Master a low-pressure approach that builds trust

When you build a repeatable prospecting process, you can ensure your business keeps growing, said Alex Braun, a 21-year MDRT member from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in his MDRT Annual Meeting ConneXion Zone presentation.

Braun, who focuses his prospecting efforts on medical and legal professionals, begins his process with testimonials from his best clients. Once he has a written testimonial from a client whose trust he has already earned, he uses it to identify other professionals in their practice he can reach out to.

For these select prospects, Braun mails a handwritten letter, enclosing the testimonial. The letter always follows the same approach, taking into account specific terminology for the intended audience. For doctors, Braun includes this line: “The purpose for our communication to you is to offer you a no-cost, no-obligation review of your existing arrangements — call it a ‘second opinion.'”

He closes with a promise to reach out during the next two to four weeks. The timing is important, Braun said, because allowing time to pass is a lower-pressure approach.

If it’s necessary to schedule another call after he follows up, Braun takes care to call exactly at the scheduled time — not so much as four minutes early or late — as this is the beginning of building the prospect’s trust in him. “Once you call someone, the trust test begins,” Braun said.

Find more resources for leaders in the financial services profession and speakers from the Annual Meeting in MDRT’s Resource Zone. You can follow the 2018 Annual Meeting until June 27 on social media at #MDRT2018.

By Kathryn Furtaw Keuneke, MDRT Content Development Director