Improve Your Emotional State, Improve Your Sales – Here’s How

Posted by Kira Callahan º May 8, 2018 º Kiras Blog º 0 comments

In the discussion of emotional intelligence in business, a lot of (necessary) attention is paid to developing empathy for others: empathy in product design, empathy in communicating with internal partners, empathy for the client, during sales conversations. But we are hampered in our success in all these areas if we lack self-awareness and the ability to manage and shift our own emotional state.

Case in point: cash flow

Every business, big and small, must grapple with cash flow issues. When you are an Advisor running your own book of business, you need a certain amount of income just to stay in the game. It’s the same for every other entrepreneur, no matter the industry or the size of the company.

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I spoke recently with the President of a small but respected health IT firm. They’ve been in business for fourteen years. Their clients include hospital networks, provincial health departments and a couple US state-level health departments. Their annual revenue is $1 million plus, but their expenses are high, and large institutions move slowly. At the time of our conversation, the President was white with stress, chasing down payments to keep the cash flowing so the business could function.

We hear regular reports in the news of Billionaire Elon Musk burning through hundreds of millions in cash trying to get the Tesla Model 3 delivered. Short-sellers are betting he’ll fail.

If you’re a one-man/woman show, perhaps with an assistant, the responsibility of revenue generation rests largely on your shoulders.

What happens to your emotional state when you don’t have enough income to cover expenses? What happens to your behaviour?

Do you come out fighting? Do you spread your anxiety around and blame others? Do you shut down? Or go through the motions of sales calls and meetings, but under a mist of desperation that prospective clients can pick up on?

Obviously, our ability to shift our own emotional state when the crunch is on, is a key skill to develop.

Here are a few strategies to implement over time:

Self-Awareness

Recognize when you’re spinning. When we’re stuck in fear, the thoughts that go along with that emotion feed on themselves and make it worse. Negative beliefs get stirred up. Everywhere you look, you seem to find justification for being afraid, because your emotional state has its own logic.

The moment you can step outside the mental noise and see it happening: ‘This is ridiculous! I’m catastrophizing everything. Yeah, I’ve gotta figure some things out, but in this moment, I’m okay. I’m still breathing, my heart is still beating. I’m okay.’ In that moment, you’ve regained some measure of control. You can now consciously start to turn things around.

Make self-awareness part of your regular meeting-prep routine. Ask yourself: How am I feeling? Then quickly jot down the mental chatter: I’m looking forward to this meeting, but I’m nervous. The potential is huge, and I need this sale. I know they are meeting with a couple other Advisors, too. I feel like I’ve gotta prove myself and I don’t know how to stand out. I’m worried they’ll pick up how badly I want to close. When you bring out and name the worries, you’re back in charge.

Self-Management

Play, to shift your state. Okay, I know this can seem completely counter-intuitive when you’re in a crunch and feeling the pressure to act. The point here is that a high-stress state of fight, flight or freeze doesn’t leave room for creativity or creative solutions. You are in survival mode. Take a short break to do something fun, goofy and energizing; this will help you tap into your own creative state. This is where fresh ideas and solutions come from.

Visualize – Enjoy the positive outcome before it’s happened. Picture an ideal outcome for you and the client. What does that look like? Can you see yourself enjoying a celebratory dinner with them five years down the road? You’re both smiling and laughing, relaxed and at ease. Picture a wealthy couple walking by your table – friends of your client’s – and your client going out of their way to introduce you. Whatever long-term success looks like to you, take a few moments to enjoy that in your mind. This is how Olympic Gold Metal winners mentally prepare themselves for success. You can do it, too.

Give your mind tasks. When you’re nervous, your mind is preoccupied with itself and can sabotage your performance. One of the most effective ways to tap into your power state of a confident professional is to shift your focus away from ‘I need this sale’ and onto ‘this person needs my help. I’m going to ask questions and listen deeply so that I can discover how I can best use my expertise to serve their goals.’

Take a moment and close your eyes. (Okay, after you read this.) Think about an important meeting coming up, and let yourself really focus on getting the sale. How important it is that you close, that you meet or exceed your targets, and that if they say no, how crappy that will be for you. What emotional state did that produce?

Now think about your client. Ponder a few questions: I wonder what financial issues are on their mind right now. What are they stressed about? What makes this person tick? What conditions help them feel safe and prosperous? I’m going to find out those things before I need to make any recommendations.

How you are feeling now? You will probably notice that the anxiety has dropped away. You may be experiencing a natural curiosity. You may even feel some excitement – the kind attached to your love of the puzzle, of putting together a great plan for someone.

This is an ideal emotional state to be in when you are about to take a sales meeting.

Did you enjoy this article? Kira writes weekly articles packed with actionable tips for sales professionals in the financial services industry. Sign up here to receive Kira’s article delivered straight to your inbox every Tuesday.

Kira Callahan is an expert sales conversation coach serving the financial industry. Her private clients typically experience 30% – 100% increase in appointments and business booked. Click here to find out more about Kira.

Chatbots and Robo-Advisors are infiltrating the financial industry. Here’s How to Stay Relevant!

Posted by Kira Callahan º February 27, 2018 º Kiras Blog º 0 comments

Here are a couple of headlines pulled from the news just this week:

Hot Shot traders used to make millions. Now they’re being replaced by computers.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping Wealth Management

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It’s a perfect storm.

New transparency regulations are revealing to clients what they’ve been paying for their financial services. They are looking for cheaper solutions. They expect more for their money.

AI is proving its ability to outperform humans in test after test, and the dominos keep falling. Blockchain is providing the possibility to by-pass big banks altogether.

Financial firms, looking to remain an essential part of the fabric of society, have begun to leverage AI and blockchain themselves. They are aggressively cutting costs. Several reputable studies have projected the job loss in the financial industry from 30 – 50% in the next ten years.

Here’s the good news:

It’ll be a long while before machines and algorithms can come anywhere close to our innately human ability to connect. And our (your clients’) need to connect, will never disappear.

This is where you can stay relevant.

Your certifications and planning ability are no longer sufficient. It’s time to take seriously the need to boost your Emotional Intelligence.

Here’s an encouraging fact:

Although the IQ you were born with never changes, and can’t be increased, your Emotional Intelligence (EI), is elastic. You can continually improve it every day of your life.

Wealth clients expect your expertise, of course. But more than that, they are looking for your ability to deeply understand them. To connect on an emotional level. This is not just a matter of fact-finding questions or being able to make eye contact while you listen.

What’s your reaction to this?

Are you thinking ‘that’s ridiculous!’? ‘This is business. Most of my clients want decent returns and some good tax advice. Business is not the place for touch-feely crap.’

If so, ask yourself:

Can Artificial Intelligence use algorithms to provide decent returns and some good tax advice? In fact, could algorithms provide better returns at a lower cost than you can?

(Yes.) If not now, then very soon.

The game has changed, and so must you.

One of the key ingredients to Emotional Intelligence is Empathy. This means going beyond just understanding with your brain, and actually step into your client’s shoes, to feel what they’re feeling.

If we’re not in the habit of doing this, it can be hard to know where to start. Here are three tips to get you started:

Step out of your comfort zone

Do something, anything, that is way out of your zone of comfort, then observe your feelings. Experience the vulnerability of that. Notice it. Name it for yourself. This will help you develop empathy and compassion.

Put yourself in the minority

If you don’t live the experience of being a minority on a regular basis, it can be almost impossible to be aware of inherent biases you hold. We all have a world view based on our experiences. Unless we examine that lens, we have very little capacity to fully empathize with those who hold a different world view.

Here are some ideas of how to get started:

Attend an event where everyone speaks a language different from yours
Go and see movies or plays about a different culture

Talk with people outside your social, gender and economic group

Experiment with this intentionally. Make an overture to talk with people who have more power and affluence than you do. How do you feel? Excited? Aspirational? Embarrassed or small? Notice and name those feelings for yourself.

Talk with people who have less power and money than you. Ask questions and work hard to listen 90% of the time. How do you feel? Powerful? Condescending or pitying? Judgmental? Truly compassionate? Observe yourself and your own biases.

Perhaps reading this, you think ‘why would I bother talking with people who have less money – I am a Wealth Advisor!’.

The purpose of exploring both ends of the spectrum is that we all feel powerless now and then in life. We all feel arrogant and judgmental at certain times or in certain company.

Interacting with people outside our normal circles shines a light on our own biases. Stepping outside our zone of comfort forces us to experience emotions we spend most of our lives avoiding.

Your clients are people, first. No matter how much power or money they have, like you, they all need to feel safe, loved and respected. They want a life of meaning, and to feel truly valued and that they belong.

These are powerful tools to develop empathy, which you can leverage to make a deeper connection with your clients.

New to Sales? Start Off Right. Sell From the Soul.

Posted by Kira Callahan º July 26, 2016 º Kiras Blog º 0 comments

Several of my advisor clients are brand new to developing a financial services practice. They’ve recently graduated from university in business or finance, or made a lateral move from another career. They have newly minted accreditations from passing those challenging exams. Is this you? Okay, so now what?

Now, whichever financial firm you’ve chosen to work with is pouring a tonne of information into your skull. The next two years in particular will be a steep learning curve. Deepening your financial knowledge.Compliance. Practice management.

And sales. Wait. What?

If you’re one of these newer advisors – or even if you’ve been in business awhile – you may still be reeling from the discovery that a lot of your time in the first few years will be devoted not to financial planning, but to selling financial planning.

This is probably not what you envisioned when you dreamed of having a practice helping people build a happy, prosperous future.

Right now, you’re at a fork in the road. A moment of choice, with two options.

Option One

You can bow to the overwhelming busy-ness and pressure, and set your soul aside while you try and master the learning curve, hoping it gets better in time. This typically leads to a loss of energy, a loathing of all the prospecting activities you need to engage in, doubting your career choice and becoming a middling advisor or giving up altogether.

Option Two

You can hang onto your soul with all you’ve got. Remind yourself of who you are and what your deeper motivations for this career are. And intentionally incorporate those deeper motivations into all of your conversations with potential clients.

What does Option Two lead to? A meaningful, rewarding career! Feeling comfortable and at ease in your sales conversations because you’re showing up as the real you. Going home at the end of each day feeling good because you worked hard and acted with integrity.Creating a solid practice that you love and want to show up for day after day.

Here are a few key tips to help you succeed with Option Two:

Jot down your personal assets. I’m referring not to material assets, but your best personal traits or qualities. They might be loyalty, hard work, devotion to family, or that you never give up. How did you develop those qualities? Write that down.

Describe why you know that good financial planning is important. This is private reflection, not your value proposition. Do some journaling. Get real. Talk like you really talk! Remember a moment where you heard a financial train wreck story on the news, or saw someone make a poor choice. Finish these phrases: I can’t believe they… or If only they had… The more emotional your response, the better. Write it down.

Capture your money and life wisdom. The best way to find this is through specific, personal stories you have lived. Write out a couple money stories from your own life and what you’ve learned from them, and also collect a few client stories. Often, reviewing these personal experiences will reveal a deeper mission that you’re on. This is the gold!

Connect the dots for your clients. The simplest way to figure this out is to go through the answers you’ve written and connect each of them to the phrase: What this means for you, is… or That’s why I know good financial planning is so important.

Example

Say one of your personal assets is that you never give up. Share where that quality came from, then connect the dots: What that means for you is that I will always be there for you and your family. I will always be working to put you in the best financial position possible. When you ground them in a personal story, they are more than just words.

These answers are what you really think! Who you really are. Incorporate them and you will be selling from your soul. Prospects hear the ring of truth in your words and they trust you. Sales conversations feel natural and comfortable.

If you approach your business this way from the start, you will never feel like a phony. Instead, you’ll have energy, experience joy, and easily attract new clients.

Sell from your soul, right from the start.

How the Right Call Prep Can Increase Your Sales

Posted by Kira Callahan º July 12, 2016 º Kiras Blog º 0 comments

Sales is a numbers game, we always hear. And that’s true. After all, if someone doesn’t know you exist, they can’t very well buy what you’re selling! So in order to build your practice, especially in the early years, you need to prospect a lot. Network. Be on social media. Book coffee meetings galore. And make hundreds, even thousands of phone calls.

What breaks my heart is when Advisors have that phrase, ‘It’s a numbers game’ drilled into them so completely that they do nothing to refine their process. They face the phone like an adversary, determined to ‘muscle through’ their call sheet each day. And in many cases, they work far harder than they need to.

Does this sound like you? If so, stop that!

Instead, pair your persistence and determination with some smart preparation and you can increase your sales results and reduce the number of calls you have to make to close business.

3 Steps to Include in Your Smart Call-Prep Routine

Know your audience. Whether this is a cold call or a warm lead, taking the time to jot down a few notes about them will help you connect as human beings, not as salesperson and skeptical prospect. This critical shift will change the way someone relates to you. They’ll drop their defenses so that you can have a proper conversation.

Even with a cold call to a residence, you should know a bit about the neighbourhood, shops and community centres, and current events that may be of interest to your prospect. Obviously you can go much further with warm leads. Make bullet-point notes on your common connections, professional experience and interests and where and how you’ve met. With the internet and social media networks available a keystroke away, there is simply no excuse for not being prepared.

Practice your opening. Your prospect will decide whether or not to commit to the conversation in the first few moments, so cut yourself a break by working out a strong opening. Practice it until you feel confident. Things to include: your name and company, where the office is located (i.e. ‘just around the corner on xx street’), how you met, and a compelling reason for the call.

Prepare to Relate. One of the hardest things about making calls is the feeling that at any moment your prospect may shut you down. It’s challenging to stay confident and relaxed in the face of that. One of the most powerful ways to make a genuine connection and keep the conversation going is to ask high value open questions. These questions also take pressure off of you because they get your prospect talking and relieve you from having to do all the conversational work.

Prepare at least two open rapport questions and two open financial questions.

A low-value rapport question would be “How are you today?” Unless you know the person well, this question will just annoy them. You’ll get a lot more engagement with something like: “What did you think of the speaker’s point about x at last week’s Chamber of Commerce meeting?”

A low value financial question would be, “Do you have a financial plan?” With this wording, you’re just begging for your prospect to shut you down with a quick “Yup, I’m good.” Instead, ask “How much financial planning have you done?”

And that’s it… 3 simple preparation steps.

The Holy Grail of sales conversations is the ability to quickly create a relationship with a stranger. These call-prep strategies will help you make that connection. But they just scratch the surface in the refinements available that will increase your book of business.

Are you ready to make a serious leap forward with your sales? Click here to book a Complimentary 20-minute Business Breakthrough Consultation.

Enjoy implementing these call-prep strategies and watch your closing rate increase!

Do You Have Staying Power?

Posted by Kira Callahan º July 5, 2016 º Kiras Blog º 0 comments

Sales is a long business. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. There are ‘sprint moments’ on the journey (deadlines, targets), but what you’ve signed up for is not a short-term gig. As long as you’re in business, you’ll be in sales. Take a moment to really internalize that: As long as I’m in business, I’ll be in sales.

Now how do you feel? Peaceful? Exhausted?

Your response to this statement is of no small consequence, because your ability to build and maintain a successful business is dependent upon all the many habits, activities and mental attitudes you hold in relation to sales.

The more you can accept the fact that owning a business means being in sales as well as getting to do the thing you’re passionate about, the more you’ll free up the energy and creativity you need to sustain it long-term.

Here are several tips to set you up for genuine success:

Get to acceptance. Resisting the role of sales in business is a recipe for failure. Look yourself dead in the eye. You are in sales. Once you’ve come to acceptance of that fact, you can relax into it, get a clear view of the lay of the land, and make a plan that actually works for you.

Know thyself. Maybe you’re a numbers guy/gal. You love higher level financial planning and analysis, but can’t stand anything to do with sales. You feel like an awkward phony trying to talk to people about what you do, all while getting supremely frustrated with the fact that prospects don’t realize what a difference this could make in their lives. To be successful, you must deal with this inner conflict. You can either partner with someone who loves all the client-facing responsibilities, or work with a coach to find a way to talk to prospects that is truly authentic to who you are.

Alternatively, you may be one of many advisors who is more of a people person than a numbers person. You sweat through every minute of your exams. You believe in what you do, but walk around every day with the anxiety that someone will ask you a question you don’t have the answer to and you’ll be ‘found out’ as a fraud. This self-doubt is costing you energy and focus, and must be looked at honestly in order for you to succeed in the long term. Choose one area of financial planning that you are truly excited by. Get committed, go deep and become an expert in that one area. For everything else, partner with specialists who are at the top of their game in their area – and treat those specialists like true partners.

Delegate. Most business owners fall somewhere in between these two examples. They’re great at a few things, lousy at a few others and so-so at everything else. The tasks you hate drain your energy. Some of those tasks cannot be off-loaded, but some can. Make a list of all the time-consuming administrative or lead-generating tasks on your plate and create a plan – and a budget – to delegate them to someone you trust.

Find joy. Some of us are motivated by deadlines, targets and competition. These are ‘sprint mentality’ motivations and they have their uses. Nothing wrong with the short-term juice you’ll get from external targets to help you reach a goal.

But for a long-lasting, truly rewarding career, go deeper. Spend some time asking yourself what elements of having a financial planning practice honestly feed your soul.

Ask yourself: What brings me joy?

Is it the joy of working with colleagues – of being part of a team? Is it that feeling of purpose and meaning you have when a client tells you what a difference you’ve made in their lives? Pride in your commitment to knowledge and excellence – knowing that you are providing your clients with the absolute best advice? Is it the excitement that comes from problem-solving?

Get clear, and then begin to orient your business – your day-to-day tasks, your client interactions, your prospecting – around what truly brings you joy.

You are allowed to have a practice that works for you. The more you honour your nature instead of resisting it, the more effectively you can capitalize on your strengths and work with others where you need support. This will give you the staying power you need to build a thriving business over the long term.

The Power of Outcome Language

Posted by Kira Callahan º June 7, 2016 º Kiras Blog º 0 comments

Most Advisors are enamored with process. We have a 5-step process to help you reach your goals and dreams.

This is a big part of your sales conversations, which is understandable. Your daily work life and the framework through which you serve your clients, follows a process. That process ensures consistency, quality work, regulatory compliance, and the best possible results for your clients.

Because you know that this process produces results, you are understandably motivated to tell people about it.

But when it comes to sales conversations, hearing about process is about as exciting as hearing about what your tradesman goes through to repaint your kitchen. Imagine being on the receiving end of this:

Well Mr./Mrs. Homeowner, once we’ve figured out the paint colour, I’m going to head over to the supply outlet. You’ve gotta be careful when you choose your paints, that you’re getting the right colour, and the finish, and the chemical composition… and of course, there’s all the prep supplies. There are these certain rollers I like to use… Next, as I put your room together, edging is really key. See this tape? I only use the best tape. It hugs the edges without damaging the surface underneath. Now brushes…

Good grief!

Yes, one out of every twenty or thirty people will actually want to know about your process, but most people are honestly bored to tears hearing about it. They just want the result!

It’s hard enough to get people to make financial decisions about their future. Spending too much time talking about your process sucks the fun and motivation out of financial planning.

Yes, this is serious business. Yes, it’s important to share that you have a process, but describe it briefly and move on to what people actually care about:

The outcome!

That’s right. Your prospect is sitting down to discuss finances with you because they want a better life. Period. Find out what those specific goals are, and the driving motivations behind them, and then orient your entire sales conversation around those outcomes. Example:

Why are you getting your kitchen repainted?

Reason one: Because the kitchen is old and drab-looking. Every time I look at it I feel tired.

Outcome positioning: Once we get this kitchen repainted, you’ll feel energized every time you walk in. It’ll be a space you’re proud to welcome friends into, and that you and your whole family enjoy.

Reason two: We’re trying to sell our house.

Outcome positioning: Once we get this kitchen repainted, it’ll greatly add to the overall appeal of the house. People use the kitchen every day. When potential buyers walk into your freshly painted space, they’ll feel energized and really drawn to it. This is going to help you sell your house faster, and get you a better price.

The more you can get your prospect believing they can have the outcome they desire, the more easily you’ll get them to take action and make a commitment.

Mastering the Rhythm of Great Sales Conversations

Posted by Kira Callahan º January 26, 2016 º Hot Tips and Resources | Kiras Blog º 0 comments

Building a business; So much of the time we’re stuck in our heads, worrying about cash flow, compliance and targets. We’re thinking about what to say next – how to steer the conversation to engineer a sale. There’s tension, effort and stress and very little that feels enjoyable. No wonder so many advisors hate prospecting!

It really doesn’t have to be this way.

Think like a jazz musician!

1-25-16 pic 2 For many years I was a professional jazz singer. The sheer joy of being onstage in musical conversation with my band mates and sharing that with the audience gave me the fuel to stick with it through all the challenges that come with an artistic career. Now 13 years into my second career as a sales coach, the parallels between my former life and running a business built on conversations are unmistakable.

Great sales conversations are like great jazz. When you’re in the zone onstage or in conversation with a prospect, there is a rhythm that feels soulful and sexy. You’re fully alive. There is a natural high. Everyone wins.

Here are 3 key tips from the Jazz World that will help you master the rhythm of your sales conversations:

Master the structure. Jazz musicians who have never met each other before can get onstage and play like they’ve known each other for years, with only a lead sheet (a basic outline of structure, chords and rhythm) as their guide. Armed with this structure, skilled jazz players can improvise in harmony with each other and with total freedom for as long as required – or inspiration dictates.

Every sales conversation has a basic structure. There is an introduction, building some trust and rapport, uncovering needs, the push-and-pull of objections, an offer and a next step. The more comfortable and familiar you become with this very predictable structure and master each element, the more freedom you have to bring your authentic best to each conversation.

Listening is key. There is nothing more stilted and boring than sitting through a jazz performance with players who aren’t listening to each other. When they’re in their own world oblivious to their band-mates, there is no cohesion in the band. It feels like work instead of music and it feels the same to the audience, too. There’s a name in the jazz world when a musician plays like this: Wanking off.

On the other hand, when everyone is listening, there is a magical volley that happens. You are fully in the present moment. Beyond a loose idea of the structure, you have no idea what will happen next and you have surrendered the need to control things. Instead you are co-creating this shared moment.

You’ve probably experienced a few great sales conversations that had this kind of energy. Have you thought it was just ‘lucky’ or that you were just ‘in the zone’ and then longed for a way to get back there? You can.

Deep listening brings you into the present moment like nothing else. The words your prospect says are a small part of the equation. Learn to pick up on verbal and non-verbal clues. Listen for nuances in tone of voice, pauses, pace, energy, hesitation, emotions. Volley back what you hear by paraphrasing their words to them and watch what happens! Inside of all these clues is a wealth of information about your prospect’s true motivations, worries, needs, and goals they will actually follow through on.

Magic happens when you’re fully present. Deep listening will bring you fully present and unlock more sales.

Practice and prepare like crazy, then let go and trust. Great jazz musicians practice for hours a day, year after year. They practice to gain technical mastery over their instrument. They practice all the elements of the music they are making – chords, scales, arpeggios, rhythms, and so on. They practice particular songs and song structure. They work on general musicianship skills of sight-reading and ear-training, and on and on.

All of this practice is in service of the present moment. It is the raw material that is drawn on in response to something that happens live onstage. The more diligent the musician has been with their practice, the richer the palette of colours that becomes available during performance.

Performance is the time for surrender. The player is not consciously thinking of their preparation but is fully present and listening for the musical conversation that is happening. That’s when the magic happens!

How can you practice your sales conversations? Some tips: Know your ‘why’. Take the time to articulate your value. Craft high impact questions in preparation for your meeting. Have answers for all the most common objections. And practice all these elements out loud. There is a vast difference between knowing a fact in your head and having your body serve up the information when you need it. (As any musician will tell you!)

One thing you can’t practice effectively alone is that magical volley – listening and responding. Need some stage time? Hire a sales conversation coach who can give you a safe place to practice realistic sales conversations.

Yes, that is a lot to balance with serving clients, earning accreditations and all the other demands of running a business. This is what the masters do.

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Kira Callahan is an expert sales conversation coach for the financial industry. Her private clients typically experience 30% – 100% increase in appointments and business. Click here to find out more about Kira.

Phone Sales – 5 Ways to Start the Call Right and Book More Business

Posted by Kira Callahan º December 8, 2015 º Hot Tips and Resources | Kiras Blog º 0 comments

When we’re stuck in the grind of sales, one fundamental fact that’s easy to lose sight of is that our prospects are people first, just like us. As sales people, it’s a perfectly natural instinct to put defensive layers up to protect ourselves from the rejection we face every day, but in doing so, we’ve constructed a barrier that gets in the way of real connection – and lots more sales!

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The opening moments are the hardest. You won’t get anywhere until you get your prospect to make the internal decision to have the conversation! Once they commit to being on the phone with you, you both relax. Now you can get to know them and share what you’re offering from a place of genuine service.

So to master your opening, start by asking yourself – how can I help them relax and make the decision to take the call?

Here are 5 tips to start the call right:

Dissolve their screening objections. We all listen to the radio station WIIFM – What’s in it for me. This isn’t being selfish – it’s simply how the human brain tries to manage the constant barrage of information we’re confronted with every day. This is the filter you have to get through in the first few moments of any sales call.

Your prospect’s screening objections (objections not to the sale, but to having the conversation) are the same ones you and I have when we don’t know the caller: Who is this? Why are you calling? Is this of value or an interruption? What’s in it for me? Your opening lines should answer these questions. If most of the people you call are impatient and irritated with you, this is a strong indication you haven’t answered one or more of their screening objections. Go back and re-jig your opening.

Never make someone work to remember you. If this is your first call after meeting someone at a networking event, even if you had a substantial conversation and exchanged cards, it’s important to make it easy for them to remember you. Doing this the right way will help them relax and ‘anchor’ the good feeling they remember from your meeting. Example: ‘Hi Janet, this is David, the financial planner you met at Wednesday’s Board of Trade breakfast. Your question about xx really got me thinking, and I had to call and tell you yy.’

Maintain your status. You made a connection when you met. If you fail to personalize the start of your conversation, you are demoting yourself back to a cold-caller, so it’s important to get this right.

Prepare engaging questions. Remember, your intent for nailing the top of the call is to help them relax and commit to the deeper conversation. Forcing someone to listen to a pitch or jumping immediately into a meeting request will put them in a defensive posture. Instead, prior to each call, prepare two or three open rapport questions that will help you both enjoy the conversation. We’re looking for genuine engagement, so instead of asking ‘Did you like the speaker?, ask ‘What did you think of the speaker’s comments on xx?’ Notice the first question will get you a yes/no answer and kill the conversation. The second one will get them talking!

Have your call to action ready. Before you pick up the phone, decide what you want the next step in your relationship to be. Meet for coffee? Attend your wine & cheese networking evening? Book a presentation? Practice saying it out loud a few times so that your call to action comes out in the same relaxed tone as the rest of your conversation.

Be present! Once you have the above technical pieces in place it’s time for the alchemy that builds lasting relationships. Producing this alchemy is not for the faint of heart! To get there, you need to be truly present with the human being on the other end of the line. Eek!

We cannot know or control exactly how the conversation will play out, so that makes us vulnerable. This is why we resist it! But ohhhh, it’s worth it. The courage to surrender to this unknown in order to be truly present will propel your sales forward like nothing else. There is real joy in authentic connection!

Instead of having a death-grip focus on your sales target, let that go, be in the moment with them and listen. Remember – we are all people first, and we all naturally want to connect. Challenge yourself for one day to be fully present with the people you call and watch what happens.

You have done your due diligence. You are prepared. Now enjoy the alchemy!

And remember… Speak from the heart. It’s good business.

3 Tips to Reel In More Clients From Sales Meetings

Posted by Kira Callahan º December 1, 2015 º Hot Tips and Resources | Kiras Blog º 0 comments

So you’ve generated enough interest and rapport to book the meeting, and now your prospect is sitting in front of you waiting to see what’s what. You are in the driver’s seat.

In industry parlance, you are about to take them through a QP – a qualifying presentation – with two desired outcomes: one, you uncover enough potential business for them to be a welcome addition to your book and two, you persuade them that you’re the advisor for them, and that now is the time to take action.

This is a critical moment. You are close to a lot of potential business, and yet this is when many advisors blow it by sliding into a rote delivery of company marketing.

Does this sound familiar? Here’s what we’re going to cover today (you hand client Agenda). I’ll tell you about myself and our company and how we serve our clients, and then we’ll go over your goals and concerns and decide how you want to proceed. Then you walk them through a long-ish presentation, page by page (or slide by slide), with you doing all the talking.

And your closing rate sucks.

Setting up the meeting this way almost guarantees your prospect will tune out. How much attention do you have when being educated ‘lecture style’? In order to improve your closing rate, you must dramatically increase your Prospect’s level of emotional engagement.

Here are 3 strategies to get you there:

1. Create context. As adults, we take in new information in relation to what we already know. We rate that information as valuable when we recognize it as immediately applicable to a need. The more urgent the need, the more likely we are to act on the new information.

So in order for your prospect to listen avidly to the information in your QP, start your meeting by asking your prospect which of the financial goals they mentioned in your initial conversation feels most urgent.

With this one question, you’re accomplishing two things. First, you’re getting your prospect emotionally involved in the conversation and second, you are setting up a powerful filter through which they will view the entire presentation. Now you can fold their urgent goal into your agenda.

2. Tailor the QP. Instead of a rote walk-through of all that content, keep in mind your prospect’s urgent goal and spend more time on the information personally relevant to them and less time on describing service areas they don’t currently care about.

3. Connect the dots. When you are taking them through a bullet point or illustration you know is important for their goals, don’t assume they understand the significance. Instead, help them see the importance by connection the dots with a key message. For example, if you are sharing that your firm ‘manages xx billions of dollars’ put it in context by saying What this means for you is that we are a top, respected firm and you can trust make sure you have enough money to maintain your lifestyle in retirement. Wherever possible, use your QP material to show them how working with you will lead directly to them getting what they want more quickly.

Of course nailing your QP and getting the business doesn’t happen without a little preparation and practice.

Use the hot buttons you uncovered during your prospecting conversation and set aside 15 minutes prior to your meeting to scan the QP and decide what bullet points you will highlight to get them excited about moving forward.

As you implement these strategies you’ll notice that you’re having more meaningful conversations, getting more emotional investment from your prospects, and you’re closing more business!

And remember… Speak from the heart. It’s good business.

Roadmap to Getting the Sale – Start Strong!

Posted by Kira Callahan º November 24, 2015 º Hot Tips and Resources | Kiras Blog º 0 comments

Typically, when I ask my clients what their objective for a sales call is, they say it’s to ‘get a meeting’. This is fine for an end goal but it’s not specific enough to help you structure the conversation in a way that will get you the meeting.

There are steps involved to quickly building a relationship. You’re taking a prospect from unfamiliarity to enough comfort to meet with you and eventually, to trust you with their money and their future. So to make that happen, break down your objectives for the call into 3 steps.

11-25-15 pic two These steps are important whether you met at a networking event or through a referral or even through your warm market. All of these situations require you to go on a little journey of emotions with your Prospect. There is a ROADMAP, with steps along the way to get you there. If you skip them or SKIMP on them, your closing rate goes down. Take moment and think of someone you’re prospecting right now. You’d had the initial contact but you haven’t won them over yet. As we go through each of the stops on the Roadmap, think about that Prospect. Got your name?

Okay! Here are 3 stops on that relationship journey – there are more of course, but here’s what you need to start strong. You MUST GENERATE CURIOSITY, BUILD RAPPORT, AND Build TRUST AND CREDIBILITY.

Now before you think – ‘Oh, I do all that’, take a moment and think about a sales conversation you had in the last week where you weren’t able to get a meeting. Got it in mind? As we discuss each of these points, think about your conversations with your Prospect. Think about the beginning stages of that relationship journey.

Generate Curiosity. I’m going to talk like a Prospect now – if we meet and you haven’t grabbed my attention or made me curious in some way and you start talking about insurance, I’m gone. Know your target audience and make sure your attention-grabbing opener addresses their needs.

Build Rapport. If you generate some curiosity, but don’t bother to make a genuine connection with me before you start asking questions about my needs, I’ll take my curiosity to another Advisor. Prepare a couple of rapport-building questions before the conversation, and practice being fully present while you listen to your prospect’s response. Paraphrasing what they said and asking follow-up questions, will make them feel valued and help to create a strong connection.

Build Trust and Credibility. If you do generate curiosity and your prospect finds you charming, that’s still a long way from feeling in their gut that you’re the guy or gal to trust with their financial information and their future. Have 2 – 3 strong credibility facts ready to weave into the conversation – including something about the stability of your firm, and something about your own expertise.

How are people responding to you during sales calls? Take a moment and think about your ROAD-MAP – your typical approach to a sales conversation, and make a note about which of these stops on the ROADMAP you could be spending more time on.

Once you start thinking about your Sales Conversations in terms of the emotional journey your Prospect goes on, you can adjust your approach to make sure they get what they need to move forward with you – and you’ll close more business.

And remember… Speak from the heart. It’s good business.

Archive for tips

Improve Your Emotional State, Improve Your Sales – Here’s How

Self-Awareness

Self-Management

Chatbots and Robo-Advisors are infiltrating the financial industry. Here’s How to Stay Relevant!

Step out of your comfort zone

Put yourself in the minority

Talk with people outside your social, gender and economic group

New to Sales? Start Off Right. Sell From the Soul.

How the Right Call Prep Can Increase Your Sales

Do You Have Staying Power?

The Power of Outcome Language

Mastering the Rhythm of Great Sales Conversations

Phone Sales – 5 Ways to Start the Call Right and Book More Business

Here are 5 tips to start the call right:

3 Tips to Reel In More Clients From Sales Meetings

Roadmap to Getting the Sale – Start Strong!

Sales Breakthrough