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Many advisors still see relationship-building as a vital part of their sales process.
After all, the know-like-and-trust model conditions you to believe you have to sell yourself -- before you sell your product.
Because of this, the traditional discovery meeting often focuses heavily on building rapport and making a social connection.
While this approach might create a social peer-to-peer connection and even lead to additional meetings, it’s no longer an efficient way to convert your prospects into paying clients.
The truth is, in today’s new economy, building a relationship pre-sale should be the last thing on your mind.
Why?
Because the number one question your prospect is asking has shifted from:
“Who do I like?”
To
“Who can I trust?”
In the past, sharing common interests with someone was often enough to win their business.
While you may think you’re setting yourself apart by trying to be their friend, in their mind, they’ve seen this movie before -- and they can’t wait for it to end.
They know your gregarious friendliness can be seen as a sales tactic to win their favor when the time comes to ask for their business.
Sure, this might keep the conversation going, but they’ll ensure it stays surface-level, never letting you in close enough to uncover the truth of their situation.
This resistance creates a vicious cycle of follow-up and frustration, as you try to build a relationship while they’re questioning your true intentions.
To break this cycle, you need to remove the first two components of the know-like-and-trust model -- and focus solely on trust.
Think about how doctors work.
They don’t try to get to know you personally or develop a friendship.
Instead, they take a diagnostic approach.
Listening with empathy, identifying the problem, and providing a clear, step-by-step plan for treatment.
You leave their office feeling better -- not because of a social connection or relationship, but because you finally feel understood.
Having a newfound clarity about your issue from an authority you can trust, who has no hidden agenda.
Instead of seeking to be liked, be the trusted authority they can confide in with concerns they’ve never shared or even realized existed.
By shifting your approach, you'll shift their perspective, making it clear to them that working with you is the next step to achieving what they truly want.
As trust becomes the foundation of your process, clients will naturally seek your help -- without the need for long sales cycles, and often within the very first meeting.
If you’re ready to shift your thinking and learn how to become a trusted authority to your potential clients, get your complimentary books and consultation below.
Related: Why Your Sales Results Are Inconsistent — and How to Fix Them
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.