New to Sales? Start Off Right. Sell From the Soul.

Several of my advisor clients are brand new to developing a financial services practice. They've recently graduated from university in business or finance, or made a lateral move from another career. They have newly minted accreditations from passing those challenging exams. Is this you? Okay, so now what?

Now, whichever financial firm you've chosen to work with is pouring a tonne of information into your skull. The next two years in particular will be a steep learning curve. Deepening your financial knowledge. Compliance. Practice management.

And sales. Wait. What?

If you're one of these newer advisors - or even if you've been in business awhile - you may still be reeling from the discovery that a lot of your time in the first few years will be devoted not to financial planning, but to selling financial planning.

This is probably not what you envisioned when you dreamed of having a practice helping people build a happy, prosperous future.

Right now, you're at a fork in the road. A moment of choice, with two options.

Option One

You can bow to the overwhelming busy-ness and pressure, and set your soul aside while you try and master the learning curve, hoping it gets better in time. This typically leads to a loss of energy, a loathing of all the prospecting activities you need to engage in, doubting your career choice and becoming a middling advisor or giving up altogether.

Option Two

You can hang onto your soul with all you've got. Remind yourself of who you are and what your deeper motivations for this career are. And intentionally incorporate those deeper motivations into all of your conversations with potential clients.

What does Option Two lead to? A meaningful, rewarding career! Feeling comfortable and at ease in your sales conversations because you're showing up as the real you. Going home at the end of each day feeling good because you worked hard and acted with integrity. Creating a solid practice that you love and want to show up for day after day.

Here are a few key tips to help you succeed with Option Two:

I'm referring not to material assets, but your best personal traits or qualities. They might be loyalty, hard work, devotion to family, or that you never give up. How did you develop those qualities? Write that down.

This is private reflection, not your value proposition. Do some journaling. Get real. Talk like you really talk! Remember a moment where you heard a financial train wreck story on the news, or saw someone make a poor choice. Finish these phrases: I can't believe they... or If only they had... The more emotional your response, the better. Write it down.

The best way to find this is through specific, personal stories you have lived. Write out a couple money stories from your own life and what you've learned from them, and also collect a few client stories. Often, reviewing these personal experiences will reveal a deeper mission that you're on. This is the gold!

The simplest way to figure this out is to go through the answers you've written and connect each of them to the phrase: What this means for you, is... or That's why I know good financial planning is so important.

Example

Say one of your personal assets is that you never give up. Share where that quality came from, then connect the dots: What that means for you is that I will always be there for you and your family. I will always be working to put you in the best financial position possible. When you ground them in a personal story, they are more than just words.

These answers are what you really think! Who you really are. Incorporate them and you will be selling from your soul. Prospects hear the ring of truth in your words and they trust you. Sales conversations feel natural and comfortable.

If you approach your business this way from the start, you will never feel like a phony. Instead, you'll have energy, experience joy, and easily attract new clients.

Sell from your soul, right from the start.