Your Prospects Aren’t Looking for New Friends
Recent studies from the University of Kansas call for a marked shift in how advisors should approach selling.
In a communications study conducted by Professor Jeffrey Hall, it was found that it takes 40-60 hours for an acquaintance to become a casual friend, and an additional 140-160 hours for a casual friend to become a close friend.
Most surprising, however, was the following caveat to these findings:
A close friendship can be formed in less than 200 hours if the interaction is meaningful and there’s a mutual willingness to be open and vulnerable – but 200 hours spent together doesn’t necessarily guarantee that two people become close friends, each person has to want closer friendship with the other.
Considering the prevailing norm in the advisory profession of attempting to cement a real relationship pre-sale, and the generally low conversion rate among advisors compared to other consultancy-based professionals, your prospects aren’t looking for a new friendship to hire you.
And if you’re brutally honest, neither do you – until a mutual relationship develops after they’re a client, not before.
The assumption most advisors make is that the more time they invest with their prospect leads to a closer relationship – and a closer relationship leads to a sale.
If a sale does not happen, the implication is that not enough time was invested in the relationship.
But that the kind of meaningful interaction which leads someone to be open and vulnerable enough to trust you as their advisor isn’t dependent on the duration of time spent with them.
As an advisor, the question you’re left with is:
What is a “meaningful” interaction in the context of a sales conversation, and how do you foster a “willingness to be open and vulnerable” in that conversation with your potential clients?
It depends on how you define meaningful.
Most advisors have defined meaningful as their “value” and knowledge delivered.
They build rapport with their prospects, then educate them about potential solutions, hoping to provide convincing proof of that knowledge.
What if the only meaningful thing they are judging you on is if you truly understand the depths of their issues?
Then your approach to selling and how you communicate as an advisor must fundamentally change.
Update your understanding of your prospects’ psychology and re-think your sales approach in line with the latest discoveries around social interaction and communication.
You don’t need to build relationships pre-sale for your prospects to trust you.
If you know what’s meaningful to your prospects and tailor your sales process to that, your sales conversations can create trust in one single meeting.
To learn more about this ground-breaking approach to selling, order your complimentary book and consultation below.
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...
Get Your Free Book & Free "Get New Clients" Sales & Lead Generation Consultation ASAP!
Order your complimentary new book "Trust In A Split Second" (with free bonus book "Trusted Authority") below and get a free “Get New Clients” sales & lead generation consultation (value $995.00).
In this ground-breaking new book, you’ll discover:
- Why does the sale hinge on a split-second decision!
- "Fit or No Fit" -- does it still work?
- Should you be skeptical of your prospect's agenda?
- Why do fact-finding questions break trust?
- How to differentiate yourself from other advisors
- Why "follow-up" should be banned!
- "We're talking to other advisors"
- Why you should be a financial "doctor" instead of advisor
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 advisors and business owners.
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 Financial Advisor Magazine – and has been a featured speaker at the Financial Planning Association’s national conference.
His newest book, “TRUST In A Split Second!”, has become an instant best-seller among high-trust 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 virtually every industry.
Ari has been on a mission for the last two decades to change the business world through trust as a foundational principle.
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.
His work in the trust-based selling field, focusing on reversing control of the sales process, from buyer to seller, is considered category-of-one thinking, with over a two decades of proven execution and results.
