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When I meet with a new advisor coaching client, they often tell me: “I’m diagnostic in my approach and I’m a good listener”.
But when they walk me through how their first meeting with a new prospect typically goes, it’s clear they don’t have complete clarity on what true listening really means.
They start off by asking the customary fact-finding questions, as all advisors have been taught to do.
But when their prospect finishes talking and a gap opens up in the conversation, they take that as their cue to jump in and offer free advice, education and solutions (which is exactly what they should not be doing).
It happens instinctively, because they perceive gaps or pauses in the initial conversation as awkward moments they’re obligated to fill.
The gaps can make you feel like you’re losing momentum, triggering you to take control of the conversation to fill those gaps, believing if you don’t, you’ll lose a new opportunity.
What’s going wrong here?
The traditional sales approaches around since the 80’s and 90’s, teach you that unless you nurture the prospect’s interest by providing incredible value before the sale, and maintain forward momentum at all times, you’ll lose the sale altogether.
That’s a very one-sided, dysfunctional view that does not create deep trust with your prospect.
Because jumping in and providing solutions before the sale, typically creates: “I want to think about it…”.
Here’s why your sales process may losing its effectiveness:
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Fact-finding questions are still only surface level questions
While these types of questions are needed to flush out information about the prospect’s issues, it’s still only information – meaning, it doesn’t go beyond what the prospect would expect from another advisor. Information has been commoditized and your sales process must go beyond what they expect from you, if you’re wanting to connect with your prospect at a deep trust level.
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Jumping in too early and offering solutions pre-sale, breaks trust
Contrary to what we’ve been taught by sales gurus, the sale isn’t lost from a lack of momentum. It’s lost from a lack of trust. Despite all the free advice and free consulting, your prospect often doesn’t feel you truly care, at a deep level, about their concerns. They care less about your competence and more about you understanding them, in a way no other advisor has done before.
Here are three seemingly contrarian ideas that might help you in your next sales conversation:
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Don’t feel obligated to take their problem on
You’re not obligated to solve their problem on the spot. It’s their problem and your goal is to help them unpack it and own it – and commit to solving it. Unless they own the problem and want to solve it, they won’t agree to becoming your client.
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It's not about whether you can solve the problem
The initial meeting is no longer an audition where you demonstrate your ability to solve their problem. It’s an interview where you determine their willingness and priority level to solve their problem without having to “think about it”.
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Go down the iceberg
There’s a lot more to a prospect’s problem than they can see, and helping them go below their surface level understanding of it, is how you create deep trust. A good way to do this is when your prospect stops talking and a gap opens up in the conversation, say: “Tell me a little bit more about that…”. Let them do the work. They’ll either continue talking, which will help you get them to the bottom of their issue (the “iceberg”) and understand it more than they could have on their own, or they’ll ask “How can you help me?” or “How do you work?”.
Whether your prospect becomes a paying client, depends on whether they trust you, and going down the iceberg is how you build trust.
To get some help creating this level of trust on your first meeting, so they commit effortlessly and willingly without you having to create forward momentum order your complimentary book and consultation below.
Related: How To Kick the Habit: Poor Quality Lead Addiction
Get your Free copy of Ari’s best-selling book "Trust In A Split Second!" 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 book, “Trust In A Split Second!” has become an instant best-seller among financial advisors worldwide.