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When qualified leads who show interest during your sales process remain indecisive about hiring you, it's natural to wonder if there's something wrong with them – not you.
You did everything by the book. You built rapport, gave value at each step of your process, and you followed up with them afterward. But when they still don’t commit, it's only natural to think they weren’t qualified in the first place.
Of course, you’re always going to get a small percentage whose net worth won’t meet your criteria. But if any more than three out of every 10 leads on average aren’t committing to you, then the issue may not be with your leads, but with you.
There’s probably something about your sales approach you’re completely unaware of that's triggering them to not be decisive with you. And it has nothing to do with your personality or your competence.
It’s a feeling they have that, even though you came across well, you're still not the right advisor for them, and they need to find somebody else.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Here are four key questions to help pinpoint where the break in your sales process might be occurring:
1. Are you focusing on building rapport?
You might have heard this traditional sales mantra: “People buy from those they know or like.” Although making a good first impression or getting along with your prospect used to go a long way toward building trust with them, now it can be perceived as “selling,” which can trigger skepticism about your intentions.
2. Are you sharing information?
When you’re an expert and your prospect isn’t, it’s logical to share your knowledge to prove you’re who you say you are. But in a selling situation, your prospect doesn’t want to process information; instead, they want someone to simplify their problem. Sharing information gets in the way of that and makes them feel that they need to “go away and think about it” before they can commit.
3. Are there multiple steps in your sales process?
The traditional advisory sales process has multiple steps that involve essentially free consulting. However, having multiple points of engagement with your prospect makes it much easier for them to get sidetracked by other priorities.
4. Are you following up?
You’ve been told that indecisive prospects just need more time, and as long as you have a good follow-up process, they might still come around. But the truth is, you lost the sale at “hello,” and no amount of follow-up will undo that. In fact, following up amounts to “chasing,” which lowers your authority and further harms the sale. You don’t need a follow-up process — you need a problem-clarifying process, to help your prospect understand their own issues and realize they need your help to solve them.
It might feel overwhelming to imagine that everything you’ve been taught about selling is now wrong. But all these issues can be easily solved if you switch to a problem-centric, rather than a solution-driven, sales approach.
A solution-driven approach is based on providing value through education and information to prove your credibility. But in the commoditized economy we’re in now, where information and education are everywhere, solutions no longer have the power to build real trust.
Sharing your solutions invites comparison to other solutions, which categorizes you as a “solution provider.” Instead of differentiating, it now makes you one of many.
By contrast, a problem-centric approach is more aligned with a doctor/patient model, where the doctor puts the spotlight on the patient to thoroughly diagnose their issue. A problem-centric approach has the advantage of uncovering the deeper underlying problems that your prospect can't see. This approach makes them feel that they're in the hands of an expert who isn't just trying to sell them something or move them forward to a next step, but is genuinely focused on solving their issue.
And just as when a patient visits their doctor, they don't need to understand the ins and outs of the medicine, or see proof of the doctor's credentials, or even like them.
Having the doctor pinpoint the cause of their problem is enough for them to trust them and get the treatment (which typically happens in one single consultation).
If you focus only on diagnosing your prospect’s problem, deep-diving into their situation to make them feel understood, you’ll inevitably get to the point where they ask, “How can you help me?”
That's when you can start onboarding.
To learn more about how to build deep trust in one meeting only from your current leads, order your complimentary books and consultation below.
Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after high-net worth/lead generation expert for financial advisors. His newest book, “Trust In A Split Second” has become an instant best-seller among financial advisors worldwide – you can get a Free copy of Ari’s book here and, when you click the “YES” button in the order form, you’ll also receive a complimentary “plug up the holes” lead generation consultation. Ari has been featured in CEO Magazine, Forbes, INC Magazine and the Financial Review. He is considered a contrarian in the financial services industry and in his book, everything you learned about selling will be turned upside down. No more chasing, no pressure, no closing.
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Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.