Being Pro-Active with your Prospects While Changing Advisors
Bill,
A couple of days before your presentation here, I was talking to a client about an investment. When we finished, she told me she had given my name to her boss. He had asked her who she uses, and she told him. She said he was not happy with his adviser, he wasn’t pro-active enough, or he didn’t hear from him enough. I thanked her, and she said that she didn’t know if he would call me or not, but he had my name.
Suggestions?
Mark Z.
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Mark,
This is a very common occurrence. People have a lot of inertia when it comes to changing their financial advisor. Here’s a sample script to stimulate your creativity and your own words.
“Mary, I’m calling in regard to your boss, George. I hadn’t heard from him – and quite frankly I’m not surprised. Can we chat about this for a second? I’ve found that even when people are unhappy with their current advisor, there is a lot of inertia in making the necessary change. People put it off. I’ve found that with the important work I do, I have to reach out to people – to talk to them about their situation and to help them decide if changing advisors makes sense. I’m calling to see if you and I can figure a way that’s appropriate for me to be proactive with George. For instance, maybe I could take the two of you to lunch someday soon. He’s the boss, so we’ll keep it efficient. I won’t talk business at all. It’s just a way to break the ice and see if he feels comfortable with me as a person before we talk financial matters. What do you think is the best way for us to move forward on this?”Again, use your own words.
You should definitely give it a shot.
Bill