How many times have you met a service provider for an initial consultation and felt as if they were working down a checklist? I can tell you from firsthand experience that the “check list” process simply feels out of place – and as a business owner, out of place experiences don’t sell.

In order to set your clients at ease you have to address a few points to be successful:

• Show genuine excitement
• Show interest in your client
• Explain the basic process
• Answer all the questions

Try to put yourself in their shoes: They had to pick up the phone, drive to your location, and now they are in your office. They are out of their element. You have home-field advantage. They are consulting you because they have a problem – let’s not make it worse.

Be excited to have them as a client: Remember how hard you tried for your first client? Remember that feeling you had after you closed on that sale? Many business owners forget the feeling and work down a list to close a sale as quickly as possible.

Having a process is great, but it should be used as a guideline and not a checklist.

I believe motorcycle accidents happen when you lose respect for your motorcycle. You learn how to handle turns in a parking lot, and before long you’re doing wheelies down the highway – parking lot turns just don’t excite you anymore.

Don’t wreck your business by getting too comfortable with the process and losing respect of your business to the point where consulting a client is no longer exciting for you.

Worry about who they are, first: Stephen Covey said – Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.

When you’re consulting with a client, don’t just dive into your sales pitch after they introduce themselves. Treat this like a job interview where you are applying to have a new revenue stream – to do this, you need to understand exactly who you are talking to and what they’re looking for.

What does your client need, and what do you have to offer for this client? Now… does it make sense for your client to use you? If the answer is no, point them in the right direction. If the answer is yes, start to explain your solution and services.

Explain the process to your client: Just because it’s basic terminology to you, it doesn’t mean your client will know what you’re talking about. You need explain what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Answer all their questions. First time clients are going to have questions, and many of those questions are going to sound repetitive, but they will be asked in different formats. Have patience, and make sure you address all their questions and needs.

Your clients are not the “ride or die” kind of people. They have questions: Where are they going? Will there be food on the way there? Why do they have to die?

You need to address each and every concern that your client has, this will help put them at ease.

The reason for your Initial consultation is to screen and understand who you are going to be working with. The result of your consultation, is a sale. A successful consultation that sets your clients at ease will result in an immediate long lasting relationship that will drive the success of your business.