Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
Traditional selling has always been adversarial.
On one side, your agenda is to win a new client (you need to pay your bills and make a profit).
On the other side, your prospect’s agenda is to avoid being “sold.”
It’s a stand-off.
Because each side has their own agenda, selling has devolved into a game where the truth is often held back, and trust is difficult to establish.
The common outcome: The two sides never connect, like a prospect clicking on your website and closing the tab a few seconds later.
My career has been one long rejection of this traditional notion of selling. I’ve made it my mission to unite the worlds of the seller and the prospect (or in this case, you and your potential advisory client).
Selling was never meant to be a game.
It was always meant to be a collaborative partnership where one person trusts the other to help them, and the state of both is improved as a result.
The discoveries I’ve made in my quest to redeem selling have been proven in the field for over 25 years and are nothing short of astonishing.
It’s no exaggeration to say that all traditional selling supposedly immutable laws were wrong.
Here are the big ones:
-
Expect a multi-step, long sales cycle to build trust and make the sale (You can make the sale in a single, initial conversation with deep trust.)
-
Give your prospect time to “think it over” and educate them to prove your value (The actual moment when a prospect decides to move forward happens in a split second; you don’t need to chase them or hope they call you back.)
-
Tell your story, explain how you are different and work on building rapport to win the sale (Your prospect doesn’t care about your achievements, your solutions or your story -- they care about whether or not they can trust you.)
If you reverse these traditional myths – taught since the 1980s – you will revolutionize your business very very quickly.
The only catch is that your prospect is not aware of the flip side of these myths.
They come to you pre-conditioned and in a defensive posture based on the notions of traditional selling in their mind.
One false move on your part and it’s over.
It’s up to you to show them a new way through your sales process -- it’s up to you to be different.
You can build trust and make the sale in your first meeting, without:
-
Extending yourself to build rapport (which is instantly recognized as fake and triggers resistance.)
-
Free consulting and chasing (which lowers their perception of your value.)
-
Playing the numbers game and wasting hours of your precious time (you can make more sales with less effort and in less time.)
If you’re tired of playing the traditional sales games taught by the old gurus, then it’s time to be open to shifting your mindset.
To learn more, order your complimentary book and consultation below.
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 “plug up the holes” 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.
A message from Advisor Perspectives and VettaFi: To learn more about this and other topics, check out our most recent white papers.
Read more articles by Ari Galper
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
