Your Client Journey (YCJ): The Consultation Process
If you're a service-based professional, spending time analyzing your client journey is a must! Since there are many parts to this process, we'll spend time breaking down each component separately.
So, let's start with your consultation. This is a prospective client's first impression of what it would be like to work with you. Areas to review are:
How do they book with you?
Do you have an intake form and what questions are you asking?
How do you move through the actual consultation?
What follow-up is required?
What’s the best, most efficient way for someone to book a consultation with you? Do they need to email you and then set it up manually? Is there a direct link they can click and automatically schedule? How easy is it for them to connect with you in this way? (If you don’t have a calendar scheduling system already in place, I would highly recommend getting one - it makes you look more organized and more professional.)
Prior to the scheduled consultation, what information do you need to know to be prepared? Providing an intake form will give you insight into their pain points and struggles so that you can evaluate their needs and determine if, in fact, you are the right person to help them. Be specific with the types of questions you’re asking them ahead of time.
What’s the flow of the consultation, itself? Ideally, they should be leading and talking through their issues; but you can also guide them based on their intake form responses. They’re looking to you as the expert to help them in their area of need - so take charge and be that resource for them. This will instill confidence and trust in your ability to help them.
How do you wrap up the call? Do you walk them through your services based on what would benefit them most? Do you discuss your rates? Know that they may or may not say YES at that moment, so what follow-up is needed? A proposal? A quote? A scope of work? Details on the specific ways you can help them? How can you put your best foot forward at the end of this process?
The consultation is the best way for you to illustrate how you can fix their problems and address their needs. Make sure you have a system in place for how you move through this process.
