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Traditional selling has always been about persuasion and creating forward momentum in the sales conversation. Ironically, although your prospects have specific agendas, they won’t allow you into their world if they sense you’re operating with one .
How can you be genuinely selfless when you need to convert your prospect into a paid client before you can truly help them? That’s the million-dollar question.
Let’s unpack this by examining some of the main misconceptions about authenticity ...
Being authentic means proving that you’re a credible advisor
False. You can share all the client success stories you want, but at the end of the day, your prospect can’t know your true worth until they’re on board with you and you’ve solved their problem.
Being authentic means giving value
False. Free consulting (providing educational information about your solution presale) can be perceived as persuasion and lowers the perception of your authority.
Being authentic means getting to know your prospect
False. Building rapport is interpreted as a form of masking a hidden agenda to make the sale. (Stop trying to get to know them; instead, get to know the depth of their issues. They aren’t looking to become a friend with you.)
Authenticity in selling is about building trust through demonstrating to your prospect that you understand the depths of their issues. But you can’t do this through a traditional sales approach.
Contrary to everything you’ve been taught, your prospect doesn’t want to know how you can solve their problem, they want to know if they can trust you to solve it.
Making it a priority to understand their situation shows two important differentiating qualities in the way you operate:
- You don’t make assumptions or jump to conclusions (you’re not operating with an agenda).
- You’re ethical (you won’t sell them something unless you’re sure it’s right for them).
It turns out that a diagnostic approach similar to a doctor’s — where you use your expertise to deliver clarity on their problem, instead of educating them to appreciate your solution — is how you build this kind of trust.
A diagnostic approach is markedly different from the traditional solution-selling and relationship-building definitions of trust, which are based on proving yourself.
True authenticity is having no expectation of making the sale and no obligation to prove anything.
This enables you to be 100% present with your prospect, leading them to trust you and allow you to solve their problems.
To learn more about this trust-building approach to selling, order your complimentary book and consultation below.
Get your Free copy of Ari’s best-selling book "Trust In A Split Second!" here and you’ll also receive a Complimentary Sales and Lead Generation Consultation (value $995.00). Ari Galper is the world’s No. 1 authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after high-net-worth new-client acquisition expert for financial advisors. His latest book, “Trust In A Split Second!” has become an instant best-seller among financial advisors worldwide.
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Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
