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The last thing you want is to be labelled is as a stereotypical salesperson.
But when your prospects don’t give you enough information in your initial conversation, you begin educating them and fall into “free consulting” mode.
You’re a fiduciary. You have their best interest at heart, but they keep you at bay, shopping around, seeing other advisors.
Many advisors have potential clients who slip through their fingers because they believe their goal is to build a relationship pre-sale.
But that’s not your potential clients’ goal.
The burning question in their mind is not: “Is their knowledge impressive?”
It's: “Do we trust them?”
It’s a given that fiduciary advisors are competent.
Your competence is not how they decide to hire you.
What is?
Think about a doctor-patient relationship.
When you go see a doctor and you explain what hurts, they don’t educate you about the solution.
With bedside manner, they spend time x-raying and unpacking your problem, to ensure its thoroughly diagnosed.
They don’t make assumptions.
How often has a potential client told you what they think their problem is, only for you to discover it’s much bigger and deeper than they originally thought?
Your goal is not to build a relationship pre-sale. It’s to help your potential client see and understand the depth of their own situation, so they feel at a deep level that you truly understand them.
This is how you differentiate yourself. That’s how you create deep trust.
I call it “going down the iceberg.”
Your potential client can only see what lies above the surface. Your job is take them down to the bottom of the iceberg, where they finally feel you’re the one to choose.
Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after sales conversion expert for Financial Advisors. His newest book, “Unlock The Sales Game” has become an instant best-seller among Financial Advisers worldwide – you can get a Free copy of Ari’s book here and, when you click the “YES” button in the order form, you’ll also receive a complimentary client growth consultation with Ari or one of his trust-based consultants. Ari has been featured in CEO Magazine, Forbes, INC Magazine and the Australian Financial Review. He is considered a contrarian in the Financial Services industry and in his book, everything you learned about selling will be turned upside down. No more chasing, no pressure, no closing.
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
