What happens before you speak with a prospect?

“If I could just sit down and talk with them, they’ll most likely become clients.” That may be true, but it’s like saying, “Once I’m at the finish line, I’ll likely finish the race.”

If the prospect is taking the time to speak or meet with you, much of the heavy lifting is already done. They’ve learned enough about you to come to the conclusion that you’re worth meeting, and you’ll never know how many don’t come to that conclusion. 

That’s the key—the real magic is happening long before the actual conversion, so if you want to get in front of more people, start considering what has led various prospects to sit down with you in the past. 

If they looked you up online, what did they find and what did they learn from it? If they were referred to you, what were they told and how did that shape their perception of you? If they came to you with high expectations, how and why were those expectations set?

Because if you can understand what they were able to glean from all the little encounters they had with your brand before they had any contact with you, then you can start perfecting those encounters. That’s when the heavy lifting that leads prospects to your door becomes more systematic, and you start seeing opportunities that otherwise may have never surfaced.