No matter how good you are at closing the sale, sometimes a prospective client doesnt bite on the first sales conversation. But instead of letting them walk away and never hearing from them again, you can use a technique I developed to stop them slipping through your fingers.

Sometimes, a prospect needs some time to make the decision on whether or when theyd like to start working with you. What Ive noticed over the years is that when this happens, almost always, the sale never happens, probably because life gets in the way and whats out of sight, is out of mind.

So Ive come up with a fantastic remedy for this, which, in addition to my fool-proof closing the sale script, helps me close the deal 90% of the times I use it. Ive called it bookending and heres how it works.

Often, at the end of our initial consultation, prospects tell me that they need to talk to their spouse, need some time to decide, or want to ideally start in 2 months. Instead of letting them walk away without a plan, I propose scheduling a 5-minute check-in call with them to see where they are in their process.

Often, Ill ask whether they need 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months to make a decision. Usually, the answer is next week, so well set up a 5-minute chat for next Tuesday, at 3pm, for example. I explain this will help us follow up with each other, without having to play phone tag or having to follow up with one another unnecessarily.

The great thing about this technique is it puts a (self-imposed) time limit in the prospects mind as to when THEY would like to make the decision, and obviously, you let them choose when theyd like to have that 5-minute chat.

I essentially came up with this because I really dislike following up in this situation. It makes me feel like Im chasing after them and I dont feel this is Client Attractive. So instead, we agree theyll call me on set date and 90% of the time they do, and out of those times, they dont feel pressured, theyve had time to think about what we talked about, crunched the numbers, and are ready to make a decision to move forward.

Its a great tool, especially since it doesnt make me have to pressure anyone into the sale! Whew!

If for whatever reason they dont call during the time of your 5 minute check-in appointment, you can then call them or e-mail them asking if anything went wrong. This usually puts the prospect into a mode where they feel obliged to get back to you, as THEY were the one who missed the appointment. Again, this is much more Client Attractive and ends up saving you a lot of time.

Your Assignment:

If a client doesnt sign up on the spot, make sure to bookend another date so you dont have to follow up on each other for weeks. Use it as a lets see where you are in your decision-making process then. It works like a charm.

If you need to start closing the sale 90% of the time too, youll want to get a copy of the Closing The Sale script I use detailed in the Client Attraction Home Study System. Step by step, I take you through everything you need to do to pre-qualify prospects, get them ready for the close AND exactly what to say to turn them into paying clients. Get it today by going to www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com. Youll also get hundreds of other ideas and resources to help YOU become a Client Attraction machine like thousands of my previous clients.

2006 Fabienne Fredrickson