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You’re in a meeting with a prospect and everything seems to be going smoothly -- they’ve shown interest, engaged with your ideas, and then suddenly -- radio silence.
You sense the shift, what started as an open dialogue turns into “I want to think about it” – after thinking you were both on the same page.
What happened?
It’s not your numbers or facts that went wrong, what really derailed the conversation is something deeper: emotional resistance.
Your prospects aren’t just buying a financial strategy, they’re deciding if they can trust you with their future.
If they’ve been burned before by another advisor -- that baggage is going to stop your conversation dead in its tracks, and if you keep focusing on the numbers, then you’re missing a deep emotional connection with them.
Until you stop and address what’s really going on under the surface, you’re going to hit “emotional resistance”.
What’s really holding them back is hidden beneath the surface: the fear of making the wrong move, distrust from past experiences, and anxiety about the future.
Until you get down there into those fears, you’ll never win their trust.
So, how do you deal with this?
You start digging deeper by acknowledging the resistance and shifting your focus to having a more real and authentic conversation.
If there’s a bad experience in their past, ask them about it: “What happened with your last advisor? I want to make sure we don’t repeat those mistakes.”
When you go deeper, you also validate their feelings by acknowledging their emotions, saying things like, “That sounds frustrating. I can see why you’d be cautious moving forward,” which is how you break through their emotional walls.
Then, you let them take the lead by saying, “We can move at whatever pace feels comfortable for you,” giving them space and showing them it’s not about your plan or the numbers, it’s really about whether they feel ready to take action.
At this point, you can ask, “Is this something you’re ready to prioritise?” -- no pressure, no rush.
This helps them focus on what truly matters to them.
When you address their deepest issues -- the emotional resistance -- you stop chasing the sale and start building real trust.
If you're ready to shift your approach to a deeper trust-based approach, order your complimentary book and consultation below.
Related: Why Prospects Get Stuck in Limbo and How to Drive Conversions
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.