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Your prospect won’t allow you into their world unless they perceive you as being selfless in your intentions.
But unless your advisory practice is a non-profit entity, being selfless in your intentions is completely at odds with your need to make the sale.
How do you reconcile this paradox?
The solution lies in what I call a problem-centric approach.
A problem-centric approach is totally different to the solution-centric approach most advisors have been conditioned to use.
Up until now, the assumption has been that it’s your expertise and solutions that makes the sale happen.
Persuade the prospect of the value of your process and solution = make the sale.
It’s what the “gurus” taught and still do to this day.
But that equation is now questionable.
In a commoditized profession like advisory, your prospect cannot assess whether your solution is better or worse than anyone else’s – there are too many potential solutions and too many advisors that seem credible at the surface level.
Because they can’t make that assessment easily, they’re skeptical of all of them.
As a result, almost any mention of possible solutions makes them feel they’re being taken down a path that may not be in their best interest.
A problem-centric approach doesn’t require your solutions to be part of the sales process.
It focuses solely on your prospect’s problems and unpacking them, so they see them in a different context, understand the impacts of not solving their issues, and view moving forward with you as an objective and rational decision.
“This is a problem that I need to solve and to solve it, I need to engage this advisor”, is the conclusion you want to experience.
Why does focusing solely on your prospect’s problems build trust?
Four reasons:
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It liberates you from the internal pressure in your own mind to make the sale, giving you a calm and grounded demeanour (which your prospect registers subliminally through your voice and body language)
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It makes them feel at ease and comfortable to tell you the truth about their situation
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It shows you’re more concerned about their issues, then the sale itself
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It results in you being perceived as “the real deal” – a trusted authority they can trust
The way a patient accepts their doctor’s prescribed treatment after diagnosis without question, is the perfect analogy for why the problem-centric approach is so powerful.
Focus on your prospect’s problem + don’t talk solutions = perceived as caring and trusted, as the one to work with.
If you’d like to operate inside this paradox - of acting in your prospect’s best interests and simultaneously acting in your own - then order your complimentary book and consultation below.
Related: Be the Doctor, Not the Pharmacist
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.