Are you on target to meet your business objectives in 2023? Have you even set those goals yet? Our clients often report a steady influx of prospects but claim they struggle to convert more leads into their sales pipeline.
Is this starting to sound familiar?
You have held several meetings with the prospect to gather financial and personal information, establish their ambitions, and develop a retirement plan that’s right for them. Now it’s time to deliver. Will they be open to your suggestions? What can you do to make your pitches more successful and convert more leads?
Curious about what other wealth managers are doing to increase their lead conversion rates?
We asked some of our top advisors to share their best advice on lead conversion strategy. Here is how they convert more leads.
Think of it like building a house. You’re the architect, and the clients are the homeowners.
You and your team have drafted up a blueprint, and now, it’s time to go through it with them. At the end of this meeting, they might decide this is their perfect dream home, and you move forward, or they may ask for an additional bathroom or more storage. That’s okay too! Today is all about presenting the plan, ensuring everyone is on the same page about the outcome, and making adjustments as needed.
Before the meeting, make sure that all your documents are prepped and ready to go. This includes the Family Estate Organizer, investment audits, Social Security analysis, and the holistic financial plan.
When you sit down with a potential client, don’t just lay the plan out in front of them. Go through the bucket plan process, including all the concepts and tools you used to build it; explain your decisions, including how and why you made them.
Encourage them to ask questions and take notes but reassure them that you’re not here to make decisions. They should go home to think it over first. Taking the pressure off at the top of the meeting will help them be more relaxed, engaged, and focused on your presentation.
Use positive, reassuring language and communication tools throughout the conversation. Try to frame your discussion around the future so the prospect can envision what it will be like after converting to a client. For example:
“We will continue identifying tax law changes and how we can save you money in the near and distant future.”
“We will meet this time next year to review your plan and proactively ensure that we meet your needs for the next 12 months.”
Convert More Leads with Concepts & Tools
Ensure they understand key concepts like the Money Cycle, Pyramid of Risk, Order of Money, and Sequence of Returns.
Refer to the Concerns and Priorities Worksheet to show them specific items you have included in their plan to eliminate their fears and optimize their goals. To understand where they want their finances to go in the future, you must first help them see where they stand now.
Use reporting to show where their investments are currently and inquire about which asset classes perform best over time. Since the previous 10 years have been an outlier in terms of historical performance, extend that time to 20 years. This will help you determine how their accounts would have performed in different market cycles. Document the maximum drawdown of their portfolio to illustrate how this can affect their retirement plan if they pull systematic income withdrawals from their investment portfolio.
Consult their Social Security analysis to highlight the dollar value you are creating for them by optimizing Social Security benefits. Refer to the Asset Transition Sheet, a simple roadmap that illustrates where the prospect’s money is, compared to how it will be allocated under the new plan.
The Income Gap Assessment is a viable tool to define your client’s situation once they retire. Will they have an income surplus with excess cash flow, or will they run a deficit? If needed, share their retirement projection to see how their income and account balances will look at key milestones like 5 and 10 years out.
Know When to Walk Away & Clients Will Come Running
Take care not to bombard them with too much information too fast. Suppose details like long-term care planning, life insurance, or Roth conversions were not listed as a primary concern or priority by the prospect. In that case, you may want to save those for a future meeting, even though they are invaluable to the overall financial plan.
After providing the prospective client with the plan deliverables, you may need to ease the tension in the room. Pay close attention to their behavior and non-verbal cues. Are they absorbing the information, or do they seem confused? Either way, reassure them that you don’t expect them to make any decisions today.
The data and information you just covered can often be overwhelming. Toward the end of the meeting, find time to excuse yourself from the room. Say you need to step out for a glass of water, offer to get them something, and walk out.
Leaving the room for a few minutes allows them to think and talk things over without you standing there staring them down. Give them a moment alone before you come back to answer any additional questions, discuss next steps, and hopefully, close the sale to convert more leads.
Learn how C2P Enterprises can help you convert more leads into satisfied clients who will provide referrals for their friends, family members, colleagues, and more! Schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our business development representatives today.
Financial Professional Use Only
The information provided in this presentation is not intended as investment advice or legal advice. The information provided is for informational and training purposes only. The information in this presentation was accurate as of the time of the material was created. Tax laws and rulings can frequently change. Please discuss the client’s current situation with an accountant or tax advisor.
Originally published on C2P Enterprises.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
