Photo by Kassey Downard on Unsplash
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives
Click here to watch a video and learn more about Evidence Based Advisor Marketing.
When I meet an advisor, I can tell within the first few minutes whether he or she is or will be successful.
It’s not difficult. I look for one trait: curiosity.
Why curiosity?
In a seminal paper published in 1994, George Loewenstein noted the critical importance of curiosity. It’s a “driving force in child development” and “one of the most important spurs to educational attainment.”
An article in Time also extolled the virtue of curiosity, noting that it “is the engine of intellectual achievement – it’s what drives us to keep learning, keep trying, keep pushing forward.”
There’s broad agreement curiosity is a valued trait. Yet, many advisors don’t exhibit it. This lack of curiosity is, in my experience, the primary reason why those advisors are not reaching their potential.
Self-directed
It’s difficult to exhibit curiosity about others when you are consumed with your own agenda.
Advisors often justify dominating the conversation with prospects because of their perceived need to “educate” them. This logic is misplaced and harmful to the possibility of converting the prospect into a client.
You’re not learning when you are talking. You are also not showing any interest in the prospect. This lack of appropriate attention may doom your meeting to failure.
A better way
There’s only one way to demonstrate curiosity: Ask questions.
Not the questions you like to ask, like: “What’s your tolerance for risk?”
Ask questions demonstrating your interest in learning more about the prospect as a person. Who is she? Why did she choose to do whatever work she is doing? What does she enjoy doing when she’s not working? Ask her about her family. When she responds, ask soft follow-up questions, intended to learn more details.
Show a sincere, genuine, authentic curiosity about her.
Other suggestions for developing curiosity include read more, meditate and make it a habit to ask questions as you go about your daily life. For example, instead of riding silently in the back of an Uber car, ask the driver, “Where are you from?”
You’ll be pleasantly surprised where the conversation may lead.
An unanticipated issue
Marketing Services For Evidence-Based Advisors
We offer consulting services on how to convert more prospects into clients through Solin Consulting, a division of Solin Strategic, LLC. Our evidence-based persuasion strategies have significantly increased conversion rates for our coaching clients
We offer a full range of digital marketing services exclusively to evidence-based advisors through Evidence Based Advisor Marketing, LLC (EBAM). These services include: web and content creation, video creation, production and post-production, social media consulting and e-mail marketing consulting. You can see websites we have designed, content we have drafted and videos we have produced here.
Click here to request a free, no obligation website evaluation.
For more information, please contact:
Dan Solin
[email protected]
(239) 949-1606
Schedule a call with Dan here
Here’s a problem I didn’t anticipate. There are those who may appreciate the value of curiosity, but they lack this trait and are not motivated to develop it.
In this thought-provoking article, Ayodeji Awosika decried the prevalence of a lack of curiosity “in many people.” He calls this way of thinking and living “The Theory of Nothing.” He blames part of the problem on our education system, which “beats the curiosity out of children.” By the time we become adults, we are so “tired of learning,” we retreat to “The Theory of Nothing.”
He believes a lack of curiosity leads “to a life filled with regret.”
For advisors, a lack of curiosity will lead to lower AUM.
Dan Solin is a New York Times best-selling author of the Smartest series of books. His latest book is The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read. His sales coaching practice includes helping advisors convert prospects into clients and generating leads through videos and other elements of marketing. Dan is not affiliated with any advisory firm.
Get Dan's investing insights by signing up for his free, weekly newsletter here.
Subscribe to Dan’s YouTube investing channel here.
Read more articles by Dan Solin
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives
