It can be difficult to guide clients away from the wrong path and onto the right one. Joel Wymer, a two-year MDRT member from Kent, Ohio, recommends doing it in a “kind, loving way.”
“You can be right but not be very kind,” he said. “To me, the hardest conversations are pointing out to people problems with the path they’re on, telling them they’re not saving enough money or they’re not going to be able to take care of their family, but telling them in a way that doesn’t offend them. It helps them to understand that they need to change what they’re doing.”
How do you accomplish this?
“Ask questions,” Wymer said. “Having them come to that conclusion on their own is much better than anyone telling them that they’re doing something the wrong way. So I ask a lot of questions about how people feel and what they’re doing, and that gets them to come to the conclusion that they need to make some changes. You know that when they ask, ‘What do you think I should do?’ they’re open for some advice then.”
Find more tips on putting clients’ needs first and making money without selling on MDRT’s website.
When I used to do sales training for advisors, I would tell them that anything you can tell a prospect or a client you can get them to tell you if you ask the right questions. And when they tell you, they own it. When you tell them, you own it and it’s harder to get them to do what they need to do.
A coaching exercise I do is to have them tell me about a concept, product or service and then have them try to elicit the same thing from me using questions. It’s awkward if you’re not used to it, but it’s way more persuasive.
Thanks for the blog Matt !
Even the toughest people can be tackled with kindness.
Persuasive speech is the best way to attract the clients.
I believe in confidence while speeking to clients can also make the clients to listen to us. The more confident we are the more we gain the momentum to persuade them.