Some of our most frequent questions come in the form of activity recommendations. People want to know which activities they should perform, and how often they should perform them. This in theory should be pretty simple. We as a company could produce one simple tracking sheet that, if followed, would lead any advisor to client acquisition success. The reality is it’s more nuanced than that. We all have unique strengths, weaknesses and opportunities that should be taken into account.
We have found ONE activity, however, that pretty much every advisor should track:
How many times did you ask for the business?
More specifically, how many times did you proactively ask a social contact to have a business meeting with you? Here’s why we feel so strongly about this activity:
- It largely determines your success in social prospecting.
- It forces you to be active in the community.
- It forces you to develop relationships with affluent people.
There are countless excuses for not executing on this. We often hear, “People know what I do for a living. If they need me, they’ll ask.” Well, probably not as often as you’d like. Elite advisors work up the courage to say things like, “You and I have never had a chance to talk business. Are you open to lunch?” It works … and they aren’t seen as social pariahs.
If you’re serious about improving your social prospecting, check out our Coaching Retreat on March 1 & 2 in New Orleans. We’ll be covering this topic, amid many others, in an energizing two-day marketing event.
@StephenBoswell is president of The Oechsli Institute and author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors. @KevinANichols is the COO for The Oechsli Institute and author of The Indispensable LinkedIn Sales Guide for Financial Advisors.
