As a nutrition professional, you will get questions asking about your services. A lot of potential clients will ask what you can do for them and how much services cost. A great way to help clients best understand how you can help them reach their goals is through a “discovery call.” A discovery call is a conversation — over the phone, in person, or in a video chat — with a potential client that allows you to understand more about the person’s needs and how your services align with their goals. This is a great opportunity for converting leads into paying customers.

The Basics of Discovery Calls

Discovery calls are always prompted by someone wanting to know more about your services. They could ask a question on social media or send you an email. Or a potential client could call you directly, launching the conversation right into a discovery call. You can follow up by saying, “I would really like to schedule 15 minutes to chat with you so I can learn more about your goals.”

Ultimately, the goal of that 15-minute conversation should be for you to discover the person’s needs and determine if your services can help address those needs — NOT to just land the sale. That might seem a bit counter-intuitive; however, if you are only after the sale, then you might end up with clients who really aren’t a good fit for your expertise. In these cases, clients may walk away disheartened or disillusioned after experiencing your services. It’s okay to let people know that you aren’t a good fit for them. If that happens, try to refer them to another professional who could help, so you’re still providing value to them. They will remember your help and have a positive experience even if they don’t sign up for service.

Additionally, a discovery call sets the tone for all of the future interactions with a client. You want to gain someone’s trust from the beginning, and talking like a used car salesman won’t create that foundation.

Through a good discovery call, you should be able to determine if a lead is a good fit. If they are, then you can learn more about them — their goals, struggles, lifestyle, etc. You’ll discover how your services can fit into their life and propel a client to success. Here’s how you can make the most of your discovery calls and convert the clients who are a good fit for your services.

Steps to Dominate a Discovery Call

Start with Positivity

This may seem like a no-brainer, but you should start every discovery call with a positive tone. While talking about the COVID craziness or even the bad weather might get the conversation going, it could set a negative tone for the conversation. You want to start out on a positive note. The beginning of the conversation could also be a great time to ask how a lead learned about your services.

Try this:

  • “I really appreciate you reaching out.”
  • “I’m looking forward to getting to know more about you today.”
  • “How did you come across my website?”

Set an Agenda

Once you’ve opened the door to the conversation, you should outline an agenda for how you will approach the rest of the conversation. You should let your client know that calls take about 15 minutes. You can ask if they are still available for that amount of time. If not, you can set a call for another time. Once you’ve reviewed the agenda, you can ask your potential client if there’s anything else they were hoping to get out of the call.

Try this:

  • “During our 15 minutes together, I want to learn more about your goals and what might be making them hard to achieve.”
  • “My goal today is to see if we are a good fit for each other. What were you hoping to get out of today’s call?”

Discover the Problem

Now it’s time to transition into the meat of the conversation. Start asking questions to discover what the individual’s health challenges are. These questions should be mostly open-ended questions so that you can gather as much information as possible. You should also dive into some of their responses and uncover the “why” behind what they say. Often, humans tend to present their high-level problems while the underlying problems are really what you want to get to.

Let’s dive deeper here. Imagine that a potential client says that they have been trying to lose weight but are struggling to shed pounds. That’s a problem, but it’s not the root problem. You need to continue asking questions until you discover what the root problem is. Why is this person struggling to lose weight.

Once you discover the problem, you can also state the insights you’ve gathered from the potential client and ask them to verify that you’re on the same page. This shows that you want to understand what’s going on and that you’ve been listening.

Try this:

  • “What motivated you to reach out to me?”
  • “What do you think is the biggest obstacle in reaching your goal of XX?”
  • “From what I understand, your biggest challenge is XX. Is that right?”

Share a Solution Overview

Once you have a good grasp of the problems that the potential client is facing, you can choose to continue the conversation or part ways here. Remember, not all leads will be a good fit. And that’s okay. Be transparent with them. If possible, point them in the direction of someone else who could help.

If the individual is a good fit for your services, then position yourself as the solution. Talk about how you believe you can help them — but keep it at a high level. You don’t need to dive into your packages and prices quite yet.

Share how your approach and EatLove can help them build better habits. Remember to personalize the messaging to this client’s needs. Don’t just give them a memorized script.

You could also share a story about a client who had similar challenges and how you were able to help them. Stories are effective selling tools that are more likely to stick with your potential client.

Try this:

  • “From getting to know you, I understand that your goal is to _____, but ______ is keeping you from getting the results you want. I believe I have a program that can help. At a high level, it involves _______.”
  • “Your goals remind me of a former client of mine who achieved _____ and _____ by doing _____, ______, and ______.”

Ask If They’d Like to Learn More

At this point, you have outlined how you think you could help. Now is a good time to check back in with your potential client and ask them if they would like to learn more about your services and how these solutions would work.

Try this:

  • “Based on our conversation, I feel like you would be a great fit for my program. Would you agree?...” If the answer is yes, then follow up with, “Would you like to hear more about the pricing and how the program would work for you?”
  • “I’d love to share more about my program. Is that something you’d be interested in?”

Share Pricing and Specific Services

If the potential client is interested, you should now dive into your different service offerings and prices. Yes, tell them about your prices! Don’t wait for them to ask you what you charge. That can feel awkward or intimidating to the potential client. Just be open and transparent. You also shouldn’t feel like you need to offer a discount. You deserve what you’re charging!

If you feel uncomfortable sharing prices or have a tendency to ramble on when it comes to the money, try leaving a pause in the conversation after you state the price. This gives your potential client a minute to think about the price and respond if they’d like to. You could also ease into the money conversation by asking if they are familiar with the pricing of other nutrition programs or professional services.

When explaining your specific services, remember to tie them back to the individual’s challenges and touch on how the services could benefit them. Again, this creates personalization in your conversation and shows that you don’t offer one-size-fits-all solutions.

Try this:

  • “This program includes ______, which can help you overcome your challenge of ______.”
  • “I charge $XX per month for these services.”

Call to Action

At the end of the call, you can challenge your potential client with a call to action. This call to action will help clearly define what the next step will be. You will need to use some discretion to determine what action will be best. If someone seems very interested, you could have them sign up for services or schedule their first workout session with you. If someone is still unsure, you can let them know that you can follow up with them tomorrow — or 48 hours at the latest.

Another great thing to include in this call to action are concerns that the potential client has mentioned. For example, they might have expressed that they tried keto and it didn’t do anything for them. You can tie that back into your call to action and share that your program can deliver the long-term results they are looking for.

Try this:

  • “I can sign you up today and we can get started. Would you like to do that?”
  • “Based on our conversation, I’m confident that my program will help you with ____ and _____, which is exactly what you’re looking for. Are you ready to get started?”
  • “I know that this can be a big decision. Could I call you tomorrow at ____ to follow up with you.”

With this framework, you can get the most of your time and convert the right people from potential customers to loyal ones. For more ideas on how you can efficiently grow your business, check out our blog.