Your Prospects Aren’t Buying Your Expertise Anymore

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When you achieve a level of mastery as an advisor and someone crosses your path with issues you can solve, it’s an intoxicating experience.

“When I explain how I can solve their problem and that I’m the right person to do it, it will become obvious that I’m the right fit for them.”

That is the quintessential assumed “expert” mindset that can go pear-shaped in today’s selling environment – especially in the commoditized advisory profession. It turns out, your prospect isn’t interested in how you solve their issues nor are they easily impressed with your expertise. The criteria that matters in their decision to hire you is solely based on whether they feel they can they trust you.

Trust is no longer created from your level of knowledge or expertise. In the prospective client’s mind, they can easily find knowledge or expertise from other competent advisors.

No longer is your knowledge and expertise the single factor that will differentiate your sales process. Displaying your expertise is an attempt to prove your value, and it’s how the industry has always taught advisors to win new clients. However, it does not work.

So why do advisors still default to attempting to prove their value?

It’s because as an expert, you’ve been trained to solve problems. It’s easy to make the assumption that having the solution is what you need to make the sale. Here’s the shift: your prospects aren’t qualified to judge your expertise.