Would you believe me if I told you that I run a successful 7-figure business and I’ve never made a single sales call?

No seriously. Never. 

I just don’t believe in sales calls.

Truthfully, they kind of give me the ick!

The kicker is, I absolutely believe in discovery calls!

The difference is, we’re not here to make a sale, we’re here to see if we want to work with you and if you want to work with us. It’s nothing more than an exploration of personalities, packages, and expectations. It’s a vibe check. An exploration of alignment. And honestly, it’s proven pretty successful. 

So how do we do it? How does a discovery call look at Patton + Co? First, I typically kick things off by asking my client to tell me more about themselves, their business, and their finances. I want them to brain dump, get on their soapbox to rant, and pour out their heart (in about 5 mins because sorry not sorry but I don’t want to spend all day long on the phone!). By letting them take the lead and just spill their guts out, it gives me insight into what’s important to them. Plus, it totally breaks the ice because most everybody loooooves to talk about themselves. Most of the time, people end up telling me way more than they were planning on sharing and I LOVE it.

After we’ve broken the ice, and I know a little more about them, I guide the convo toward figuring out how we can help them. I start by asking some basic questions about their tax situation, accounting processes,the good/bad of their last accountant, and what they’re looking for in a new accountant. After I have good bearing on where they are and where they want to get to, I’m in a great position to help them find the services that will fit their needs.

These calls aren’t a major commitment. Not for me and not for the potential client. My discovery calls, on average, are only 15 mins. I just need to know enough about them to know which of our services will be most impactful and they just need to know enough about the service to know it’ll make an impact. The magic really happens once we start working together! 

But that will never happen if they don’t sign. One of the many things that helps my discovery calls convert is this…my prices aren’t a secret. I always always always give the price on the phone with them. It’s part of the service and I’m not one to skirt away from money convos. I mean it is my job after all. If my quote doesn’t sit well with them then we have a chance to work through their concerns right then and there.

Also, our prices and packages are posted in multiple places so that people can filter themselves before hopping on a discovery call. I’d say about 70% of the time the client already knows they want to work with us, they know the package they want, they’re just on that call because it’s part of our onboarding process. They’ve already screened themselves though! The other 30% of the time the client knows they want to work with us but they’re just not sure what help they need. They want help knowing what would be the best fit because they could see themselves being happy with multiple offers.

And if they still have a concern, I’m happy to have people shop around! In fact, I don’t want to be your one and only discovery call! I’ve literally given people a list of fellow accountants who I adore because I want them to talk to other people before signing with me. I want people to find someone who they like, who offers services at a price and in a way they like. A perfect fit is more important to me than just another sale. 

Now, for who does these calls…as the owner I’ve always done discovery calls. It’s one of my favorite parts of my job! I won’t continue to do them forever (I’ve already trained one of my staff members and I’m currently training a second staff member) but it’s helped me dial in my marketing and messaging and get really clear on who is/isn’t our target audience. Like I said, this really is a vibe check for all parties involved. 

How “successful” are these calls? I shoot for about 75% close rates which usually gets me around 50% conversion rates – meaning about 50% of the people I speak to turn into paying clients. If everyone said yes that would be a huge red flag. Am I leaving money on the table? Am I over promising results? Are people just saying yes but not actually being honest about it? 

What happens to the other 50% who don’t turn into paying clients? Some find a different accountant who is a better fit, others opt for freebies and until they can grow their business to a point where they can afford our services, some people aren’t ready to pull the trigger but come back a few months or even a year later to say they haven’t forgotten us and are now ready to work together. Then again, sometimes people ghost us and we have no idea what happens to them! And you know what? All these answers are a-okay with me. Because at the end of the day I just want whatever is best for the business owner and their business. Maybe that’s us, maybe that’s not, and we will support you no matter what.

We hope this gave you a little insight into who we are at Patton and Co and why we do what we do. At the heart of everything, is our desire to serve. And that service trumps sales every time. But don’t just take our word for it here. Book a Discovery Call and learn more about who we are and what we do.