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With practice this process will be effortless. For now, follow these seven steps to winning conversations with prospects:

1. Understand Your Target Market

The first step of having powerful conversations with prospects takes place before you meet the prospect. If you have expertise in your market, tap into your insider knowledge. Otherwise research what motivates them. Look at these niche markets and their top challenges:

- Realtors = competition, the changing market, and understanding what their clients want.

- Stay-at-home moms = isolation, loss of adult identity, and tedious tasks.

- Corporate executives = making the numbers, managing employees, and board politics.

Interview 10 -- 15 individuals in your market by asking: What is working well for you right now?

What are your top three challenges?

What are the three things you want most?

What are you learning about right now?

What is missing for you?

Tailor your services to provide solutions based on their answers. Practice talking about a bulleted list of specific benefits that you offer them. Never talk about vague concepts such as helping them achieve goals and fulfill their dreams. These have no selling power.

2. Value Yourself

In everything that you do and say show that you believe in your services and value your time. They will perceive your value too.

3. Connect Talking to prospects is not a performance. Don't perform. Connect! Good conversation is a weaving of mutual trust and understanding.

4. Use Appreciative Inquiry

Once you've introduced yourself, ask your prospect meaningful open-ended questions. Respond briefly with appreciation for them, validation for their feelings, and endorsement for their ideas. If you start by asking what is working well in their lives, their challenges will arise naturally.

Remember -- they are able to solve their own problems. Resist the temptation to make suggestions unless they ask you directly. Listen and respond with understanding. Let them have the floor. Be curious.

When it's your turn to talk, be briefly enthusiastic about what you do. Weave in a short success story or two about your clients (no names) that relates to the challenges your prospect has just told you about.

5. Invite the Next Step

A clear moment may open in the conversation to enroll the prospect into your coaching practice. Invite them to a sample session. Be ready to set an appointment, and ask for their email and phone number so that you can follow up.

This part of the conversation may go something like this:

I know exactly what you mean, Susan. What do you think it would take to make that change in your lifestyle?

Well, I've been thinking about this for years and haven't tackled it.

What would the payoff be if you could achieve this now?

I'd work 20 hours less each week and have more fun in my life!

That would be grand! Is there one step you can take now in that direction?

Find time to create some products to give me recurrent income.

You really know what to do, it's just a matter of making the commitment and focusing on steps. What would it mean to you if you could do this now?

It would improve my family life for one.

You're speaking about things that are close to my heart. In fact, my specialty is supporting entrepreneurs to create a lifestyle driven business rather than a business driven lifestyle.

Really? How do you do that?

We'd start by developing a complete vision for your new lifestyle, then we'd set incremental milestones. With what you've told me I think it would be possible for you to free up time, expand your income streams and meet many of your lifestyle goals by the end of this year.

I really do need to do this. I've been tolerating this for too long.

I hear that. Let's sit down and set up a plan . . .

Notice that it's not even necessary to mention coaching, which removes the obstacle of having to define what coaching is. If the prospect isn't ready to take a step with you now, ask if they'd like to sign up for your free ezine/report/blog so that you can continue to contact them. Or, invite them to your upcoming event,-- workshop or teleclass etc.

6. Follow Through

If you do everything beautifully up to this point and then drop the ball here, it could cost you all the effort that's gone before. Always follow up within 24 hours or the lead may go cold.

7. Detach from Outcome

Let go of any worries or attachment to whether they engage further with you after the conversation or not. If you get attached, your prospect will feel it and even if they don't know what's up, it may dissuade them from hiring you. Focus on enjoying them and staying light.

Talking to prospects may be one of the most difficult aspects of getting clients at first, but practice and the right mindset will ease the way. And, if you master this piece, you will be unstoppable!

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