I have been getting more involved in networking as a way to raise awareness of the many products that we offer in the marketplace. It gets me out of the office, and I enjoy it very much. I even think it is working—more and more referrals are getting generated.
At the same time, I have been reaching out to professional advisors in the area. Accountants, attorneys, bankers, even other financial planners have insights to share. I am particularly envious of one local estate planning attorney, who has mastered the art of getting client buy-in one bite at a time.
It’s not anything earth-shattering in concept. He holds seminars and invites enough people to fill his conference room. He does a brief, well-rehearsed presentation designed to inform (just enough), leave open questions in the listeners’ minds, and then he wraps up by inviting the attendees to schedule a free hour’s consultation before they leave. His staff calls with a reminder of the appointment. And, of course, he wraps up the consultation by describing the work that needs to be done, the time required and the fee.
It is very easy to buy in to each step, one at a time. Only a percentage of the people who buy in to attend a presentation actually have estate planning work done, but it is a reliable percentage, and the man makes a good living, and he enjoys his work. He has a system.
Again and again as I work with new Affiliates, I hear, “Wow. There is a lot here. I hardly know where to start.” We try to make the experience bite-size by encouraging all of you to call when you have cases that you would like to discuss. Just like my estate planner friend, we don’t care that some of the cases won’t pan out—we enjoy the process and we are happy with the flow of cases that do unfold into good business.
As I try to develop marketing strategies for our multi-niche organization, I am always on the lookout for how we can offer a simple buy-in, something that doesn’t require a heroic leap for our clients, a bite-size sample that can expand into a banquet. Does anyone have ideas to share?
Karen Lynch
Filed under: For Business Advisors, Marketing
