You’ve probably had experience with this prospective coaching client:
You invest time with them. You do a great job of asking questions, identifying their specific needs, and you give them a couple of options for working with you.
They agree they need your services. They want your services. They can afford your services.
But…
… they just can’t pull the trigger.
Their behind is planted firmly on the fence.
Frustrating, right?
I was actually that guy recently when looking at a purchase.
After a couple of conversations with a sales rep who sold a software package I was looking at, and needed, I made a feeble attempt at delaying. Not objecting, just delaying, for no good reason other than procrastination.
He then said, “Well, if you don’t do this, what are you going to do?
“I don’t know. Good point.”
Then he added, “And you’ll still have the issue that you wanted this to fix, right?”
I realized I needed to move forward.
Now, I teach this stuff, right? But it didn’t seem like he was selling me, or that it was a technique. He just helped me realize the problem was not going to go away on its own.
How You Can Use It
I’ve often recommended the exact same process. A question I like to use to get someone off the fence is,
“What will happen if you do nothing?”
Variations of that are,
“How will you feel in a month if you do nothing?”
“How will your lack of energy and its effects change over the next few months if you don’t do anything to correct it?”
“What do you think will happen if you don’t do anything for a couple of months?”
You want them thinking about the pain/problem/need that got them interested in the first place, then help them see the further pain of not fixing it.
