In these weekly articles from my newsletter Speaking From the Heart of Business, we explore every aspect of mastering your sales conversation skills, from your Inner Game, to the 'How-To's'. You'll find handy, easy-to-follow step-by-step illustrations and examples of how to quickly capture attention, articulate the value of your services, handle tricky objections or emotionally challenging clients, transition from rapport into business, close, and lots more.
But this morning I realized something - I have never - not once, written about products.
There are good reasons for this:
- I'm not a financial expert, but a communications expert
- Most major financial institutions have a suite of similar, competitive products on offer, therefore, most often the differentiator is you the Advisor, not the product
- The surest way to sound exactly like all your competitors is to rattle off a laundry list of products and their features
But guess what - today I'm writing about products through a certain lens: Passion!
Regardless of whether your competitors have a similar product or not, I'm guessing there are a handful of offerings you love to present to clients. Pick three for your short list.
Why do you love them?
I'm going to make the charitable assumption that it's not because they provide a high margin to you, with very little effort or ongoing maintenance. That's all well and good, but ideally, we're looking at tapping into a passion for the positive outcome they create in your clients' lives.
I love the Critical Illness policy I just invested in. It still amuses me that I could feel so happy and excited about an insurance policy, but I do! To me, I got the Cadillac.
I chose to pay a bit more for full coverage on 25 major critical illnesses, I have Return of Principal, and the option to convert the policy to Long-Term Care, if I choose. I literally can't lose. The emotional comfort this has provided me is significant. Right now I'm speaking as a buyer. I love this product.
When you think about the impact your favourite products have on your clients' lives, and communicate from there, you are compelling!
Here's a useful exercise:
Choose your top 3 products based on a combination of positive impact and decent remuneration.
Answer these questions for each:
Why do I love this product?
What exactly is so great about it?
I know it's great/makes a difference because... (list as many specific positive impacts your clients have experienced from investing in it).
Let yourself fall in love again. Much like a great relationship we've begun to take for granted, we can start to treat as ordinary something really fantastic. And like seeing your mate through the eyes of another admirer, viewing your Top 3 Favourite Products through the eyes of clients whose lives have changed for the better because of them, can jolt you back into passion!
Prior to your next meeting, talk through a 'Riot of Appreciation' on one of these products. Just you, alone in your car, or the loo, or wherever. When you make your recommendations, your passion and conviction will be irresistible.
Want to communicate with confidence and close more business? Book a FREE Business Breakthrough Consultation Call with Kira, here.