The Anxieties Your Potential Clients Are Feeling (And What To Do About It)

Your Conversation Pit: Episode 20.

Listen to the full episode here: Apple, Spotify, and Amazon.

The Messaging Issue That Most Advisors, Agencies, Coaches, Consultants, and Service Providers Face

Before we talk about how being too positive-polly can hurt your sales and business growth in your marketing presence, let’s just set sights on the true predictions of ecommerce in general. According to SellersCommerce, “Global eCommerce sales will account for $6.3 trillion in 2024, which is an 8.76% increase from 2023. The sales will continue growing at a CAGR of 7.8% between 2024 to 2027 and reach $8 trillion by 2027. Growing at more than 2x rate compared to physical stores.”

Your customers and clients shopping journeys are starting online; after the Covid-19 Pandemic, there was a high increase of customers being further in their customer journeys before ever speaking to a salesperson. This means that your ideal client for your business is already beyond adapted to starting, continuing, and getting to the end point of their customer journeys online regardless of what they’re purchasing. 

They’re well-versed in marketing, exhausted by the same tricks and hacks being used to influence their purchasing decisions, and more sophisticated than ever before. 

Which means that if you’re not addressing hesitations in your marketing presence, long before connecting with them via direct message, Zoom call, and the like for your services, then you’re actively halting their customer journey and influencing them to take their purchasing power to a business that will address hesitations.

I want us to consider how to navigate those fears in your messaging per offering to ensure that your content isn’t just “destination arrival” and “positive-polly” coded throughout your customer’s journey to purchasing.

According to Dixa, “97% of participants said customer reviews factor into their buying decisions. And 92% of consumers hesitate to make a purchase when there are no customer reviews.” Yet case studies, testimonials, and the like are forgotten in the Wild Wild West of the online business space. 

With an expertise-focused approach, authority is at times solely dependent on the communications, education, and obvious marketing metrics that the business has instead of what customers and clients have said about the business in the past. Having an obvious option for potential clients to consume case studies through an email funnel, regular blog postings, stories shared via podcast and social media, allows for potential clients to truly assess their current life and business experience to evaluate whether your brand is the right fit for their problems to be solved. 

Adding those pieces into your marketing strategy solves the positive reviews side of your problem, but what about the hesitations? If your potential clients are only seeing 5 star reviews and paragraphs of how your past clients have solved their problems, then does that address their concerns?

No, not exactly.

That’s why the following are usually included on websites.

What to Include on Your Website to Address Hesitations:

  1. Case Studies
  2. Detailed Product Descriptions
  3. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
  4. Free Trials/Samples/Lead Magnets
  5. Live Chat Support
  6. Money-Back Guarantees
  7. Product Promises & Guarantees
  8. Security Badges and Certifications
  9. Testimonials and Reviews

Let’s discuss what should be included in your messaging to address hesitations beyond the above because, though female founder success stories and your business transformation stories are feeding your ideal client as they actively decide if you’re the right brand for them to work with, we’re still not addressing actual hesitations. 

Nevertheless, you’ll be considering how your ideal client’s life looks every single day within your messaging; are they balancing motherhood and business? Are they focused on burnout prevention as an entrepreneur, thus perhaps not online as often as your touchpoints in your client journey might say they are? Are they regularly searching for financial planning for entrepreneurs and budgeting for small business growth, thus showing that they may be nervous to invest in another service or product? Are they trying to overcome imposter syndrome as a female entrepreneur and working on goal setting as a business owner? Or are they past those stages and looking for deeper personal development strategies for women in business?  

Here are suggestions to focus on and to include in your messaging to address hesitations while keeping in mind what their state of belief, consideration, and awareness is in life and business. 

Address hesitations that your ideal client is already considering by calling out the negative within your sales pages and assets. If your product or service feels and sounds too good to be true, you can best support them by showing that you’ve accounted for those fears and anxieties through X, Y, and Z. 

Example 1:

“The Timeless Sales Method® Course is so simple to use that you can truly craft and tailor your sales process to each potential high-ticket client because you’ll know sales psychology like the back of your hand.” 

Our potential client might be thinking: “Yeah, okay, but I’ve taken sales courses before and they’re difficult to understand AND apply.” 

If I address the hesitation in this statement, I would say this: “Of course, learning a new skill is built on the micro-moments of understanding each concept and applying it to learn the macro-skill. That’s why for our sales course for female founders we provide templates, resources, and step-by-step instructions to take at the end of each thoughtfully put-together sales lesson to support sustainable business growth.” 

Example 2:

“Our metabolism program and community will makeover your metabolism in 90 days, with starting results appearing at the 30 day mark.” 

The potential client might be thinking: “Pfft, maybe for someone else. I know for a fact it won’t work for me because I’ve tried everything.”

If the metabolism program coach and facilitator addresses the hesitation in this statement, she would say this: “The main hesitation our most successful clients have shared in their feedback forms is that they were nervous that this was going to be yet again just another course that they failed to stay accountable with, understand enough to apply, and feel confident to make choices that align with their desired goals. That’s why we’ve always added in the private community as a bonus for free and it’s also why we provide every member with a 1:1 coach to have a weekly check-in via email for questions, concerns, and problem solving. You’re not left alone after the charge hits your credit card and doing this kind of work in a group will keep you going more than you would or could alone because everything’s better with likeminded friends!” 

Example 3:
“Our brand photography service will elevate your brand’s visual identity within just one session, with noticeable improvements as soon as you receive your first set of images.”

The potential client might be thinking: “Just another thing to add to the to-do list before I can launch my new website. Maybe this happens for other brands. I know for a fact it won’t work for me because I’ve tried other photographers and the results were underwhelming. They never get my style”

If the brand photographer addresses the hesitation in this statement, she would say this: “The main hesitation our most successful clients have shared in their feedback forms is that they were worried this would be yet another photography service that failed to capture their brand essence, understand their vision, and provide impactful images that truly resonate with their audience. That’s why we’ve always included a comprehensive pre-shoot consultation at no extra cost. Additionally, we provide a dedicated brand strategist to ensure your vision is accurately translated into each photograph. You’re not left alone after the shoot; we offer post-shoot review sessions for feedback and adjustments. This collaborative approach ensures you achieve the brand imagery that sets you apart in your industry, backed by our commitment to excellence and client satisfaction. Plus, we’re fun without the frantic; this will be the most expressive experience you’ve ever had in front of the camera.”

Take a peek at your website, sales assets, and marketing presence to see if you’re addressing hesitations throughout your customer’s journey to purchasing and becoming a loyal brand purchaser and advocate. If you desire support with this process, we’d love to support you through private consulting to re-evaluate, reposition, and renegotiate your value in the marketplace by auditing, analyzing, and helping you redefine your brand. If you’re a female entrepreneur that’s seeking executive coaching, business growth strategies, business advising for startups, and strategies for business transformation then you’re in the right place to be served by The Cheetah Company

The Business Model Issue That Most Advisors, Agencies, Coaches, Consultants, and Service Providers Have To Work Around

The conversations I’ve overheard and had with peers and colleagues are nothing short of shocking. The regulation that’s needed for the online business marketplace is potent. 

From folks being burned in masterminds and mini-minds to not understanding deliverables and work to being unsure of the scope of what you’re supposed to do versus what a strategist, consultant, coach, or service provider is doing, the list could go on and on. 

Not to mention being burned by ChatGPT courses that were flying off of the shelves to be met with folks screaming for their money back, user-generated content that was intense with their experiences, and the like. 

This ends up being a business model issue combined with a messaging issue combined with a legal issue. 

Your contracts should note exactly what your clients can expect from you, your services, and your deliverables. If you haven’t connected with our favorite lawyer in the space, then we must point you to Paige Hulse and her latest creation that simplifies contracts while adding in the points that are usually missed: the provisions and small questions that dictate the contract’s integrity. 

Though, before you can create a contract that’s stable enough to be the bedrock of your client’s experience with your services, your business model must be evaluated. In the next section we’ll discuss where folks have been burned the most – retainer models – but for now, consider if you’re being clear enough in your website, sales assets, and marketing presence regarding what all is included within your services. 

The reason that folks are burned by masterminds? They’re not sure what’s included versus what they think is included simply by the genre of the business model – the name “mastermind” holds a lot of weight. It could be seen as an exclusive and premium group that comes together to mastermind together, facilitate group conversation together, and essentially lead as the experts in the group. The facilitator usually holds a similar or higher level of success, but curates the groups for connection.

Whereas, some folks might consider that a mastermind has the elements of the above, but that they will still have accountability, connection and tailored advice, private mentorship, personalized attention, facilitation of strategic partnerships and networking, high-value content, and the like. 

All of those pieces have to be addressed on your website, in your sales assets, in your sales conversations, in your marketing presence, and to your referral partners to ensure that those folks that are coming through your digital door are understanding of your role in their success and what that partnership will truly look like. 

The Sustainable Way of Building a Business That Has Clients in Fear

If you’re an advisor, consultant, coach, or service provider then you know that the key to your monthly recurring revenue exists more often than not through retainers of some sort. You are disinterested in finding new leads each month to ensure your revenue goals are being met, right?

Thus, retainers, membership models, payment plan extensions with added charges, and the like are the key to sustaining your income alongside strategic partnerships, referrals, graduate programs, and ascension models for your service suite.

The retainer model, within the online business space, has been stretched and overused to the point of pain for our clients and customers. There’s a deep fear that’s been rooted in the hearts of our best ideal clients because someone else didn’t take care of them through a retainer model.

A retainer doesn’t mean that the client gets to scope-creep, ask for immediate work, or override boundaries set in place through conversation, the marketing of your offerings, and your contracts, but a retainer does have a higher sense of integrity that’s needed. More than any other model on the market! 

Addressing hesitations within your messaging, ensuring that your integrity is beyond high when you are facilitating such a high-level experience for premium clientele, and detailing what’s needed from both parties to make the experience as comfortable and impactful as possible rests in your hands. 

Even if you personally would never treat a client with anything less than white glove service, you’re still working alongside and with their past experiences, meaning that you’ll have to overcome those buying fears right alongside them as a part of your client journey and white glove experience. 

Addressing Hesitations in Your Messaging Before A Sales Conversation

Whether that conversation is happening via the sales page to the “buy now” button or direct messaging or email funnel or via Zoom, there is a need to address hesitations without relying fully on positivity to do so.

When we only approach our messaging with a “positive-polly” attitude, we lose the trust of consumers quickly because they’re more sophisticated than ever and the subconscious mind will twist your positivity into fears. The consumer will position their fears as the holds ups to their success and if you’re not addressing those fears and hesitations then they most likely will not purchase until those are addressed. 

By the time you make the space to address them, they’re already onto the next competitor that’s spent the time, energy, and effort to do so. 

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing strategies and sales psychology and how to address your potential client’s hesitations in relation to their buyer types – what we call buyer love languages – then take a peek at Episode 13 of Your Conversation Pit, Marketing Strategies that are Working in 2024 & The Current State of Online Businesses, Episode 15 of Your Conversation Pit, Mastering Sales Psychology in 2024 and Beyond, and Episode 16 of Your Conversation Pit, The Art of Sales Psychology Starts With This.

Resources:

Listen to the full episode here: Apple, Spotify, and Amazon.

Marketing Strategies that are Working in 2024 & The Current State of Online Businesses

The Art of Sales Psychology Starts With This

Mastering Sales Psychology in 2024 and Beyond

Dixa

SellersCommerce

Paige Hulse

The Cheetah Company: Private Consulting

Bio:

Ashleigh Henry has been in marketing, sales, and leadership positions for the last decade and it was exhilarating for Ashleigh to climb the retail, corporate, higher education, and start-up ladder holding positions such as Marketing Strategist, Copywriter, Social Media Strategist, Manager, Editor, Co-Editor…until it wasn’t. Alongside her degree, Ashleigh decided to bring all of her experience into the freelancing world until it became clear that she didn’t just want to pay the bills – she wanted to create a company that was foundationally built on cheetah print, legacy-minded marketing, and sexy sales structures that could stand the test of trend and time. The Cheetah Company, founded by Ashleigh, does this for female entrepreneurs through their education, coaching, and consulting services. Learn more about Ashleigh here.

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