I had been limping around for three weeks with a pain across the top of my left foot that didn’t seem to be getting any better. I made it through five straight days on my feet for two workshops and an active vacation, but the pain did not subside. So, I finally decided to visit a
Client Retention: They Changed Their Minds!!!
After two visits—a total of six hours—advisor Marianne had gotten an enthusiastic “thumbs up” from her new “almost clients”—a young professional couple with small children—to prepare a financial plan for them. The plan would specifically include some much-needed life insurance. There was no doubt the mission was going forward! But a few days later, just
Is SUCCESS Ruining Your Practice?
“I think too much business is the worst thing for my practice,” Brandon complained. Brandon is a financial planner who was working with four or five newer clients. He was worried that he was too busy to be out looking for his next clients, and in a few weeks, he’d have no one waiting in
As If Your Life Depended on It…
I pushed too hard the other day. Or did I? I was trying to get Janis, a relatively new financial services representative who works at a branch of a large insurance company, to take the last available seat in my workshop program. I had offered her help with the tuition, and she had committed on
When Is It OK to Lie?
Tell the truth. Our clients may lie, but when we do, we risk losing trust–and them.
You Lost Me At “Hello”
I was calling an accountant client of mine—we’ll call him Bill Peterson. The phone rang seven times, so by then, I was expecting his voice mail. Instead, I was greeted by an unhappy, bored, stressed-sounding female voice. “Mr. Peterson’s Office,” the voice grumbled crankily. “May I speak with him?” I asked politely. “He’s busy right now,”
The BEST Advisor in Illinois
No, I don’t plan to share an opinion here about who the best advisor in Illinois is, but I wanted to make this point: Most of us know how to meet prospective clients, talk to them, and have them retain us, but the what we do is not a problem. The problem is who we
“Approach-Avoidance Tango” Revisited
Two weeks ago, I wrote about the problem that occurs when a prospective client runs “hot and cold”—approaching you as if he’s interested and then blowing you off as if he’s not. I called this phenomenon the Approach-Avoidance Tango, because it has the air of a dance. After reading my advice, Mitch, one of my
The “Approach-Avoidance Tango”
It can happen to anyone who sells a service: We speak to someone who is thinking about hiring us. She calls again with a question and leaves a message to call her back. We’re enthusiastic about the prospect of working with her—but when we return her call, she’s suddenly unavailable—forever. This is the “Approach-Avoidance Tango”,
Make an Offer, and Let Them Say “No”
Nineteen years ago, I needed lifesaving surgery. I worked hard to find out who the surgeons with the best reputations were, and then I made separate appointments with each of three doctors who had been most highly recommended. The first surgeon I met with did not impress me one way or another. The second told