I did this, and this, and this. There's always places to bring people back around. And so one of the ways that most people lose control is when someone says, What results have you gotten? [00:10:00] And y'all break down because you're like, Oh my gosh, are the results good enough? They're not in this person's niche.
And the thing is we need to practice discovery calls and you can practice in two ways by one, holding more discovery calls or two, practicing situations and having answers already ready to go. So one of these questions that you can probably guarantee are going to happen is, What results have you had before?
And I would practice before each call. How are you going to answer that? And have solutions. And this is one thing that we really help inside Conversions for Clients and the Strategist Society. How do you answer that? How do you answer that when you don't have any results? How do you answer that when you do have results but not in that person's niche or the type of campaign they want to run?
How do you answer that? You need to have your answer already ready. The other thing is what if they come back and say you know. Oh, that's outside of my budget. What's your response to that? How the questions [00:11:00] that you can assume are going to come up, or if you've been doing this long enough and you've had discovery calls, what questions are going to come up.
You need to have answers for them right away because soon as you flounder. To come up with the answer on the spot, they're taking the reins. Running with it! Because then, it's going to be like, how do you know that you can get me results? Are they guaranteed? What have you done? What would you do in this situation?
Here's what I want to do. Can you tell me step by step? And the answer to that is yes. Soon as we sign our contract, I will totally go over step by step. But and I like to make it light hearted, but Right now, what I can do is tell you the big overview of how I work and what it looks like to work with me.
We always want to be circling the questions back around to where you're in charge, but they still feel like they got an answer to your question. And that is an art and something that has to be practiced and troubleshoot. And most people,
And so many of you are quitting after your first, [00:12:00] second, third, or discovery call because you didn't get the result you wanted, but instead you need to be taking it to someone, letting someone else listen to it, or you listen back to the recording and saying, Ooh, how could I have answered this differently for the next time?
Can I have a answer prepped and ready to go? So I sound confident in my answer because here's the deal. Sales equals confidence. So If you want to sell, you have to be confident. And a lot of you, the way you think you get confidence is by having a ton of clients. But the way you get confident is practicing the answers that you're going to say and tweaking them.
Your attitude is a reflection of your results. So if you're getting on there and you were saying like, Oh my gosh, I don't have any results. What are they going to think? I'm probably not going to land this client. You're right. You're not going to land the client. Sales equals confidence. Confidence equals sales.
You have to have that. And if you don't have it yet, you have to find ways to [00:13:00] build it. One of the best ways to build confidence is one, practicing what you're going to say to the questions that could possibly come up. And then two, listening back to your recordings and tweaking. Third and advanced strategy is working with a coach or someone who is good at sales and letting them guide you.
troubleshoot where the sales call broke down. This is exactly what we do in the Strategist Society. This is exactly what I do for my one on one consultant clients when I review their webinar. Webinars, that's selling. Phone calls, selling. You're always selling. We are in the service. Of serving and selling and selling as service.
So we have to get really excited about selling because if you have a crappy attitude towards selling, you're not gonna land clients. And here's the thing, if you're running ads for clients, you could literally change their life, bring in more sales. Bring in more revenue for their families, which [00:14:00] then means you're, you have a position, you have a job, you have a gig, and then you're changing your family's life.
So when you're selling, you're serving not only your client, not only your potential client, not only your current clients, but also your self and your family. You're serving your family. So we have to get confident. And that's exactly what discovery calls are. What can we do to get confident in selling?
We practice. We iterate. We do more of them. We seek out advice. And then, how can we come back and troubleshoot? So I've already talked a little bit about this, but when the calls start going south and you can see it like we all know the call is going south. They have taken over the call. You have to have a way that you can come back.
And so here's what I like to say. Oh my gosh. And sometimes I'll interrupt. I'll find like a pause and then I'll say, I totally want to dive into this more when we work [00:15:00] together. Because then you're planning in their mind that they're already hiring you. So our words matter. So you're going to say, I cannot wait to go into this when we work together and really dive into what type of campaign is going to set you up for the most success.
But right now we have about five more minutes together and I want to make sure that all the bases are covered to make sure that I can help you and can support you. So here's what I've heard so far. And then you're going to repeat. Now, here's what I think that we can do for you. And this is what it looks like to work together.
So you're going to come in with that phrase. And you're going to bring it back to the time. Oh my gosh, I only have this much time and I want to make sure that you feel supported and that I can help you. We're always putting it back on the customer. It's not about us, it's about them. And I want to be conscious of your time.
And I want to make sure that I know exactly that I can help you. So we're taking it back to them. So here's what i've heard you said so far. Here's how I think I can help you And here's what it looks like to work [00:16:00] together. You just took back control, but you have to be okay interrupting like Sometimes we're a little bit too polite, but you can do it in a way that is still polite Believe me from the south born and raised manners are a big thing.
We teach our children manners So I understand it is really hard culturally when we are so attuned not to interrupt And we are that's ingrained But there's nice polite ways to interrupt. And when we make it about third time, then you can do that. I can't wait to discuss this when we work together. But we're five minutes till we have to jump.
And I want to make sure that I know exactly if I can help you. And so here's what I've heard so far. you've listened because you're saying their words back to them. So now that you've said this, I would love to share with you what it looks like to work together and how I can help you. And so when we come at it from that approach, we're coming, we're taking back control.
We're making them feel validated because most people [00:17:00] know that people don't listen. We live in a world of who has the most attention. And so if you can repeat back their words to them. Then they know that you've listened and that's a big deal. You may not think it is but it's actually a really big deal nature is we want to be seen.
We want to be heard. And people feel so unheard in their everyday life. So if you can repeat back the words that they use, that's really important. They will feel heard. They will feel seen. You will hit that motion that they need. I'm going to make a decision to move forward. Because buying is an emotional decision.
Hiring is an emotional decision. So you have to make sure you connect with them on that level. And a lot of you think that connecting with them on that level means that you have to like chitchat in the beginning. That's not it. They want to be heard. They want to be seen. They want to know that you're going to help them solve the problem that they have.
And that's exactly what a [00:18:00] discovery call, sales call is. We went through one, power dynamics from the get go. It depends on how the call was set up. Then, two, we talked about how you take control with that first question setting agenda. We talked about ways to make sure that you stay in control. And then we also talked about what happens when you troubleshoot.
What do we do when the call starts to go south and how do we reconnect that back to the 10 part framework of a discovery call? So hopefully you can take these tips, tricks, and strategies and go out and really up level, enhance, Increase your conversions for your next discovery call and sales call, because when you master the discovery call, you master your money.
Like when you can master a discovery call, you master your money. And I want you to put that everywhere. When I master my discovery call, I'll master my money [00:19:00] and discovery calls. Sales calls are something that I can truly say I've mastered, but it didn't happen overnight. I had eight years of sales calls that I was doing every single day, Monday through Friday.
For eight years calling 50 people every single day, Monday through Friday for eight years. And then I mastered sales through text. I mastered sales through email. Then I came in online and now i've over the last six years Also been working on my sales for through calls webinars, emails, podcasts, you name it.
And so this doesn't happen overnight. We're looking at now over a decade of sales experience that I have, but I'm a true master at sales because I've spent time, energy, learning. On that and to do sales in an ethical way. That's out of service. That's going to help more and more [00:20:00] people. And I know that you're listening to this podcast.
So you want to help more people. You have a heart of service. And if you want to help more people, you have to sell, you have to sell to more people. You have to help them by selling because here's the thing. Selling is service. So we have to change the way we think of selling and your discovery calls, master your discovery calls, master your money.
So I want you to do both. I want you to sell from service and I want to master your discovery call. So you master your money because we all have a business and we all want to make money. That's why we start our business. So master your discovery calls, master your money. I highly recommend you listen to this podcast more than once.
And I highly recommend you listening to our 10 Steps to a Successful, Call Podcast. We'll link that up in the show notes. And then if you really want to dive into sales mastery and you already have a few clients, go on and reply back to [00:21:00] this email. If you're getting the email for the podcast or send me a DM on Instagram and say strategist and let's talk about if you're the right fit for the strategist society.
Because that's exactly what we're doing there is mastering sales. And when you master sales, you serve more. And when we master our discovery calls, we master our money. So until next week, my friends, go out, serve your clients, scale your business and soar into the success you deserve.