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It’s natural to assume when your initial meeting with a new prospect is going well -- there’s friendly back and forth, chemistry is flowing, and your prospect is engaging with you -- they should become a new paying client.
You may not get a “yes” right off the bat, but you’ll for sure get a schedule next step on your calendar right?
In that meeting, you have plenty of time to show them your capabilities and expertise.
But why is it that even after they show genuine interest in you, they often get cold feet and say to you: “I’d like to think about it”.
It seems like a paradox, because you feel you both are connecting, but as it turns out, they didn’t trust you enough to commit to you.
You've probably been conditioned to use the old sales “know, like and trust” model popular in the 80’s.
You’re supposed to “break the ice”, make the conversation light-hearted, and get alongside your prospect to make them feel comfortable.
Then over a series of interactions, where you can show them your value, they’re supposed to see the benefit of having you in their corner and their decision to come aboard as a client should just be a formality.
Boy, are these assumptions now wrong.
Selling is no longer a a light-hearted social interaction between equals -- it's should be an authoritative diagnostic discussion, with bed-side manner, between an expert and a non-expert.
Your prospect doesn’t need to like you, to trust you – the same way you aren’t friends with many of your doctors, but you trust them.
Here are the key ideas to flip in your sales model:
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Keep your meetings cordial but problem-focused. You're not there to make friends or demonstrate how much you know. Your purpose is to get to the heart of your prospect’s deepest and often “hidden” issues, so you can tell them authentically what needs to be done to solve them. You need to keep the ball in their court because it’s not about you, it’s about them.
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You don't need to chase your prospect to find out where you stand. The real question is, where do they stand? This direct and objective approach positions you as an authority and not merely as a solution provider. Ask: “Where would you like to go from here?”
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Eliminate sharing your knowledge or suggesting solutions pre-sale. Since your prospects often lacks the knowledge to fully understand or appreciate your expertise, attempting to share it can backfire on your. Your expert status is demonstrated by how clearly and simply you can explain their problem to them. Keep the sale on track by being problem-centric, not solution-driven.
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Avoid trying to build sales momentum and simplify your sales process down to just one meeting. If they don't commit during the first meeting, where you've clarified their problem and shown them your “road map” to solve their problem, then they probably never will. The issue is simple: do they want their problem solved or not? There's no next step, no proposal, and no follow-up. This approach might seem counterintuitive, but it results in greater trust and respect from your prospect than if you try to build momentum over a series of steps. It’s less wasted time on your part.
In today’s commoditized economy, trust is built by providing clarity and simplicity around your prospect’s problems, not solutions.
It's about illuminating their path so the decision to hire you becomes obvious.
You want them to be focused on their problem, so they’ll be decisive about solving it with you.
This is the key to elevating yourself from being merely a provider of financial knowledge and information, of which there are many, to being your prospect’s trusted financial authority.
To learn more about trust–based selling, order your complimentary books and consultation below.
Related: It’s Not About the Sale, It’s About the Truth
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