Change Your Clients' Mindset
“What would YOU wish for?” This is how Aladdin flipped the conversation with the Genie in the Disney classic Aladdin. By turning the question back on the Genie, Aladdin masterfully—perhaps unintentionally—shifted the Genie’s mindset from “What do you want?” to “What do I want?”
Potential clients often have a similar thought when you walk in the door: "What do you want from me?" But if you can find your inner Aladdin and change their mindset from caution and sales fatigue to openness and enthusiasm, you've gained a future client.
How can you start shifting your clients' mindset? Here's a real-world example that breaks down the process. Between 1999 and 2003, I led a team of customized industry training experts at a community college in North Carolina. Our goal was to increase enrollment by offering training to companies that either hadn't worked with us before or hadn't worked with us in a long time. Our objective was simple: sell more training, increase enrollment, and ultimately boost our income. To achieve this, we aimed to meet with 40 new companies in our service area.
Step 1: Listen
Instead of jumping straight into selling, we focused on listening to their needs. This sounds simple, but in practice, resisting the urge to sell—especially when the opportunity presents itself—can be challenging. It’s also hard not to defend your services when they’re critiqued. But the key is to listen actively. Ask follow-up, open-ended questions, and if they request information about your services, hold off. This leads us to step three, which we’ll discuss shortly.
Before leaving, always schedule a follow-up meeting to present solutions. Don't leave without securing a date and time—this is critical for building the relationship.
Step 2: Be Mindful and Professional
Setting a follow-up meeting at the end of your initial conversation shows respect for their time. It eliminates the need for multiple emails or calls later on to get back on their calendar. Scheduling that meeting is a perfect close and a demonstration of professionalism—most decision-makers expect it. You are being mindful of their time by knocking this item out and letting them get on with their day.
If the client hesitates, it could be a sign you didn't ask the right questions. In this case, ask something like: "Ms. Client, is there anything I didn’t ask that we can do to make your job easier?" Then, remain silent and ready to take notes. The silence may prompt them to drop their guard and schedule the follow-up, or they might share additional insights. If the client is still hesitant or guarded throughout the entire meeting, take it as a sign that this isn’t fertile ground. Let them know you’ll check back in 6-8 months and move on.
Step 3: Become a Solution Provider
Once you've had a productive listening session and secured the follow-up meeting, it’s time to move into solution-providing mode. Review your notes and identify their top priority issues. Can you solve them with your current products or services? Do you need help from a partner? Should you refer them to another organization?
After identifying the problems, create a package of solutions, but avoid trying to solve all their issues at once. Focus on a few areas where you can provide outstanding solutions. Within each area, offer three options: a low-cost solution, a mid-priced option with additional benefits, and a high-end, premium package. This “super-size” approach gives clients choices, making it less likely for them to say "no."
For example, when we presented workforce solutions to a company, we didn’t just offer a training course. We provided a basic course as the low-cost option, coaching and group workshops as a mid-level option, and a comprehensive high-end solution that included multiple courses, train-the-trainer sessions, coaching, and team-building workshops. Most clients ended up choosing the mid-range or low-cost options, but offering three choices increased our chances of closing the deal.
Step 4: Client-Centered Follow-Up
The fourth step is conducting a client-centered follow-up meeting. Begin by reviewing their priorities as you understood them. It’s a good idea to review these at the end of the first meeting and repeat them at the start of the follow-up. Ask if you missed anything or misunderstood an issue, and listen carefully. This reminds them that the meeting is about solving their problems, not about your sales agenda.
After listening, start discussing their top priority and present the solutions you’ve prepared.
By following this process, our team at the community college identified over 20 new clients in just a few months. We collected valuable data on current and future training needs, developed long-term relationships, and positioned ourselves as trusted solutions providers rather than just a training vendor.
The concept of changing your clients' mindset is applicable across industries, not just in education and training. I’d love to hear how these steps help your team flip the conversation from what you want as the salesperson to what the client truly needs you’re your organization needs assistance planning and setting up strategy to ‘change the mindset’ of your clients, our team is ready to assist. We are a team of experienced sector partnership facilitators and strategic planning/thinking gurus. Give us a call and good luck!
