Sales

Most financial services professionals work hard to be seen by their clients and prospects as someone they can trust. The goal is to be a trusted advisor who is knowledgeable, that understands their needs and has a solution that can solve those needs. This leads to a lot of education,...

When it comes to sales, it’s easy to assume the worst when a prospect isn’t getting back to you. You might find yourself thinking negative thoughts such as: If they were interested, they would answer. I left the ball in their court, but I think it’s a no. The price...

Prospecting. It’s a vital part of any industry, but in the financial services industry it’s often the area that is the easiest to ignore. We all know that service is important. And simply by servicing a client you can and should find new opportunities. Especially if your team practices. “Service...

How do you train your team to be more sales focused? Whether you are looking to add a sales associate or simply want your service team to do more cross-selling, training sales is an important piece of running a successful agency. When an agency is first emerging it’s natural that...

Most advisors get into the financial services industry because they care about protecting their clients. And that protection includes protecting what your clients care about, or rather what they love. For some that might be assets, it might be a lifestyle they want to be able to maintain into retirement,...

There’s still two months to hit your sales goals for this year. And while hitting your goals often means qualifying for trips and more revenue for your business, we also know that based on how contracts are written, NOT hitting certain goals will leave bonuses on the table. This week...

Although most financial services professionals know how important prospecting is, it’s still the activity that gets pushed aside. The reasons for not prospecting vary, but can include service issues, training, focusing on other lines of business, and even procrastination. There’s a simple, but effective way to ensure that your business...

How curious is your team? In the financial services industry, it pays to be curious. When your team is curious it creates opportunities to better understand the needs of your clients. This leads to more sales, but also better service.  By asking more questions and taking the time to...

The power of a meeting agenda. You’ve probably been encouraged over the years to use an agenda for your sales meeting. They provide structure. They keep you on topic. They help you stick to the time. They are powerful. And we love them. But did you know that an agenda...

If you’ve taken any type of sales training, you’re probably familiar with the idea of asking open-ended questions instead of asking closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions help grow a conversation so that you can learn more about your client/prospects. And closed-ended, or yes/no questions, can quickly end a conversation. For instance,...