Strategy. Execution. Achievement.
There were a few eye-opening gems in a recent CIBC Survey (link) that checked-in with Canadians on their financial priorities, their opinion on how they were progressing on their goals and what kind of shape they felt they were in for retirement. The data points of particular note for me were:
Whenever we ask participants for course objectives in our training sessions inevitably someone asks if we are going to cover how you respond to a rate driven client. It’s a very common challenge that many struggle with. What do you do with the client that starts their conversation with you by focusing on rate?
It's RSP season again and for some reason, this is when sales people start to get lazy. They know they should be getting a client to acknowledge a problem first before they present a solution (i.e. a product) but for some reason, when it comes to selling RSP's at this time of year they resort back to a money grab by just asking if they have contributed yet. Oh, I know that is not their intention, but by just asking someone if they have contributed yet, that's essentially what they are doing.
There is a simple rule we advocate to help people avoid coming across as being pushy sales people: Don't present a solution (product) to a problem (need) that is not been acknowledged by the client. Generally speaking most people dislike having someone try to sell them a product that they don't need. By asking good questions you can get a client to acknowledge that they have a need which clears the path for you to comfortably present a solution.
Problem questions
Without clear objectives that guide us to craft a plan or structure to our interview, it can easily become a wasted opportunity.
Our first objective in Discovery is Getting Selection Right
We need to commit to interviewing the client with the intent of understanding “what are they trying to achieve?” instead of just “what they're asking for?”. Not just “what are they asking about?” but “why are they asking about it?”. Be sure that we understand before moving forward to presenting a solution.
• What motivated them to ask for this now?