The Key To Sales: Be a Lighthouse
What To Do (And What Not Do) On a Book Coaching Sales Call
This is the sixth in a series on sales:
I first heard the concept of being a lighthouse for your clients from Sarah Avenir in the first-ever online workshop I ever took more than eight years ago — which was also one of the best I’ve ever taken. I learned so much from Sarah’s wise teaching and from the experience of being a student in an online course. The idea of being a lighthouse has stuck with me and guided me all this time, because it is so clear and so comforting.
The idea is to understand that you have something to offer that your clients want and need (which I wrote about earlier in this series HERE.) You have a service that will help them solve a problem. They are actively looking for solutions and your light — which is to say, your personality, your philosophy, your style, your point of view, the way you set up your services and offerings, and the way you price them, and deliver them — is what draws them to you.
The reason I say that this is clear is because it means you just have to be you. You don’t have to be someone else or follow someone else’s formula or be especially loud. You can concentrate on shining bright in whatever way makes the most sense to you.
The reason it’s comforting is because it means you don’t have to twist anyone’s arm to get them to work with you or trap them or manipulate them — concepts I learn again and again from Ted Hargrave at Marketing for Hippies, who speaks so eloquently about the concepts of ethical marketing/selling. You can concentrate on determining if the potential client is a good fit for you.
The Lighthouse Metaphor Is Not Just for Marketing
The light you put out draws people to you, which is marketing. Once they get on a call with you, it’s easy to think you are now in some other metaphor, where now you have to rope people in or hook them or convince them, lest they get away. But the idea of a lighthouse still works beautifully when you are selling.
Imagine that someone who gets on a call with you had rowed their little boat through the storm to the shore you have lit up for them. They are feeling a sense of relief and hope, and probably a sense of gratitude to you for allowing them to feel this way. The solution for what they want is within reach. It’s right in front of them.
What you want to do on a sales call is come down from the lighthouse to greet them on the shore. Leave the lights on so the other boats can find you, but come on down and meet this person face-to-face. (I am imagining tea in the room at the bottom of the winding stairs, perhaps a little fire in there.)
Let’s say your sales call or discovery call is 30 minutes. Let’s divide it into three parts of ten minutes each. This is totally arbitrary pacing, and in reality, these three elements fold over and around each other in a sales conversation, but it’s a useful way to look at how to organize the call.
The Rule of Three
For the first ten minutes, listen.
Listen to what it’s been like for them out in the storm. Where are they with their writing? What has been hard or lonely or frustrating or confusing for them? What have they already tried to do to help themselves? Don’t assume you know or that you’ve heard it all before. Really listen.
Listen to what they are writing. Let them talk about their story or their nonfiction book topic. They are probably burning to do so. Don’t be afraid to react to what they say: what a great idea; wow, how timely; it sounds interesting; I just read a book with that kind of structure/timeline/concept. Sometimes these comments can be the start of great conversations that build trust and connection.
Listen for the reasons they have come to you — why you? They picked you out of a vast ocean of choices and booked a call to see if you can help them. Why did they pick you? What about the way you coach is speaking to them? This will help you lean into your light.
Listen for clues that they are your ideal client. Are they writing the kinds of books you love to work on? Are they working in such a way that they will be receptive to the way you coach? Do you feel a spark of connection, a sense you can serve them well? You get to choose, too! It could be that you were the first lighthouse they found; the next lighthouse up to the coast might be a better spot for them to land.
If you feel some sense of foreboding or dread, you must pay attention! Saying no to clients who are not a good fit is the way to make room for clients who are. You don’t owe anyone an entire 30 minutes. If they are rude, demanding, obnoxious, or argumentative, you get to end the call! If they are simply not a good fit for what you do — if, for example, they are a brand new writer and you only work with seasoned pros or if they are writing sci-fi and your focus is on fantasy — explain the disconnect, perhaps show them where to find another great book coach who can help. (Author Accelerator Certified Coaches get to point to others in our community, which is a huge bonus of being part of it, but you can just send folks to the Editorial Freelancers’ Association or Reedsy. Also, you don’t owe them anything. Offering another way forward is just a simple kindness.)
For the next ten minutes, talk about what you can do to help this writer where they hurt.
Talk about the outcome you can help with — the specifics of what you can do. Will they improve their craft? Complete a manuscript? Be ready to pitch or to publish? What is the outcome of the service you provide? If the first service is a stepping stone to the larger outcome they seek, explain how it all goes together — explain the path to the larger outcome, how far your services will take them, and what they will do when they are finished working with you. Be clear about where your services fit in terms of the outcome they seek. If you have helped other writers achieve these outcomes, weave in stories about those clients and how it went down. If you are new to book coaching, weave in stories about your training and the practicum clients you worked with and why you are so jazzed about doing this work and helping people just like them. In any case, be upbeat and be authoritative. You have to know you can help and convey that confidence. And if you don’t feel it? If you question your ability? That imposter syndrome is a (good) topic for another day — but know that you will have a hard time selling if you don’t really believe you can help.
Talk about the outcome you can’t help with. Be clear about what is in your control and what is not. Landing an agent, getting a book deal, making a boatload of money, giving them some free pass through the hard work of learning to write and learning to publish — not in your control.
Talk about the emotion of what it feels like to meet that outcome. Writing is not transactional; it’s deeply emotional, too. I happen to have an electrician in my house working in the room next to where I am writing this. He’s moving some plugs and switches. He’s doing excellent work and he is a nice enough guy, but I do not need an emotional connection to the outcome he is providing for me. I need the plugs and switches to be well-situated and safe; that’s the outcome I seek. A writer wants far more than that. They want to feel proud and confident in what they are writing. They want to feel engaged in their creative process and fired up about the possibilities. They want to be a writer who gets read — to “win” in some way in the publishing marketplace. So talk about those things and what your services can do to help them feel that way.
Talk about your process — how long does it take, what can the writer expect from you, how is it all going to go down?
For the last ten minutes, sell your services.
This means you must invite people to work with you (which I wrote about HERE), address their objections, and welcome them to step up to buy. To extend the lighthouse metaphor, you are inviting them to tie up their boat and stay awhile. To come have tea and sit by the fire for an extended period of time. You are showing them the way forward.
Ask if they have any questions, concerns, or hesitations, and respond to them. I find it helpful to write out scripts in answer to the objections that are most likely or that I most fear. I also find it helpful to remember that the thing they say is not always the thing they mean. If they say they can’t afford your prices, it probably doesn’t mean that they literally don’t have the money to spend. It probably means that they can’t afford to spend the money and not get what they want. They are afraid of the risk of working with you — the inherent risk of putting time, effort, energy, and money into a creative project. Don’t be afraid to talk about that fear, and the money, and the vagaries of the marketplace.
If they say they are interested in the service you offer but the timing is not right, you might ask them what’s going on that makes it a difficult time. There is a reason they got on a call with you now and a reason they are now saying the time isn’t right; just like with money, it might not actually have to do with time. If they got on a call to plan for the future (e.g. they expect to take a sabbatical in the fall and use that time to write), that’s fine: ask if you can follow up at a later date — and then follow up!
If they say they are looking at a bunch of different coaches and they’ll get back to you, ask them (again) what outcome they are seeking: what do they want to achieve and what do they want to feel. Reiterate your process and how you help clients achieve these goals. Ask them what their hesitation is in selecting you. If you think they would be a great fit for your services, don’t be afraid to say, “I would love to work with you. I’m so interested in your project and you are my ideal client because _____________.”
If they ask for proof of outcomes that you can’t control, that is likely a red flag. “How many New York Times bestsellers have you coached?” There is no answer that will satisfy that client other than, “Forty, and I can guarantee you’ll hit the list too.”
If they ask to talk to previous or current clients, make sure you have a policy around this. I don’t like to do this because it is asking a lot of someone to get on the phone with a writer who is kicking tires. I think it’s better to have social proof of successful outcomes and to point potential clients to that. If you are going to agree to this, know in advance which clients you can call on and how often they are willing to do it.
Ask if they are ready to book the service. This is a step so many new coaches skip but it’s so important. Say things like this:
Would you like to move forward?
May I send a contract?
Can we book a date for the first deadline?
When would you like to begin?
What Not To Do On the Call
Don’t coach too much. I made this mistake a lot in the early days of my career. I was comfortable coaching and I was good at it and it often worked: it showed people I could help them. But I would end up giving people 90 minutes of my time, solving a bunch of their problems, and then being pissed off when they didn’t sign up for a service. It was a problem! A little coaching is natural and fine. But really only just a little. The point of the call is to get them to buy a coaching package from you. You are in the business of helping writers, which means you need to be paid for it. You can say things like:
We can work on that in our first call.
That is something we’ll dig into when we work on the Blueprint.
I am dying to have this conversation with your about your main character’s point of view — I have a lot to say.
I did have the thought that you might be writing two different books — that’s something we can sort out together.
The decision of whether or not to self publish is actually not a fast or easy one; I’ll help you determine the best path to publishing that over the course of working on the book and learning more about your goals and plans.
Don’t customize your services. If you don’t offer sample edits, don’t offer sample edits. If you don’t work with finished manuscripts, don’t agree to do it just this once. If you don’t book less than 6 months at a time, don’t book 3. It’s so easy to think that serving writers is bending to their will. Don’t do it! They are the god of their story but you are in charge of the process. You know what works for your ideal client and what works for you and your life. Stick to what you have designed and invite people into that process.
Don’t overdeliver. I am the worst at ending sales calls. I love talking to writers and I love talking about book coaching and I can go on and on and on — and sometimes I do. I had to learn how to end the call — which often involved setting TWO timers, having Post-It notes on my screen, and most importantly learning to trust myself. I don’t need 90 minutes to sell someone on a first-step coaching service. It is not a good use of my time to spend that kind of time. Learn to trust what you are offering and stand in the light of your own awesomeness.
What If No One Says Yes?
Selling your services is a risky endeavor. People you are dying to work with are going to choose other coaches and other paths. You might need to do a bunch of calls before you get to YES. It’s all part of the process and all part of the learning.
You can stomach some rejection. If nothing else, it will remind you what your writers are going through as they work to put their writing out into the world.
Keep optimizing your marketing and your messaging. Keep working on your sales calls. Keep being the light. The right writers will come.
SUCH good advice. The two parts I'm practicing this year: "Don't customize your services" and "Don't overdeliver." So important . . . and so hard! 😅
Lovely, clear advice!