What you SHOULD expect from your database!

No agent has ever had a “bad” prospecting database — unless it is too small or new names are not consistently being added (5 per week). If you do not keep adding names, responses decline over time. The people in your database may eventually rekindle interest as life events make them think of you. But consistently adding to your database makes a MAMMOTH difference!

Close Friends of Advisor: 

60 per 200  |   Your best source!

Prospects in a Shared Target Market Organization: 

 40 per 200  |   Chamber of Commerce, NAWBO, Young Executive Association, Home Builders Association, Women in Business, BNI, Civic Clubs, Country Clubs, etc.

Clients who have Frequent Connection with their Advisor: 

35 per 200  

General Acquaintances [vs. Close Friends] of Advisor: 

20 per 200

Facebook / LinkedIn Contacts: 

5 per 200   |   Varies dramatically depending on degree of relationship.

Purchased Lists: 

3 per 200   |   Don’t waste your time.

Non-Contacted Orphans: 

2 per 200   |   No motivation to respond until a new connection is established.

Where Can You Always Find New Contacts?

During the life of your career, adding five new prospects each week to your drip digital marketing system should be your personal commitment. Appointments will become easier and production will grow. If you don’t view ongoing prospecting as a constant theme to your success, you are in the wrong business. Why? Because using a drip digital marketing system is the only way to deliver engaging and compelling information that will make getting appointments easier.

There are only four sources where you will find potential new prospects:

• Friends and acquaintances
• Referrals
• Organizations
• Events

Places to Find Names:

• Friends in your phone
• 20% of Facebook database (these are probably in your phone)
• Place of worship
• Swim, gym, sporting or club membership
• Past fellow co-workers
• Social organizations
• Book club
• Breakfast club
• Civic organizations (join one … make it large)
• Occupational association(s) that you would enjoy as a focus for interactive prospecting, Young Entrepreneurs Association, NAWBO, Homebuilders Association, Retired Executives, SHRM, Modern Widows Club, Female Contractors, etc. Get a referral to an organization from close friends and family.

Note: For the whitepaper worksheet, “Calculating Your Database ROI” click here. This powerful document has helped tens of thousands of MDRT advisors discover their personal reservoirs for adding thousands of new contacts!

How do you get prospects to pony up their contact information?

If you’re too young to remember the personal experience of door-to-door encyclopedia or vacuum cleaner sales, you’ve no doubt seen them in a movie or tv show. For many reasons, we have collectively fallen out of love with this sales method because it often relied on high-pressure closing tactics. There is usually a pressured “free” offer that comes with so many strings you could knit a sweater before the pitch is completed … and this is commonly accompanied by pushy questions which assume answers the seller hopes to manipulate into a sale:

“Don’t you agree the vacuum worked better than your current model?”

“If you had this more powerful/healthy/useful/fancy/attractive/new vacuum would you use it?”

“Did you understand how it will bring ease to your daily life?”

“Don’t you agree that this vacuum is far superior to any you’ve seen or used?”

“Other than money, is there anything stopping you from owning this fine new vacuum cleaner right now?”

Ughhh! Anyone confronted with this certainly feels the urge to run away. It is past the point of uncomfortable. And because knowledge is power, we’re noting here that research shows some companies are still using these overpowering tactics in 2022. Yes! So, unless you want to shell out $3k for a new vacuum or alternatively spend 4 hours with a salesman in exchange for a patch of clean rug, you might choose to just say “no” before said individual-with-vacuum crosses your welcome mat.  

If the very idea of getting stuck in the above scenario makes you cringe, it is because like you, the vast majority of 2022 consumers are much savvier buyers. Instinctively, they know that if they feel any pressure whatsoever, the seller is doing it wrong. There is a mass of information and a variety of options available to clients and prospects — so anything close to a hard-sell falls short of the goal. Everybody loves to buy, but nobody wants to be “sold.”

Prospect courtship scripts that WORK!

You don’t have to request permission to place a name into your database, but requesting permission with zero strings attached will cause your prospect to be more receptive to your information. It will begin a unique and compelling relationship because you are offering to give something freely with no conditions. This is a welcomed approach with most prospects in today’s market. Most financial services career failure is not due to lack of prospects; it’s due to not getting enough prospects attracted to an appointment. So, how do you ask for a prospect’s contact information in a confident, but warm and unsolicitous manner so that you are winning from the start. Here are a couple of options:

The Easy Business Card Request:

“Could I have your business card? I would like to place you in my database and, if it’s all right, treat you as if you were one of my privileged clients for a few months. I’ll send you the same monthly financial information that I send to my clients with ideas on saving taxes, increasing after-tax wealth, insurance, and more. My clients really like my monthly financial briefs and I think you will, too. If anything eventually catches your interest, that might be a reason to then grab lunch or coffee. Would that be okay?”

A Hesitant Friend:

“Just because we are friends doesn’t mean that you should be a client of mine. I’m sure you would agree (pause and smile), but neither does it mean that you shouldn’t be. As a friend, I would like to put you in my database and treat you as a privileged client. My clients really like my monthly financial briefs on ideas about saving taxes and increasing after tax wealth. I think you will, too. It will certainly give you a better idea of the areas where I focus my work. Who knows … someday something might catch your interest and I can be a resource for you or we could even grab coffee. Would that be okay?”

(Be gracious. Many friends will apologize for not meeting with you and give you the opportunity to suggest coffee.)

So, you now have 750+ contacts. How do you create a digital campaign proven to get responses?

An old proverb of uncertain origin (because it is often attributed to Aristotle but has never found in pure form to be his or anyone else’s) states: “The fool tries to convince me with his reasons; the wise man persuades me with my own.” It comes down to ‘buying motives’ not ‘selling techniques’. Why do people buy? They decide that they want or need something. When this motive is strong enough, nothing will keep them from buying what they want. If you are the first person a motivated buyer thinks of as their “choice advisor” based on the knowledge they have of you, your likability and the amount of trust they have in you — they will buy from you based on emotion not logic, every time.

You probably know that newsletters will keep your name in front of the client but they are rarely read by prospects. They are written to educate, not create responses and seldom generate any direct sales activity. They do not create a unique or compelling connection (based on likability and trust) between you and a prospect, as compared to your competition.

If your intention is to create more sales activity, prospect messaging should be designed to help build a bond between you and the prospect. This requires content that is focused on emotional issues – not hard facts. Conversely, most financial services industry home offices assemble or purchase a vendor’s newsletter to deliver facts on product benefits, generalized services, the need for a financial advisor, general information on “planning,” company ratings and industry accomplishments. Ask yourself, do any of these contribute to building an emotional, compelling attraction to the advisor?

To build a bond to the advisor — effective messaging should reflect the following:

Pre-framing

In addition to emotional triggers based on the prospect avoiding distress or unpleasant financial outcomes, content messaging should be focused on the advisor’s similarity to the prospect, kindness and community impact. These are the humanizing touchpoints that rise above the central theme of the business.

(For examples, click here for the book, Social Capital Matters, 2016, Robert Krumroy)

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Indoctrination

Digital drip marketing keeps you fresh in the minds of contacts even when they are not in the market for the variety of financial products you are selling. When they’re ready, however — your customer-centric emotional messages will trigger the ‘raise your hand’ responses you need to book an appointment with them.

Conversion

This is purely emotional messaging — not product; not hard fact articles; not company information; not pitching advisor services.  It creates a warm fan base when the recipient concludes that you, the personal advisor (not the company you may represent) can help them avoid pain, fear or unwanted financial consequences.

Look, in 2021 80% of consumers say buying life insurance is a relevant financial planning topic for their household.* When it comes to your well-designed drip digital marketing campaign, the famous quote from Field of Dreams seems quite apropos: “If you build it, they will come.”

Build it with e-Relationship and watch your revenue increase an average of 43%! Call us today and get started: 1-800-851-8169 or watch our demo video to learn more at https://www.e-relationship.com/demo

*2021 Insurance Barometer Studies, in partnership with Life Happens, Limra, LOMA