Distraction-Proof® Advisor Ideas

Are you properly prepared for your next prospect meeting? When pressed, too many advisors will admit they simply “wing it.” They want to feel comfortable and relaxed and come across as conversational, which are great objectives, but with the limited time they have with prospects, they often never effectively get to the most important information: Is this person a good fit for my business? If you don’t have a consistent meeting presentation process down cold, you are leaving too much to chance.

You need to know how you’re going to open dialogue with a new prospect and have clear, specific steps you want to walk people through. When you know and have practiced what you will say and how you will direct the meeting, you can be quite relaxed. By using the same process every time you have a meeting, you know exactly where the meeting is going. This frees you to listen well and answer their questions in a way that will keep you on track to communicate what your prospects need to know about how you work as well as ensure you get to the questions you need to ask to learn how they think.

We’re in golf season right now, and I’m always fascinated when I see graphics on TV which overlay multiple shots of a golfer swinging at a ball, often using different clubs. The expert golfer’s pre-shot routine is exactly the same each time – the same steps, the same tap of the club, the same shoulder shrug, and so on. This is how the pros do it, day in and day out.

Your approach to your meeting process should be the same. Determine how you want your meetings to proceed. Figure out specific words and phrases that will communicate what you do and how you operate efficiently, without waffle. Practice out loud so you actually hear what your words and a relaxed conversational tone sound like. (I always encourage this, and so few people will do it – but if you do it, you will be amazed at the difference it makes!)

Remember, you’re not delivering a speech, you’re having a conversation. But when you know what you want to say and have rehearsed it out loud, it is much easier to insert those words in appropriate places in a discussion. Develop phrases that sound like you and are how you’d really talk. To give you a start, here’s some of the language I use to discuss how my advising team works:

“We work with people who are serious about getting where they want to go. They aren’t overly concerned with the distracting noise out there about market speculation, politics, or people. We certainly know what’s going on, but more importantly, we focus on how to get people to their objective. Our ideal client is someone who is open to fully letting us see their present financial situation, their “point A,” and who wants to discuss what they would like their “point B” to look and feel like. Then we can work with them to build an effective and realistic plan to get there.”

“We’re not interested in hype; rather we value helping provide peace of mind. We often talk with people who want to know more about what college education costs might look for their children, or how they can be prepared to experience the lifestyle they hope for when they retire. Many of our clients are concerned about how to effectively leave a financial legacy, either for their children or grandchildren. These are just a couple of simple ways we help people.”

Put it into action:

1. Clarify what you wish to communicate. Most people think of the how first, but that typically only leads to more words. Instead, think about the overall messages you wish to communicate, then you can better develop the specific words to use. You won’t stick to the exact same words all the time, but your framework will keep you focused.
2. Know how you need to sound. It’s so important, I’ll say it again – practice out loud. Know how your voice sounds so your tone is confident, yet patient, rather than nervous or pushy.
3. Program in the pauses. When we hear a person speak, our brain processes things in pictures. You’re giving your prospects new information, so give people time for their brains to catch up with your words: allow pauses and give your prospect time to mentally breathe.

​Don’t “chance it” any more. Take the time to prepare so you know how your meetings will proceed and you can finish knowing you have done all you can for a successful outcome.

To your practiced process,
Paul