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Here’s a problem marketing experts can’t solve:
Allowing non-ideal clients into your sales process forces you to spend more money to attract more non-ideal clients.
A non-ideal client is someone who sees you as similar to other advisors they have on their “shopping list.”
They’re also interested in what you can do for them, forcing you to put your best foot forward (selling yourself) to see if you can provide more value than the next advisor with whom they speak.Then at the end of the conversation you hear: “I’d like to think about it and will get back to you.”Here’s what happens when you allow non-ideal clients into your sales and marketing process:
- You try to raise their awareness by educating them, sharing stories of how you helped other clients in the past and providing free advice.
- At the end of the sales conversation, they want to speak with someone else before talking to you again.
- You end up chasing them for either a “yes” or a “no” through repeated follow-up calls and emails (or you just give up and assume they weren’t a “fit”).
- They don’t respond, and they take the valuable information you provided for free and use it to shop around for other advisors.
Spending your precious time with non-ideal clients is wasteful for you and for them.Break this vicious cycle.On the flip side, what happens when you attract and speak with your ideal clients only?
They know in advance of your conversation (key strategic difference) that you are ideal for them.All that needs to happen next for them to become a paying client is for them to trust you.Trusting you is the easy part right, because you’re fine once you get in front of your ideal clients.It's the pre-positioning piece of the puzzle that you are missing.The question is how well does your sales and marketing process position you as ideal for them?
Does your positioning speak to their specific issues?
How well are you positioned as the trusted authority in their eyes?
The more directly, deeply, and specifically your marketing is aligned with the deepest issues of your ideal client, the more you’ll become a “category of one.”
This is what being a trusted authority is all about.
A trusted authority’s focus is narrow, not wide.
A trusted authority attracts only clients who fit the profile of that narrow focus and particular issue set, which filters everyone else out by default.
Are you chasing semi-warm leads who are being called by other advisors?Are you fishing out of the same ponds as other advisors?
The only way to escape the vicious circle of attracting non-ideal clients is to stop doing marketing tactics that attract them.
Learn how to target your most ideal clients only by becoming the trusted authority in your market.
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, “Trusted Authority” 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 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.
Read more articles by Ari Galper
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
