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How many times have you heard “maybe” or “I’d like to think about it”, even from your most qualified prospects?
Most advisors take the safe route and accept those responses at face value -- hoping that follow-up will eventually lead to a commitment.
The idea is that if you’re persistent enough, stay positive, and outlast the competition, you’ll win their business through sheer endurance alone.
But let’s be honest, is this really the best way to get new clients?
More often than not, this approach can backfire on you.
When you let your prospect end the meeting without making a decision, the dynamic shifts, and they hold all the leverage.
Suddenly, you find yourself chasing, and seeking their approval on your insights, recommendations, and ultimately, your value.
This not only stifles the growth of your business, but erodes the trust and authority required for a successful advisor-client relationship.
Your best chance to onboard a new prospect isn’t weeks later after they’ve spoken to three other advisors.
It’s in the very first meeting you have with them.
Clinging to the hope that a “maybe” will somehow turn into a commitment doesn’t serve you or them.
It simply allows your qualified prospects to walk away without having their problem solved, leaving you without a client -- a lose/lose for both parties.
From now on, your job isn’t to hang on until you hear a yes.
It’s to focus on uncovering the truth of whether or not you can truly help them and get a clear decision in the first meeting.
This is where many advisors get it wrong.
They’ve been taught to identify their potential clients' challenges, immediately take it on as their responsibility, and set out to prove they can solve it.
But this creates a huge issue.
You’ve accepted responsibility before they have.
This leads to confusion, as they can’t be sure if they want to take the next step with you, since they don’t fully understand why they need you.
It’s the assumption that prospects know their problem, that creates a world of trouble in your sales process.
Doctors don’t make this assumption.
When someone steps into their office for the first time, they don’t rush to take on the patient's problems or try to prove their worth over time.
They follow a step-by-step process of diagnosing the issue, explaining its gravity, and helping the patients fully grasp the reality of their condition.
Only then do they introduce a plan for treatment.
If the doctor knows best from the start, why is this all necessary?
Because if a patient doesn’t accept their illness, they’ll never accept the medicine.
This approach eliminates indecision, and builds trust while keeping you in a position of authority.
The first decision you need to help your potential client’s make isn’t whether they will work with you.
It’s whether they’re finally ready to “own” their problem once and for all.
If they’ve accepted their problem, and trust you to solve it, the sale will happen naturally as the next step without any pressure or hesitation.
If they don’t have a problem you can fix or aren’t willing to admit their problem is serious enough to take action on, you’re free to move on -- there are other patients in the waiting room.
Not only will you hear yes more often, and more quickly, you’ll no longer beat yourself up over the "no’s," knowing you did everything you could to lead them to the truth.
You can let go of the need to prove yourself, and never again let the hope of a maybe lead you into long and unprofitable sales cycles that drag you and your business down.
If you’re ready to let go of your old mindset and learn how to build deep trust with each new prospect, get your complimentary books and consultation below.
Related: Is Your Agenda Sabotaging Your Sales Success?
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.