Welcome back!

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In Part 1 I shared how you can prepare your prospect for the best possible experience, the benefits of utilising a clear agenda and the guiding principle I have always operated by:

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“If the client says it, it is the truth”.

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Today I will build on the initial elements from Part 1 that will create an exceptional client experience – every time.

 

Walking a mile in your prospect’s shoes - together

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I have found that it is easy to forget or become complacent, because we practice our profession every day, that most people are busy and mired in their many daily priorities and pressures. Rarely it seems, if ever, do some people prioritise spending quality time to vividly imagine the future that they really want and then plan how they will be successful in any really meaningful way.

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Typically, I find people spend more time planning a birthday, a holiday or Christmas than they do their future. It is no wonder, then, that most Australians fail to accumulate enough money to live the retirement they perhaps once dreamed of. I have also found that commitment and sacrifice today for the betterment of the future is not the strongest human quality, so I think there are plenty of people who bury or deprioritise this aspect of their world by just being too busy.

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In many ways, spending time with a great adviser will be one the best things they will ever do.

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Because we do what we do every day, it is easy to assume that others get what we get and can therefore turn up to a meeting and provide all of the insights we need in order to properly understand them. Or even that they are comfortable to openly share their personal details, their hopes, their dreams and the things that keep them awake at night regarding their financial situation. The fact that many people do not themselves understand these issues should easily provide you with the insights that you need and understand how significant they are.

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But simply asking a bunch of questions, especially if they are not the most effective questions, will not necessarily translate into exceptional engagement and will most certainly not establish what is really important and why it is important.

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Mind maps are the most effective forms of mutual discovery and have the added advantage that they are visual, which effectively enables the other person to visualise what they otherwise may not have been able to and to conceptualise time – which is either their best friend or worst enemy. 

 

The Cycle of Commitment

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A time when many professionals realise that something has gone wrong in the sales process is when it’s too late – and an opportunity is lost. 

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A common analysis or perception for this happening is that a person’s closing techniques were not good enough and, while this may be true in some instances, it is more likely that their questioning and listening skills contributed mainly to the lost opportunity.

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If this happens, it can be because you haven’t earned the genuine commitment you need in order to for them to advance to the next stage – a second meeting, preparation of a comprehensive financial plan, implementation of their plan or perhaps the annual renewal of their ongoing advice agreement.

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This can often result in price-driven buying decisions and a higher proportion of lost opportunities or clients. 

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By asking great, well thought out questions that follow a proven framework of Discovery, you will move through the stages of a client interaction at the right time and with the right level of commitment before closing and the authority to proceed.