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What could be worse than having a qualified prospect slip through your fingers and vanish?
You did everything right in the initial conversation.
You were friendly, gave them great information, and you didn’t pressure them to move forward.
But at the end they said:
Thank you so much for your time. Let me think about it, and if I’m interested, I’ll get back to you.
This is what I call the “kiss of death.”
Every advisor has a bunch of these prospects sitting in their database from the last three to six months.
What do you do with them?
Do you let them go, or do you chase them and hope they’ll have a revelation that you’re the one for them?
It’s a dilemma, because you know you can help them, but you don’t want to be perceived as chasing them.
There’s only one way to re-engage these lost prospects without risking your reputation and authority.
The key is to re-engage them around the original issues they came to you for.
Anchoring your re-engagement conversation around their original issues protects you from being perceived as chasing them for the sale.
Here’s an example of trust-based language that is working well for many of my financial advisor clients:
Hi John, it’s Ari here, hope you’re well… we spoke recently about (describe in detail what their concerns were) and I’ve been thinking about our conversation… and just wanted to let you know, that given the changes in the market in the last 90 days, I’m happy to have a complimentary consultation with you, to re-diagnose how these changes might impact your concerns that we chatted about.
They might say, “What do you mean by that?”
What I mean specifically is, if you’re open to it, I’m happy to have a 360-degree consultation with you (no fee) of your whole financial picture, so you can see all the obstacles that could potentially impact your retirement planning, as there may be insights that could protect you long-term.
They might say, “How does it work?”
Well, if this sounds good to you, I’d be happy to schedule a conversation, in person or on Zoom, to give you clarity and on how to navigate the current market.
Your choices are very limited as to what you can say to re-engage a lost prospect.
But if you approach them and ground the conversation on their deepest financial concerns, the conversation becomes about them, and not about you – shifting you away from the perception of “chasing the sale.”
Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after sales conversion expert for Financial Advisors. His newest book, “Unlock The Sales Game” has become an instant best-seller among Financial Advisers 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 client growth consultation with Ari or one of his trust-based consultants. Ari has been featured in CEO Magazine, Forbes, INC Magazine and the Australian 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.