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Learning to walk away is the hardest part of selling, because we’ve been so conditioned to pursue anyone who we believe could benefit from our services.
That work ethic has been reinforced by the traditional sales mantras repeated in the advisory profession:
- Never give up until you make the sale;
- Persist until you overcome their objections;
- If you’re committed, there’s always a way to make the sale;
- If you don’t make it, you’re just not committed enough;
- If they don’t want to buy from you, you haven’t tapped into their pain enough; and
- Either you sell them on you, or they sell you on their objections.
The implicit message is: “Keep pushing them until they either say yes – or say no.”
Makes you want to take a cold shower after reading those, doesn’t it?!
Of course, you don’t follow any of those ideas anymore, because you know how they can break trust with your prospects – and how uncomfortable they make you feel.
Often times, though, advisors do feel a deep sense of guilt. They had a great conversation with a prospect, but chased them with no return communication, so were forced to walk away.
You tell yourself: “I’ve given them my best, if they don’t appreciate my value, then that’s their problem. I’m not going to chase them anymore.”
It takes a lot of mental energy to overcome that defeat, especially if you start second-guessing yourself about why they never called you back.But what do you do if you have an initial prospect meeting and you determine they are not a fit with you?
How do you handle that with grace, so you both disengage unscathed?
Once you decide that you aren’t right for a prospect, here is some trust-based language to end the conversation graciously:
My only goal today was to see if we are a fit together and if I could truly help you. It sounds as if in your particular situation, I’m not the best person for you. I hope you’re okay with that, and I’m happy to refer you to someone else who probably is a better fit.
Or, if they are a fit, and you aren’t afraid to state the way you work (no chasing!), you can say:
If you’d be open to it, it might make sense if we schedule another time to catch up again on our calendars. That way we can avoid chasing each other back and forth… and I can be available to you to answer any further questions you might have… would you be open to that?
Keep them on the calendar, and you’ll never have to feel guilty again about having to chase and then abandon a perfectly qualified potential client.
Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after high-net worth/lead generation expert for financial advisors. His newest book, “Trusted Authority” has become an instant best-seller among financial advisors 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 “get new clients” lead generation consultation. 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.
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Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
