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Have you ever considered where the disconnect is between your competence and experience as an advisor, with your prospect remaining non-committal to you, at the end of your initial meeting?
It’s nothing short of a mystery, after demonstrating your knowledge and expertise in the discovery meeting -- which you do for free -- they remain unimpressed and say to you: “I’d like to think about it” or “I’m speaking with other advisors”.
You know full well, they're going to take your information and give it to the next advisor they meet with – as if they’re on a shopping trip.
Why do they feel the need to do this?
Are they even qualified to assess how your expertise stacks up against other advisors, when they possess none of your knowledge or expertise themselves?
It's an entirely irrational response to what should be a simple and rational decision, in your mind.
Well, that’s were the disconnect happens...
There’s a mismatch of mindsets and a lack of understanding of your prospect’s buying psychology in relation to your sales approach.
You’re both like two ships passing each other in the night.
Contrary to what you've been taught by your “elders” and other influences within the industry, your prospect is not buying your “solution”.
They’re buying you as the person who can solve their problem.
And that is primarily determined by how they feel about you, and whether or not they trust you, which makes their buying decision irrational and emotional, not logical.
A logical/rational “solution-based” selling approach will always fall short of instilling the sense of trust your prospect needs to trust you in a deep way.
You've been trained to think logically: collect inputs, process those inputs, then create outputs…as simple as 1) 2) and 3).
That’s what you’ve been conditioned to do, so you assume that’s what your prospect needs to see from you to make their buying decision.
But your work as an advisor only has value after the sale, not before.
To build trust into the sales conversation that goes deeper than competence or experience, which has now been commoditized, you need to go below the surface with your prospect, to their emotional level, as that is where their buying decision is made.
They need to say to themselves: “He’s the one who really gets me”.
You need to shift to problem-centric trust-building questions (not fact-finding questions) with empathy and “bedside manner”, to position yourself as a trusted authority who cares and is there to solve their problem.
You don't need multiple steps to build trust to reach a buying decision.
With this approach, your prospect realizes you’re someone they can trust.
To learn more about this trust-based approach to selling, order your complimentary book and consultation below.
Related: Stop Blaming Your Leads, if You Can’t Convert New Clients
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.