Are You Fact-Finding or Trust-Building?
Advisors have been taught, before they do anything, to ask fact-finding questions about a prospect’s financial situation.
The traditional sales formula looks like this:
Qualify the lead + Present your solution = New paying client
That’s basic selling 101, isn’t it?
But if this formula, which has been taught by the “sales gurus” for decades, is bulletproof, then why doesn’t every single person who is qualified become a new paying client?
What is the missing piece of this puzzle that causes you to lose prospects who check all the boxes of what your ideal client looks like?
It’s called “trust-building,” and it needs to happen before the qualification process
Unless you create deep trust first, any qualification process will make your potential client feel you only want to know if they’ll buy your services.
In their mind, if they qualify, then they expect you to start selling your services.
But I hear you saying: “I already know how to build relationships.”
Building trust in a sales context does not mean building a relationship with your potential client; the two are not the same.
Building a relationship is about building rapport, which is often ineffective for solving problems.
In fact, how many times does being friendly and agreeable get in the way of telling someone what they need to hear, the truth and reality of their situation?
Building trust with your potential client is about what I call “going down the iceberg.”
Going down the iceberg as an advisor means helping your potential client understand the gravity of their situation and the implications of not addressing it.
It’s an iceberg because the implications are often much larger than they realize.
Here are some questions you can ask to go down the iceberg:
“Can you tell me a little about your background, your situation and your biggest financial concerns?”
(Listen carefully to their concerns)
“You mentioned xxx is a concern, can you tell me a little bit more about that?”
(Lower your voice when you say this, like a doctor with warmth and bedside manner)
“How long have you been concerned about that?”
“What have you done so far to try and solve it?”
“How has not solving these issues impacted you?”
“Is this a priority for you to solve as soon as possible?”
These are not fact-finding questions, they are trust-building questions to help them feel you care about them.
Surprisingly, advisors rarely create a feeling of deep trust with new potential clients in their initial conversation.
Concentrate on building trust by going down the iceberg with your potential clients, instead of educating them on your solutions.
You’ll be surprised at how many new clients jump on board with you and even pay you a planning fee, simply because your approach was so different from every other advisor they’ve encountered.
If you're an ambitious advisor, with a defiant streak (following the crowd isn't your thing), who is overly reliant on referrals, with limited time and resources, but willing to grow and challenge your own thinking -- and you'd be happy with 1 – 2 new high-net-worth clients per month...
Then it's time to upgrade your skill set to a "category-of-one" new inbound high-quality sales/lead model (no prospecting), that defies traditional industry thinking and norms...
Get Your Free Book & Free "Get New Clients" Lead Generation Consultation ASAP!
Order the new book “Trusted Authority” below and get a free “Get New Clients” lead generation consultation (value $995).
In this ground-breaking new book, you’ll discover:
- How to create a flow of high-quality leads in the next 90-days by becoming the Trusted Authority in your market
- How to differentiate yourself from other advisors so that your ideal client says “He/she is the one for me…”
- How to re-position yourself to create inbound demand for your ideal clients only becoming a “category-of-one”
- How to create a “by-appointment-only” business so you stop lowering your authority by "chasing” leads
- How to onboard new clients in one single meeting or zoom conversation… yes this is possible!
Meet The Author
Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is one the most sought-after sales conversion experts for Financial Advisors.
He is the creator of Unlock The Game®, a completely new revolutionary sales approach that overturns the notion of selling as we know it today.
Ari has been featured in CEO Magazine, SkyNews, Forbes, INC Magazine and the Australian Financial Review.
His newest book, “Trusted Authority”, has become an instant best-seller among Financial Advisors worldwide.
With clients in over 35 countries, his global sales systems have become the most successful Trust-Based Selling systems of our time.
In a day and age where technology rules the selling world, for many growth-oriented advisors, deep trust has taken a “back seat” to the sales process.
Ari’s personal insights on how to build trust between buyers and sellers continue to break new ground in the financial services industry.
Ari has been on a mission for the last two decades to change the financial services world through trust.
Through his sold-out talks all over the world and his in-house trainings for high-producing advisors, Ari has become the global ambassador to businesses all over the world.
He regularly connects with global business icons and leaders of industries seeking his counsel on how to infuse trust in their organisations and across their teams.
Ari is a true “disruptor” in the financial services industry. He has been endorsed by legendary sales mentors like Brian Tracy who said: “Ari Galper’s trust-based selling approach is the greatest sales breakthrough in the last 20 years”.
Ari’s sales growth consulting firm has a growing waiting list of financial advisors wanting access to his unique Trusted Authority lead generation models and sales conversion strategy advice.
Ari is also the author of “Lessons From Toby”, a special book about his son Toby who has Down’s Syndrome, who has made a major impact on Ari’s approach to teaching authenticity and trust in his Trust-Based Selling approach.