Hi Reader,
I've gotten much better at this, but there was a time when I could have a great complimentary consultation with someone, spend 20 minutes listening to what was going on in their business, ask questions, offer some ideas and see exactly where I could help them.
And then I'd hesitate to tell them.
It wasn't because I didn't know what the next step could be. I didn't want them walking away thinking, Ohhh...so this was really just a sales call.
I wanted the conversation to be useful whether they ever worked with me or not. I still do.
The Weekly Edge
What I've gotten better at is realizing that making an invitation doesn't take away from the help I've already given.
Recently, I had a complimentary consultation with a business owner who was feeling overwhelmed by everything happening in her relatively new business. We talked through what was creating some of that overwhelm, where she needed more structure and what I thought would help.
Toward the end of our conversation, she told me she could see how I could help her. She was also concerned about taking on another financial commitment.
So I explained what working together could look like.
I told her about my Strategy Session, what we would work on, what she could expect to walk away with, and that it was a standalone session. Booking it didn't commit her to working with me beyond that.
She didn't book the session.
And that's okay.
The purpose of the invitation wasn't to get her to say yes. It was to make sure she had enough information to decide whether saying yes made sense for her.
I think that's an important distinction, especially for those of us who build our businesses around relationships. A clear invitation isn't about pushing someone toward a decision. It's about making sure they don't have to guess what you want them to do with the information you've given them.
And that doesn't only apply to a sales conversation.
Maybe you want someone reading your email to hit reply. You want a prospect to schedule a consultation. You want a client to complete something before your next meeting. You want a referral partner to make an introduction.
Because sometimes we do a really good job of being helpful and then get so careful about not being pushy that we leave the other person to figure out the rest.
One Small Move
Think about one place in your business where you're asking someone to take action.
It might be an email, your website, a proposal, a follow-up message or even something you regularly say at the end of a conversation.
Now look at the invitation you're giving them and ask:
Would they know exactly what I'm asking them to do?
If the answer is “well...probably,” make it clearer. 😂
You don't need to rewrite the whole email, page or conversation. Just change one invitation so it's clear what you're asking them to do.
What I’m Paying Attention To
I get Jim Rohn's Weekly Wisdom emails, and something in a recent one has stayed with me.
It arrived at the beginning of September, when there were still four months left in the year, and raised a question about whether the plan you're following is actually the one you designed, or one you somehow drifted into.
Now we're heading into the final three months of the year, which made the idea feel even more relevant to me.
I'm not interested in treating October 1 like another January 1 and suddenly hitting reset on everything. 😂 But I am interested in looking at what I've planned for the rest of the year and asking whether it still reflects where I want to go.
Because there's still plenty of year left to make an adjustment.
If you're not familiar with Jim Rohn's work, you can learn more about him and sign up for his Weekly Wisdom emails on the Jim Rohn website.
By the time you're reading this, I'll be in British Columbia with my husband, visiting family and enjoying some time away from my usual routine.
There will be plenty of family time, a little sightseeing, almost certainly a lot of card playing and, since we're staying right across from Okanagan Lake, I'll be keeping an eye out for Ogopogo. 😂
I'm looking forward to all of it.
Have a great week,
Lucy
P.S. If there's something in your business that's been taking up more time or headspace than it should, and you'd like some focused help with it, my Spotlight Strategy Session gives us dedicated time to work through it together. Book a Spotlight Strategy Session
