The One Question You Should Ask Every New Customer

Transcript

Hi Fabienne,

I really enjoyed the recent video you did on how to get clear on what your clients need most.

It’s so true that many business owners get stuck on talking about their services or processes or results, without relating all of those things back to the issues their clients are actually struggling with!

This is especially true in service businesses like coaching and consulting, but I think the same thing can happen in local, bricks-and-mortar businesses – which happens to be my area of passion!

I’ve found that there’s one question you can ask which really helps you make the connection between what the client is struggling with, and why you are the answer to their problem.

My husband and I own a martial arts school in Brooklyn NY called Urban Martial Arts and when someone comes in to take their first kickboxing class with us, we always sit down with them first to do what we call a fitness assessment.

We ask them a series of questions about what their fitness goals are – a lot of the questions are what you would expect.

But the one question in the entire conversation that is the most important one is this:

What has been the biggest obstacle in the past that has prevented you from reaching your goal?

This question is so important because it reveals why their previous attempts at solving this problem hasn’t worked.

It also tells you what you can emphasize to demonstrate why you would be the perfect solution to their problem.

So for example, many of the women who come to our studio tell me that the biggest obstacle that prevents them from getting in shape is motivation.

It’s hard to get motivated to go to the gym by themselves, and even when they’re at the gym, it’s hard to motivate themselves to really give it their all and push beyond their comfort zone.

When I hear that, I know that they’re a perfect fit for our program because we give motivation in spades!

Not only is our instructor – who happens to be my husband – incredibly motivating during the class, but we have a private Facebook group just for our kickboxing students where they can share their goals and hold each other accountable.

That way, even when they’re not physically in class, they can still stay motivated by supporting each other.

So to any of Fabienne’s students who stumble across this video, next time you meet with a new client, try asking this question:

What has been the biggest obstacle in the past that has prevented you from reaching your goal?

I think you’ll find that it opens the door to a richer conversation, and a deeper connection between them and your business.

If you found this video useful, I’d encourage you to check out my blog at CarmenSognonvi.com.

I blog about local business and local marketing for bricks-and-mortar companies.

Thanks for allowing me to share, Fabienne!

I’ve been following your work for a very long time now. I actually bought the Client Attraction System back in the day when it was just a single 3-ring binder – just to give you a sense of how long that was.

It’s been really exciting to watch your business grow and your family grow, and I love seeing you branch out into doing more video!

Take care, and you’ll probably be hearing from me again soon.

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