Dear @info81961 …
Trial and error is the best way to grow a business. Every business is different which is why every business may have a different approach to Client Consultations.
What works for me may not work for others, but let me share …
I offer a 15 min complimentary discovery call (video or phone).
If a person is a no-show 3 times in a row, they get no more complimentary discovery calls. The only way to book an appointment is via a paid booking session.
15 min is usually enough time to figure out whether or not the project is possible, how long the project will take and how much it will cost.
What happens in the conversation counts. Be the first one to introduce yourself, thank them for scheduling with you and remind them what the appointment is for.
Things to remember:
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15 minutes to discuss a brief overview of your project
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The goal is to find out if the project is possible
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If yes, to find out how long it will take to build
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Gather enough information to provide a quote
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The specific of font, color, etc, is a conversation that happens after the project is booked (this is not for the discovery call)
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Basically you need to find out what they are missing, what they need and if you can help
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This is not a time to provide customer support or train them on how to make the changes
Sometimes the clients forget this. So it is important to remind them at the very beginning of the call. Again, limit the call to find out what they need created in order to provide them with a quote.
Make sure to space the appointments enough apart so they do not overlap in case they go over their time. (I have made the mistake of ‘squeezing’ people in between appointments ----- this goes terribly wrong because it creates a domino effect of ‘being late’ for the rest of the appointments.)
If a person needs more than 15 min with us, then we offer a project planning session which is charged per hour. A client will always have ‘one more question’, it is your choice to answer ‘one more question’ or kindly remind them that you offer hourly consultations for advice or planning.
“15 minutes” is just the time frame we chose for our business. You can choose whatever time frame works best for you. These consultation calls are essential to building rapport with a client. They take time and practice to ‘perfect’. This is a part of your companies ‘customer service’. And customer service is extremely important in our industry.
I hope this gives you some insight.
Yours Truly,
CQ
www.codequeen.co
P.S. I also offer consulting sessions to Wix Experts 