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Most advisors approach their discovery meetings like it’s a blind date – they want to see if they will “get along” with their prospect (the old know-like-trust model of selling).
The hidden secret behind that approach is that they can like you and it can feel like a “good fit”, but they may not trust you – causing them to keep “shopping around”.
In a saturated and commoditized industry like advisory, trust is the final differentiating factor that you can still control.
Your prospect does not need to like you to trust you.
Do you like your mechanic?
Do you like your doctor?
It’s nice if they’re likeable as people but that doesn’t mean they’ll fix your car or your shoulder pain (which is all you really care about).
In fact, being too nice often triggers doubt.
“Are they legit or are they just trying to sell me through their personality? Better speak to some other mechanics/doctors/advisors first, just to be on the safe side”.
When doubt or uncertainty enters your prospect’s mind, you’ve lost them – and it happens in a split second.
(The know-like-trust old model doesn’t encourage frankness)
I have a better way which I call the “One Call Sale”.
With the One Call Sale model, you don’t ask general fact-finding questions in the initial meeting.
And you don’t have to put energy into building inauthentic rapport.
You can go straight to diagnosing their problem.
It’s like a mechanic who plugs their console under your dash, or a doctor who clips your x-ray to the light box.
“How long has it been vibrating like this?”
“Does it hurt here?”
“This is the cause of the vibration/shoulder pain and these are the other problems it’ll lead to”.
The prospect pauses, then asks...
“Can it be fixed?”, “Can you fix it?” “How do you work”, or something to that effect.
The mechanic/doctor/advisor then says...
“We solve problems like this every day. Here’s our process and this is how we work”.
Wow.
Before, the issue was an unsolvable mystery.
Now, it’s a simple problem, solved as a matter of routine.
The prospect has clarity for the first time: if they want their problem solved, you’re the one they can trust.
There’s nothing subjective to think about, no room for doubt, no need to see other advisors.
And if they don’t want their problem solved, you’ll learn that from the first meeting.
Not at the end of four meetings, after wasting your time with free consulting and uncompensated value given along the way.
If you are not open to challenging your own sales thinking and mindset, then ignore the rest of this article -- just know most advisors are converting less than 3 or 4 out of 10 qualified prospects on average, by using the old know-like-trust model of selling.
If you’d like to learn a completely different approach, then order the complimentary book and consultation below.
Related: Do Your Designations Actually Create Trust?
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.