It’s Halloween, and fright and fear are in the air! While it’s acceptable to scare friends, family, and innocent children begging for candy, it is not OK to scare off potential clients. Avoid these six things to make sure you don’t have the scariest firm on the block:
- Using a self-made Excel spreadsheet vs. a real presentation software
I know this one is sensitive to all you engineer/CPA guys and gals out there. I am sure you are as talented as any actuary around, but this is a common mistake I see on a daily basis. Here’s why:
- It’s not compliant. If you try and recreate a carrier illustration on an Excel spreadsheet, you become 100% liable for any miscalculation on the spreadsheet, not the third party.
- It’s not branded and can look unprofessional.
Solution: We offer beautiful presentation software that is compliant, and most can be branded to help you create a professional and consistent look for all your presentation materials. Call your Impact team member for more details.
- Going for the close too early
The meeting is going great. You and the client are building a real rapport. And then it happens: You go for the close too soon and SPOOK the client. While the old sales adage, “You don’t get it if you don’t ask,” is true, asking too soon could cause all your hard work to go down in flames.
Solution: Adopt a true appointment process. If you’re walking into appointments with a plan to wing it and see it where it goes, you’ll always be a reactive sales person — which only causes stress and anxiety in your business. When you have a true appointment process, you take back control of your day, your practice, and, most importantly, the appointment. This also looks good with regulators because — let’s face it — you can’t really say you did your best to make the right recommendation if you only sat with the client for an hour before writing a policy.
- Not following up between appointments
Great! You have a process, and your days are now slammed with appointments. In fact, you’re booked a week and a half out, so you schedule that appointment and don’t speak to the client until the next meeting (if they don’t cancel before then). It’s true that time kills all deals, which is why it’s important to stay on your prospects’ minds as they go through your process.
Solution: Create an engagement process. This is a process to help keep the prospect engaged as they wait for the next meeting with you. This could be as simple as sending a thank you note or as savvy as recording a thank you video to recap your meeting and explain what to expect in the next appointment. There are plenty of great ways to keep a prospect engaged, and we are here to help. Call your Impact marketing manager to help develop your engagement process.
- Overusing the word “guarantee”
Our products are “GUARANTEED.”
We “GUARANTEE” your money.
We “GUARANTEE” your income stream.
We love the word “guarantee,” but when used too much, it can sound like you’re selling an extended warranty on a TV rather than a financial vehicle that could help clients have a more stress-free retirement. This is very common in agents that don’t have the ability to offer securities. They cling to the safety and the guarantees because it’s all they can offer. For some clients it works and others it doesn’t. The secret is to have a solution for everyone.
Solution: Embrace the other side. Not all securities are created equal, and when you’re able to offer products made up of risk and guarantees, you can create a real comprehensive plan for your clients, create more opportunities with more clients, and protect your practice. Contact your Impact sales expert to learn more.
- Overcomplicating things
In an effort to show off how smart they are, advisors can sometimes confuse clients by showing them too many stats, numbers, or illustrations that aren’t relevant to their situations.
Credibility is king. Being the person that knows what they’re doing is everything in this business; however, overcomplicating things by creating scenarios that are beyond prospects’ understanding is not the way to do that.
Solution: Create third-party credibility. Don’t spin your wheels trying to convince a client that you know what you’re talking about. Instead, look for others to do that for you by using media outlets or news affiliations. You can create credibility by writing an article for a news source or appearing on your local TV morning show.
- Knowing when to walk away (but never too far)
We are now past our three-appointment process we committed to and are sitting with a client for the sixth time. The client is still kicking tires and not fully committed to the plan. At this point, it’s important to understand the value of your time. You can’t possibly be successful in this business by trying to be all things to all people. Understand that not every prospect is a fit for your practice — at least at this moment.
Solution: Know when to walk away — but never completely. Capture everyone’s information, and create a drip campaign that keeps prospects in the know with client events and upcoming workshops. Just because it’s a “no” today doesn’t mean it will be six months from now.
With these six tips, you can keep your prospects feeling like it’s Christmas and not a haunted house!
Happy Halloween!
