Don't Just Sell, Connect: How Advisers Can Ignite Sales Growth

A woman smiles as she looks at her phone while sitting at her desk. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

It's a message we frequently repeat at Advisors Excel: When record-breaking results are achieved — as they have been in recent years by many financial professionals — it's easy for complacency to set in.

Sales is the lifeblood of any business, and complacency can be its biggest threat. It's easy to do what we've always done, but to grow, we must commit to continuous improvement. Something as little as a 5% improvement in your conversion rate can lead to significant growth.

This isn't just about attracting new clients; it's about optimizing every interaction, from the first meeting to the follow-up touches.

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Refine your appointment skills

The first step to improving any sales process is to refine your client meetings. Every meeting is an opportunity to build trust and demonstrate value. This doesn't mean a complete overhaul; instead, look for opportunities to tweak your process. After all, small hinges can swing big doors.

Here are a few strategies to consider:

Research and prepare. Before every meeting, ensure you understand the prospective client's background, needs and preferences. Tailor your presentation to address these specifics.

Tools like Catchlight can give you more information, but so can looking up prospects on social media. In today's online world, learning more about your potential clients is easier than ever.

Master asking questions. This is an area where complacency can set in. You sit in so many similar meetings every day that it can be easy to stop listening as attentively as you should.

Many great resources are available to help you learn how to ask better questions and listen.

Offer a clear value proposition. Articulate your value proposition clearly and concisely. Clients should leave the meeting with a strong understanding of how your solutions can benefit them.

One adviser I interviewed earlier this year noted his first appointments include about 30 minutes of him clearly articulating to potential clients how his firm is different.

Enhance touchpoints between meetings

The touches between meetings are just as crucial as the meetings themselves. Consistent and meaningful follow-ups keep you top of mind and build stronger relationships.

Personalize communication. Use personalized emails and calls to check in and provide updates. Tailor your messages based on previous interactions to show you remember and care about each client.

There is so much technology to help you achieve this, from artificial intelligence tools like Zocks and ChatGPT to BombBomb videos.

Provide educational content. Share relevant articles, blogs or industry insights that might interest your clients. This positions you as a thought leader and adds value outside the sales context.

Interested in more information for financial professionals? Sign up for Kiplinger’s new twice-monthly free newsletter, Adviser Angle.

Show appreciation. Gestures like handwritten notes or small gifts can create a lasting impression and uniquely position you. Never underestimate the power of a handwritten note.

Embrace technology

Adopting the right tools to help personalize and automate at the same time can be powerful.

But one caution: Don't let technology be your excuse for not doing the basics. So often at Advisors Excel, I hear our team members complain that we don't have the best technology solution, when sometimes the answer can be to just pick up the phone and call someone.

Lead by example

As a leader, your commitment to improvement sets the tone for your entire team. Demonstrate the importance of refining the sales process by constantly looking for ways to enhance your skills and actively participating in training sessions.

Sandler Selling, which you can access yourself and also through Advisors Excel, would be a great learning opportunity for your team.

More than anything, don't ever miss an opportunity to look for ways you can adjust your process and get your entire team on board with this constant improvement. Periodically try at least two new things to keep from becoming complacent.

Remember, the small, consistent actions you take today can yield significant results in the future. Let's continue elevating our sales strategies to work toward a remarkable future.

You help people enjoy their retirement. What you do matters, so do it with excellence.

Advisors Excel's mission is simple yet profound: to help good advisers become great business owners while enabling their clients to enjoy the retirement of their dreams.

Advisors Excel has been recognized by various third parties, including Great Place to Work®, the Best of Topeka awards, and Fortune. These recognitions are based on factors such as employee surveys, workplace culture, and community voting, and are not related to the services provided by Advisors Excel or its representatives. Advisors Excel did not provide compensation to receive these recognitions; however, certain awards may have required a standard participation or application fee. Recognition by such publications or organizations should not be construed as a guarantee of future success.

Advisors Excel and its story have also been referenced in publications such as Success Magazine, Darren Hardy’s The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster, and Tony Robbins’ Money: Master the Game. These mentions are for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsements of Advisors Excel’s services. 9/25 — 4809206

Disclaimer

This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.

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Cody Foster is the co-founder of Advisors Excel in Topeka, Kansas. Advisors Excel has a mission to help "good financial advisors become great business owners so they can help people enjoy an amazing retirement." It has been named a Great Place to Work for seven straight years, becoming only the second company in Kansas history to accomplish this. In 2015, Cody founded AIM Strategies to bring his passion and knowledge for entrepreneurship into other areas, namely real estate, hospitality and community development.