Create an Invoice Template for Consulting Services for Customer Service

Invoice template for consulting services for Customer Service

today my love i am going to share with you my exact step-by-step process on how to sell your consulting services and get the clients that you need to make this business of yours a reality [Music] [Music] hey there my loves welcome back to cptv i'm cp and you are in the place for aspiring and growing entrepreneurs who want to turn their passions into businesses and those businesses into six and seven figure empires does that sound like you well you are in the right place go ahead come on in take a look around make yourself at home and subscribe because every single tuesday i am giving you the strategies and the step-by-step actionable trainings for you to implement immediately into your business so that you can get to that level of entrepreneurial freedom that you dream of and deserve so go ahead hit the subscribe button and click that bell so you don't miss any of it and of course if you like it then show me prove it all talk and no action makes me a very sad girl smash that like button and put sales process cp in the comments below if you have been looking for the perfect step-by-step process to sell your consulting services and grow your consulting business when i first started my very first consulting business over 25 years ago i was 100 winging it most of the time and most of the things in that business and i very early on realized that just because someone expressed interest in working with me did not mean that they would ultimately become a customer or a client or that i would ultimately make any money off of them i used to get so excited every time someone said it but it didn't take too long for me to realize because i'm a pretty smart cookie that if i did not get my together and actually create some type of sales process that i was never going to close any deals and never going to actually get a real true paying client i knew that if i didn't take the time to stop winging it create a repeatable process test it out and perfect it that i was always going to be in this state of oh yes i'd love to work with you i think you might be able to help me but never really getting anybody to sign a contract or pay me for anything forever and i was stressed i had no idea what this sales process should look like what i actually should be doing how i should be doing it what i should be saying i had no idea but i did know that i needed to figure it out so if you are trying to start and grow a consulting firm and you are finally out there doing it trying to sell your intellectual property and expertise but you can't quite figure out exactly what steps you should be taking in order to successfully turn a lead into a contracted paying client then this is the episode for you because today my love i am going to share with you my exact step-by-step process on how to sell your consulting services and get the clients that you need to make this business of yours a reality so let's get to work look i didn't just come up with this process overnight i have been developing it for years and i'm going to tell you what this process looks like every single step and i'm going to give you my five-step consulting sales process checklist for free so make sure that you stop by sheryl c perez dot com forward slash consultants sales steps and grab it or click the link in the description in the comments below it is my free gift for you to keep track of everything that i am about to dish all right so let's get into these steps because if someone had told me this 25 years ago i'd have been making millions way way longer than i actually started to all right let's get it started [Music] so step number one schedule a discovery needs assessment call with your prospect let me explain the very first thing that you need to do is schedule a call now i made the mistake in the very beginning of talking to someone listening to them even during networking events or meeting someone out or whatever the case may be and immediately wanting to go in and start telling them exactly what they need and trying to sell my consulting services and i realized very early on that that conversation was just that a conversation i was never going to be in a position to actually be able to close someone without actually sitting down with them and having a professional very strategic very specific discussion and that is where the discovery call or needs assessment call came from so the very first step in your process has to be to get that call on the books actually get it scheduled now over the years i have perfected the ways that i actually get it scheduled up to the point where right now beyond using my administrative assistant to go back and forth forever and ever i make it really easy and i can schedule them now via text via dm or via email because i use a scheduler and i've talked about in the whole another video my favorite system to use for consultants i'm going to go ahead and link to that video because inside of that system is my automatic scheduler and i can create all kinds of scheduling links but in essence that scheduling links allows me to text dm or email anyone with that link especially if someone begins to express interest in wanting to talk about how i might be able to help them and it prevents me from having to go back and forth with them it allows them to click the link look at my calendar and plug themself in and that brings us to step one in the calendar on the schedule is a meeting for us to sit down and actually hash through step number two step number one scheduling that call is very important don't leave it out there in the open don't try to conduct it on the spot don't just dive into what you think the appointment is supposed to include and begin to gather information and worst off don't do what i have done in the past actually pull out a napkin or an envelope or a piece of paper or a notepad and start jotting down notes in the middle of talking to somebody that is a rookie move and when you do that you look like a rookie and guess what people don't do pay rookies a lot of money they pay veterans a lot of money so if you want to get veteran money don't look like no rookie all right make sure that you follow through with step number one and actually get the formal discovery call needs assessment conversation scheduled in your calendar and in theirs and it's also very helpful for you if you employ some reminder systems in place and again that system that i discussed with you automatically builds those in nowadays i do all of my discovery calls virtually but depending upon the type of consultant that you are it might be more helpful for you to actually have them face to face in the beginning of my career i loved and only did face to face i felt like it was critical to building rapport developing a relationship and getting them to know like and trust me now since i actually incorporate a very strategic digital marketing process into my consulting business as well most of the time by the time i've had step number one with someone or gotten it scheduled we've already established the no like and trust and so my show ratio for number one is on this world and off the hook but you may want to consider in the very beginning especially if you're new to this doing them face to face but virtual should also suffice so remember step number one schedule the discovery needs assessment call it is going to be critical to you getting that person from just being a lead to actually being a contracted paying customer step number two in the perfect consulting sales process conduct your needs discovery assessment call now this might be a step that you're thinking duh cp you just said step one was to schedule it but step two is to conduct it that should be a given yeah no it's not a given i'm telling you that because conducting it is a huge piece of the process why because you can get it scheduled and guess what step number two could also never happen it could get cancelled it could get rescheduled it could get pushed off and one of the things that i've learned over the years is in between step one and two how well and how thoroughly you follow up what you do in between those two steps are little things that can actually help you get to step number two and that's why step number two actually conducting the call is so important now this call isn't just a sales call it is truly an information gathering call but there's a fine line and a very specific balance between how much information you provide versus how much information you're there to gather i like to use the 80 20 rule in this instance the 80 20 rule simply means 20 of the time you should be talking 80 of the time you should be listening the whole purpose is for you to gather as much detail as possible from this potential client from this lead they will tell you exactly what their pain points are they will tell you exactly what they're looking for they will tell you their emotions they'll give you an idea of their frustrations they will do all of the details tell you all of the specifics and if you listen close enough and well enough during step number two they will actually tell you exactly what you need to say to close them to contract them and to get them to pay you and if you know the right questions to answer the right questions to ask the right things to say and the right kind of points to address and if you know exactly how to make sure that you to tell them that you are the right person to fulfill their every desire and to help them take care of their challenges and pain points it will make the rest of the steps in your sales process so much easier so step number two is conducting it remember listen 80 of the time you're gathering details you're gathering data you're figuring out exactly what your client wants you to tell them that you are going to do in order to solve their problems if you spend most of the time throwing up on them about what you do and how you do it and all that kind of good stuff you're going to lose them now i am going to talk more in depth in a whole nother video about the discovery call actually about each step in this process because i think the sales process is so important and if you want to hear that make sure that you check out the next few weeks because the next few weeks are full of consultant stuff but bottom line step number two conduct the needs assessment discovery call make sure you have it make sure you do a good one and then you're free to move on to step number three step number three prepare your proposal and in this step timing is everything now a proposal is a full-fledged detailed document it is not a one-sheeter summary it is not an invoice it is not a work order it is not a purchase order it is a proposal and it includes very specific components i have actually received proposals from folks who call themselves consultants in the past and i am very much looking at it thinking to myself uh what is it that i'm supposed to be looking at i get so many questions now i'm going to do a whole separate video on what should be included inside of your proposal over the next couple of weeks you're going to want to make sure you tune in because this topic is so important that i'm going to dive a little bit deeper and i could spend hours talking about it but the bottom line is spend the time to prepare a formal detailed proposal it will include things like an introduction and testimonials and deliverables and a scope of work timing of your project and of course your pricing it should also include things like how you're going to get the job done who's going to be involved in getting the job done and then ultimately at the end an area for them to actually say yes i like it i like it a lot and i want to move forward but when i say timing is everything i mean don't take forever to deliver the proposal i tell you maximum three to five business days and it should be closer to three than it should be to five the reason is after you have created this energy and this momentum from step number two from that discovery call your potential client is going to be excited if you've done it well about all the different things that you're going to be able to do for them and how you're going to be able to solve their pain points if you wait two weeks to get them the actual proposal they have lost that feeling they have lost that momentum and you have to go all the way back and resell them on it but if you get them that proposal in three days they're still gonna be excited they're still gonna feel that energy they're still going to remember that they know like and trust you and you're going to be able to look at a document with them and they're going to be able to make a decision the longer you wait and trust me i have learned this over and over and over again over the years the longer you make them wait to receive that written proposal the less likely you are going to be able to close them as a client so think about it this way if there are seven days your maximum i really want you to do five right so let's just say five there are five days that you've got to get the client every day decreases the chances of you being able to get them as a client by 20 so if you send it right away you're at a hundred percent if you send it on day five you're at 20 you get where i'm going with the timing being so critical and important so yes a good looking formal detailed proposal that's going to be a few pages long boo it really really is that is coming to them pretty quickly is going to be critical and step number three is going to help you close them but also make it seem like you are worth all that money that you just put in that proposal that you want them to ultimately pay you so make sure preparing your proposal is a priority in your sales process steps step number four deliver present and gain acceptance of your proposal yes after you have created it you've got to make sure that you are getting it in their hands that you actually have an opportunity to present what the proposal is and that really depends upon how clear your proposal is created and developed and how much know like and trust you've actually established with the client but also during this step you've got to gain their acceptance this is the negotiation piece right this is you putting together the proposal you giving them everything you've got you're giving it to them and sometimes i've seen rookie consultants make the mistake of just emailing it over right in the very beginning if you haven't established a huge amount of no like and trust with that client i recommend against emailing it over i recommend saying to them hey your proposal is all done let's jump on a call or let's get together so i can bring it out to you and be available to answer any questions in the very beginning of growing my consulting business i really strongly felt that all proposals needed to be delivered face to face so that you could ultimately have a one call close however over the years i have come up with more strategic ways of delivering those proposals without necessarily needing to be face to face and one of them has been improving in my marketing and developing the know like and trust with someone so by the time they get the proposal it really is in their hands and it's up to them to make a decision and i don't have to do a whole lot of selling but that's because my proposal itself has come such a long way in being able to sell for me i honestly feel like my current proposal template is amazing the close ratios for without me even having to have a conversation is critical and yes i'm going to do a video on it and yes i'm going to share that template with you so if you haven't subscribed make sure you do make sure you hit that bell or you gonna miss that video it's gonna be coming up in a few weeks but anyway you have to deliver that proposal in a way that you know is going to give you the best chance of getting a yes if that means that you need to present it then schedule a meeting present that proposal on the spot and get them a paper copy or an email copy for review afterwards if you're confident enough that emailing it over and delivering it via email is going to work for you then do that but ultimately the goal is to deliver it present it and i've even dabbled with making a video presentation of it before to um you know i like video y'all that's me though so that might not necessarily be in y'all wheelhouse but i'm playing with that a little bit i'll let you know how it goes but ultimately gaining their acceptance you need to have an area on that proposal will they say yes i want to move forward or can we talk about this can we negotiate this can we play with this can you tweak this tweaking it changing it negotiating it is not a bad thing it's a great sign it means that they've pretty much decided that they want to move forward with you they just want some tweaks because the pricing or the timing or the deliverables don't look right but again step number four is getting that proposal in their hands and getting them to say yes in step number five contract and invoice your new client yes contracting is a huge part of your sales process even if they have told you yes in step number four until you have that signed agreement and you are ready to push that button on that invoice they are still not a customer so you have to have this step as a part of your sales process i made the mistake in my very first consulting gig of not getting a service agreement not getting a contract and not specially specifically stating how we would be able to cancel things how we could terminate things how we could get refunds i didn't do any of that i was just like they said yes okay let me send them this invoice let me get my money and guess what happened i never got my invoice paid what the hell yeah it's gonna happen to you too if you don't actually have a service agreement or a contract in place so make sure that you include that automatically in your sales process let me give you a visual to go with all right in my current sales process once someone receives my proposal it's actually electronic and at the bottom they check a box and it says yes i'd like to move forward and they hit a submit button inside of my system it automatically waits two hours that's right just two hours and within that time frame it automatically emails them a service agreement now my service agreement includes all the specifics including the pay structure including how the invoices are going to be paid it includes all kinds of good stuff and don't worry i'm gonna do a whole another video on the specifics of what you want to include in your service agreement and how you want to make sure you get it but in any case within two hours they have that contract and if they haven't signed that contract in 24 hours they get a reminder from me two days later they get another reminder four days later and they get another reminder five days later and guess what as soon as they sign that contract i get an email message and within 24 hours their invoice is created and issued and they cannot on board with me they cannot begin onboarding until they have paid that initial invoice you like that that's right and that all comes from years of experience and not really doing step number five very thoroughly and very well that is why i am telling you right now that step number five should be included in your sales process it is not a separate process it is not outside of your sales process because the fact of the matter is if you don't have a contract or a service agreement on someone and you can't invoice them they're not a client you haven't sold them it is a part of the sales process make sure you include it if you already don't have it in yours because you're missing out on a big big piece if you don't i mean huge big huge piece big mistake big huge you know how i feel about pretty woman don't you i know i know look my beautiful intellectual property selling expert having a step-by-step sales process is the only way to close deals and formal process that you can practice tweak and perfect will give you the experience that you need to improve your closing ratios and maximize your selling opportunities as you get more and more leads being an expert and having a consulting business is oftentimes a one-person situation you are doing the work for your clients and they are paying you top dollar to do that work so you have to do it well and having an efficient professional sales process shows that working with you and paying you top dollar will be efficient professional and smooth i understand that it may feel more natural to just sell them to throw up a bunch of knowledge and solutions during your initial conversations and tell them all the ways that you're gonna be able to help them and it may feel more unnatural to actually take a deep breath and put them into a true sales process or funnel but trust me when you are a consultant every step you take or don't take sends a message the question i have for you is do you want that message to be i'm guessing at what i'm doing or i know exactly what i'm doing and that's why you should pay me to show you how to do it got it good i know you want more and i've got you we are just getting started with giving you the consulting business goods my love i am going to be sharing in the weeks to come everything and i mean everything that i've learned and know about growing a seven figure consulting practice so make sure that you stay tuned subscribe like this video but only if you do and share it with someone else in your life and in your circle that needs this information right and make sure that you stay safe out there my love it is the winter it is cold it is snowy it is icy and it's also a pandemic so make sure you wear your mask all right mascot until next time my love i will see you next tuesday [Music]