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The idea of doing an immediate deep dive of your prospect’s issues at the start of your first meeting, without the typical chit-chat rapport building, is unfathomable for most advisors who grew up with the “know, like and trust” sales mindset.
The formula was always: Know + Like = Trust = New Client. How’s that working for you? Probably not as well as it used to. When you attempt to build a relationship with your prospects, it can be awkward to transition to a discussion of their deepest problems so they can justify committing to taking action with you.
Mixing social and business norms in a single conversation can cause prospects to view you as a peer and not as an authority. Doctors don’t chit chat with their patients for a reason.
Doing traditional rapport building can lead to multiple meetings and long sales cycles – as you try to “feel out” if they like you enough to hire you.
Here’s the truth: your prospect doesn’t need a friend and isn’t looking for one.
They need someone to be honest and to tell them the truth, as painful as it might be, about the seriousness of their situation.
Real relationships take time to build and are best developed after they’re a client, not before. The reality is, they don’t need to like you, they just need to trust that you’re the one to solve their problem.
This kind of trust is not related to how friendly and personable you are. It’s a business-based trust, rooted in how much clarity you provide them about their issues.
Your goal is to become a “trusted authority” in their eyes. To do this, you must replace all relationship-building activities with trust-building principles instead:
- Be the doctor with bedside manner – not the pharmacist. In the initial meeting, adopt the demeanor of a doctor diagnosing their patient with empathy and bedside manner. Maintain the professional boundary between you and them, so they see you as the authority to prescribe the action they need to take to solve their problem.
- Stay problem-centric in your approach. Don’t describe how you’re going to solve their problems. Focus on getting to the bottom of the real reasons why they’ve come to see you. Don’t assume what they want is what they need.
Shifting your mindset from relationship-building to trust-building is a game-changer. Your whole sales cycle can be collapsed into one single trust-based conversation where you become the trusted authority to them.
To learn how to become a trusted authority, 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, “Trust In A Split Second” 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 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.
