Working with an adviser this week he revealed that he had a long list of prospects who he felt still needed his advice but was unsure of what to do to re-engage and help them in their decision-making process.
It’s an interesting concept a prospect list! In this instance, the prospect list was a list made up of potential clients who had either called and spoken at length with the adviser or had met face to face.
What do you do with your prospect list? 80% of advisers ignore them.
I remember years ago when I worked in the corporate world we were given some sales training [yes, those were the good old days!]. I specifically remember one of the key messages was that if someone had taken the time out of their busy day to either make a call or even spend an hour of their precious time with us, it was for a reason. Not because they had spare time on their hands and they didn’t know how to spend it! They had a problem, and they wanted to speak with someone who could help them solve it. Remember that simple message.
You can have the best most positive meeting with a potential client and then not hear a word afterwards. Your left feeling unsure and start asking yourself, ‘was it me?’, ‘was it something I said?’, they seemed keen and made all the right noises, why haven’t they returned my call or responded to my email?
I can’t answer that; I can’t explain it because stuff happens. People have a problem they meet with you, leave the meeting and then fall back into their world – stuff happens.
And then comes someone who cares enough to follow up – you! The question is how and how often.
I believe it’s essential to come from a place of caring, of empathy knowing that you are the right person who can help them. Have confidence, conviction and communicate.
Here are some ways in which you can remain relevant and top of mind with your prospect list:
1. Add them to your monthly newsletter subscription.
2. Connect with them on LinkedIn.
3. Follow them on Twitter.
4. Send them your most recent report or whitepaper.
5. Email them a copy of a flyer with some notes that are relevant to them.
6. Invite them to your next seminar.
The most important thing you can do though is to pick up the phone and call them. “Hi John, its Rachel here I trust you are well. I thought I’d pick up the phone and check in. I’m curious, given our recent meeting and your desire to work out when you can afford to retire how you were travelling? How valuable was the information that I shared with you the other day [week or month]?”
It depends what the response is to what happens next, but my message is, it’s essential not to give up and to remember that they made the time to contact you initially. Don’t for a second doubt yourself instead have the confidence that you are the right adviser to help them and until they say the words, ‘we went with another adviser’ you keep in contact. People appreciate a follow up because it shows you care and you want the business, not many people follow up these days because they start to doubt themselves. Don’t. You have no idea why they didn’t call you back or respond to your email. It could be for a thousand unknown reasons.
Remain top of their mind, and you’ll gain a new client. Research [conducted by SRSCC] shows that it can sometimes take up to 2-5 years for a prospect to re-engage. Why? Just because!
Any questions? rachel@srscc.com.au
