If you really want to build a lasting revenue stream, you need to create packages that match what prospects want. These packages are not just for turning prospects into clients. They should also deliver lasting results for your paying clients.
A package is more than a one-off session or engagement with you.
- For a coach, this could be a package of 12 coaching sessions that accompany a 3-month course.
- A trainer can offer a 3-day training coupled with 6 monthly follow-up sessions as the trainees implement what they learnt.
- A consultant can bundle consulting, training, and follow-up sessions. Or you could offer to consult, help while implementing, and develop the tools and templates required to help your clients achieve specific results.
Package Your Services to Match What Prospects Want
1. Long-Term Benefits for Your Clients
When designing a package, consider the following:
- What frustrations are faced by your prospects?
- What are their desires (the opposite of their frustrations)?
- How can your solution (or package) match what your prospects want?
- What kind of long-term benefits can you offer someone?
- How can you help them with your expertise?
You should also consider the length and frequency of your work with someone. This gets clearer as you work with more clients.
For example, say you’re offering an e-course. Instead of just having the self-learning platform, you can bundle in weekly Q&A calls where you connect directly with course participants. You can also give discounted offers for 1-1 coaching for those who need a little bit more handholding.
Since we’re talking about lasting results, it’s only natural that longer-lasting packages offer more revenue for you. They also make the client commit and go a long way toward building a relationship between the two of you, which leads to greater satisfaction and a good opportunity for testimonials or referrals.
2. Marketing Your Packages
When talking about the package you’re offering, always describe the value it offers the customer just as you would a regular service.
- If you’re talking to a prospect directly, ask them guided questions that help reveal their frustrations and desires. If they’re interacting with you indirectly on a web page, ensure that the page speaks about these frustrations and desires. So you must be very conversant with what your prospects want and the kinds of solutions they are looking for.
- When describing your packages, always emphasize the benefits over the features.
- Explain to them what they’ll be able to do when they finish working with you.
- You can also tell them in concrete terms how it has helped your other clients or point them to a Testimonials page on your blog or website.
Finally, tell them specifically what the package entails. Mention exactly how many sessions or the exact length of the period of time and the fee. This lends you credibility and also helps to set realistic expectations for them.
4. Pricing Your Packages
Your revenue goals play a key role when pricing a package. Decide how much you need to earn in what timeframe, and price your product accordingly.
The key to getting your package pricing right is to make the package cheaper than if someone purchased the components individually.
For example, say you’re a consultant and you have a package that consists of:
- A needs assessment.
- 1-day training.
- 12 week coaching post-training.
You can make the package price 15% or 30% lower than if someone opted to take each of these items on their own.
But what if everyone says your package price is too high?
If the price you come up with seems a bit high and you’re not confident telling it to prospects, here are some things to remember:
- Your package offers concrete results. It helps the prospect overcome a challenge and solve a problem they’re facing. They’re not just buying the course, program or service. They’re also buying the results and changes your package will deliver in their life, career, business, organization, or whatever it is that you do.
- Your expertise is worth a lot more than you think. The value of your service goes beyond just working with clients. You bring in your training, knowledge, skills, talents and experience. The more you’ve worked in this industry, the more expertise you have. This is the wealth that backs the package and pricing.
- You need to be excited about the package yourself. Your energy and excitement about what you can do make it much easier for you to communicate in a way that will match what prospects want. Just take care not to be overly enthusiastic in a way that actually turns away your prospects!
Finally, keep in mind that prices are not cast in stone.
You can always adjust the price later. If you find that people aren’t buying, it means you’ve priced it too high or you need to ramp up your marketing.
But some good news here is that most service-based entrepreneurs tend to under-value their offers. So you’re more likely to underprice the package offers than overprice them!
4. Serving, Not Selling
When you offer a high-value package, you’re not just lining your pockets with a steady stream of income.
You’re also offering a unique solution to match what your prospects want. You’re actually doing them a disservice if you didn’t help them work on their problems over the long term with an offer like this.
Change your mindset from selling to inviting people to work with you. When you position yourself as a solution provider and not a salesman, you’ll be well on your way to turning prospects into clients!
The Biashara 360 Experience
Biashara Threesixty turned 4 last week. While we didn’t have a big celebration like last year, we took time to reflect on how far we’ve come over the last 4 years.
One key result of this analysis was the fact that over 60% of our clients this year are repeat clients. Yes, you read that right…we’re having people whom I coached as far back as 2012 coming back for coaching this year.
Some are actually doing a second or third round of coaching with me. They come back when they move into a new level in their lives, careers or businesses.
Interestingly, of the remaining 40% of clients:
- 30% are referrals from friends, family, clients, former clients, social media connections, and even strangers who passed on my e-posters or Facebook posts.
- The remaining 10% are either following me or Biashara 360 on social media, are in the same FB groups I’m in, subscribe to our email newsletter, or found this blog.
A key factor that has produced these results is that we only offer packages.
The only individual sessions we have are Discovery Calls or one-off Strategy Sessions for past clients who need to recalibrate.
The results we’re getting now with the majority of our clients being repeat clients or referrals would not have been possible if we were offering single sessions or weren’t able to match what prospects want.
Having packages has also made it easier for people to refer others to us.
Our current and past clients know exactly what we offer, even if it’s not the program they’re taking or have taken. We also talk about our packages on social media and in physical forums, which makes it easier for people to remember what we do.
For example, earlier this week, I received a call from someone referred by a past client. My client did a life coaching program (Break Free, Live Your Life) over 3 years ago. She referred her friend who needs help with business startup coaching and even mentioned the name of the program her friend needs.
I’ve also received calls from people who were referred by strangers who have heard about the Biashara 360 packages from other people or from social media.
Finally, offering packages makes it easier to talk about what we do.
When you’re in a sales conversation with a prospect, you need to guide them into making an informed decision whether to work with you or not.
Having packages smoothens this part of your conversation. You can tell someone,
“From our discussion, I understand your main challenges as 1,2,3. This is what (insert the name of your package) helps people with similar challenges solve/overcome. In (name your package), we start off by doing ABC… Then we move to EFG… and wrap up with IJK. By the end of X weeks/months, you’ll expect to have these kinds of results (outline the 3 main expected results of your course, program or service).”
This not only makes you look like you know what you’re doing. It also makes it easier to have the price conversation…something that a lot of coaches, trainers and consultants dread!
Need some help with your marketing and packaging?
If you’re a coach, trainer, or consultant and you want to know how to turn prospects into paying clients, check out our program Kickstart Your Business.
This is a live 12-week group program where I teach you a step-by-step system that you can replicate on your own in the future.
Through a combination of training, coaching, peer-to-peer accountability, and a private community, you will finally overcome the mindset and physical blocks that keep you from effective selling.
We also have a private members area with amazing resources, bonus learning activities, and templates you can customize for your business.
Join the next group and learn how to turn prospects into clients in a way that feels natural to you.
(Image credit: Pixabay)
