By Jeff Jucha, Certified Two-Brain Business Mentor
Clients will stay in your coaching practice for two reasons: They’re solving the problem that made them seek your help and they’re enjoying the process.
If we remove one of those elements from their experience with you, they will start moving out the door. They may still like you and your service, but if it isn’t providing progress and enjoyment, they’ll keep searching until they find a service that does.
The solution is to find out what a 10-out-of-10 experience looks like for them and then deliver it.
A 10 for one client might include one-on-one workouts and help establishing healthy habits outside the gym. Another’s 10 might be fitting into “college-days jeans” while attending a fun group workout in the morning.
Like any rating system, a perfect score is subjective to the individual, which is precisely what you want. You want the client’s 10 out of 10.
The first number in the score is the client’s current experience with you; the second number is the ideal experience the client had in mind when signing up with you; i.e., their problem being solved effectively and in an enjoyable way.
To get a perfect score, you must focus on three things:
- Intake
- Implementation
- Integration
Below, I’ll explain how your intake process will affect your ability to earn a perfect 10.
Intake: Learning Your Client’s Ratings System
We need to know each client’s ratings system to score a 10.
So at the end of a consultation with a prospective client, I ask, “Lisa, let’s say you worked on these goals with me for three months. What would a 10-out-of-10 experience look like for you?”
Then I give the client a moment to ponder. Most clients will never be asked this question in a business, so you will already be standing out as a pro.
If the client needs some help, ask what a 10 out of 10 would look like with regard to each current goal.
“How many pounds of your main 50-lb. weight-loss goal would be a 10 out of 10 for you in three months?” Write down the answer.
Next, I ask this: “What concerns do you have around working on these goals with me?” If the client hints at a bum knee, mentions looking silly in front of others or notes other issues, dig in and write down their concerns.
Now is the perfect time to review the goal and concern list and explain if the client is being realistic and is a good fit for your services.
If you work these steps into your consultation, you’ll have a list of the exact reasons why the person will keep working with you or stop working with you. You’ll also get more important info.
When you ask a client what a 10 out of 10 looks like, the client’s answer will tell you exactly how to show progress in a meaningful way.
The concerns the client identifies will tell you two things the client is thinking: “I don’t want X” and “I’ll be thinking about X until you calm my fears.”
Dig and Deliver
To recap:
Clients leave when one of two things happens:
- They don’t see progress toward the goal that motivated them to seek your help.
- They don’t enjoy the process of making progress.
To keep clients, you must show them meaningful progress and ensure they’re enjoying the process of accomplishing their goals.
So to score a perfect 10, you must learn the client’s rating scale and then deliver progress and happiness.
In the next post in this series, I’ll teach you how to nail a 10-out-of-10 experience with each client coming into your on-ramp or one-on-one program.
Other Media in This Series
“Delivering 10-out-of-10 Onboarding: Elite-Level Service”
“10-out-of-10 Retention: Client Check-Ins”
