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As an advisor with years of experience, there’s nothing more frustrating than feeling like your authority has been challenged.
When your expertise is challenged, from someone you know isn’t at your level of industry knowledge, it can trigger a visceral reaction inside you that’s hard to articulate.
Many advisors, to protect themselves from being challenged in their sales process, rely on what’s called “the expert sale.”
Essentially, that means using your knowledge, education, and specialized terminology to convey, you’re the expert, not your prospect.
In your initial meeting, the traditional goal is to lay down a strong foundation that establishes you as the person they should look to for advice, direction, and guidance.
By the time the meeting ends, there should be no doubt you’re beyond qualified for the job of solving their issues – how dare they question your expertise by saying: “I’d like to think about it”.
It’s only once you stop talking, and sense the hesitation on their end, that you realize something is not right.
Despite your best efforts to prove your value, they continue to say they appreciate your time, but will have to weigh their options before making a final decision.
In a split-second, the perceived influence you tried so hard to make a case for, falls like a house of cards – turns out, your authority was only temporary in the eyes of your prospect.
Attempting to “prove” your expertise doesn’t establish your authority, it discredits it.
The reality is, in the world we live in today, your prospects already have the assumption you’re qualified, even before the meeting begins – otherwise they wouldn’t have agreed to meet with you in the first place.
They see your online profile, the letters beside your name, and can clearly see you’re a professional.
Despite your good intentions, education and free consulting can be perceived as attempting to persuade your prospect to see things your way, which can feel like “selling” to them.
To be viewed as a permanent authority, you need the ability to establish trust without having to verbally educate or sell them on your value.
You do this by finding comfort in the silence of your own voice, and listening to your prospect, more than you having to show them your expertise.
They’re not coming to you for proof of your credibility.
They’re asking themselves this core question during your meeting: “Do I trust him?”.
You need to let go of the “the expert sale” mindset that you’ve been taught by your elders who grew up in a different era.
Instead, swap it out for a new model that 100% focuses on their deepest issues, opting out from talking about you and your business.
Doctors don’t have to prove their expertise.
Their white coat and the fact that you’re in their office means the authority process has done its job, to get them there.
To grow your business in a commoditized industry, you’ll need think differently about how you build trust in your meetings.
Ultimately, without you saying a word about yourself or any solutions you might provide, they need to ask you for help.
This takes immense patients and quieting the voice inside your mind that says: “I need to prove to them through my expertise, that I’m the one they should choose.”
If you’re open to a new trust-based sales mindset, and would like to become a permanent authority in the mind of your prospective clients, get your complimentary book and consultation below.
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Get Ari’s 6 best-selling books for FREE here and you’ll also receive a Complimentary Sales and Lead Generation Consultation (value $995.00). Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after high-net-worth new client acquisition expert for financial advisors. His latest books "Are You Chasing Ghosts", "Trusted Authority" and "Trust In A Split Second" have become instant best-sellers among financial advisors worldwide, get your free books here.