[This is a continuation of our series on audio products]

In addition to explaining your own stories, you can also take articles that have been written in your specialty's trade magazine or web sites, and adapt them for your recording.

Go to the trade magazine for say Dry Cleaning, and find articles that your prospect might be interested in. Use them for a model for an audio recording. Just the structure, and use your own research to beef out the information.

It's probably best not to make your audio product more than 30 minutes long. It's difficult to keep a prospect's attention for more than that.

You want to end on a strong close, that will sell them on your services.

One way of doing this is to give the listener the 'Alternatives' close. Explain to the listener that for them to achieve the results you've been talking about, and giving some attractive details on, they can do one of four things:
1. They can do nothing.
This is probably what they are doing today already (aside from actually performing the tasks running their business requires). And it's not getting them towards their goal of expanding their business. That's what's got them into the 'fire-fighting' position they are in today. This isn't really an option, and any prospect who goes for this is no client you want anyway.
2. They can continue reading books and learning how to make the necessary changes.
Unfortunately it's one thing to learn about what to do - and another thing entirely to actually do it.
3. Get a friend or significant other to help them out
This is a possibility, and can work. But if the other person doesn't share the same goals and motivated to work towards them with you at the same pace, this may flounder.
4. Hire a professional consultant.
Someone who will hold them accountable and help them each step and make sure they reach their goals. They are almost always guaranteed to achieve the goals that are agreed. Someone trained to help people reach their goals, and has a stake in the outcome, you cannot lose. How much are they willing to pay to achieve the happiness and satisfaction that can come from being a successful business owner, with time to enjoy the fruits of their labour?

So after they have listened to your CD, they have four choices.

It should be a no-brainer.

All that we've covered here is the same stuff that you would discuss in a personal presentation.

After you've talked about your services, you want to end by doing one of two things:
First, tell the listener how your consulting arrangements usually work. Let them know that you'll meet them in person, or over the phone for 30 mins, or an hour or two, 2 or 3 times a month (or however you choose to structure your consulting sessions).

Tell them specifically what they can expect in each session.

Then make them a risk free offer. Perhaps, "Consulting may or may not be for you. But if you like what you've heard, and would like to give it a try, I'd like to offer you a free exploratory session. This isn't a sales pitch. It's just a chance to discuss issues you might be having, and areas of your business you'd like to improve. And I'll give you some new ideas and strategies that you might not have thought that have worked for other clients. Simply fire off an email or give me a call right now, and we can arrange to meet. If we find that consulting with me isn't going to fit with your goals - fine, no problem. At least you'll have spent a few minutes talking about your goals."

All very low key.

A technique you could use if you're nervous just talking straight for thirty minutes, is to get someone you know, and do this like an interview. Outline the questions you want them to ask you, and you respond. It can make for a more comfortable and effective product.

Or do a 'phone-in' recording, like you're doing a live tele-conference with other prospects or satisfied customers.

[photo: Mateusz Stachowski]