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Using the Web to Land More Clients
By Marie Swift
March 6, 2011
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One of the most useful presentations I’ve been to in years (and those who know me know that I attend and present at a lot of industry conferences) was delivered by Sam Richter, a senior vice president at ActiFi, one of the industry’s leading software and solutions companies.
In “Know More! Referrals: Using Technology to Generate More Prospects and Land More Clients,” Richter shared dozens of quick tips and insights on how to use the impersonal web to personalize our referrals. Richter’s was one of many excellent breakout sessions offered by the Financial Planning Association at their annual Business Solutions Conference held at the Hyatt Cambridge, just outside of Boston last week.
“When was the last time you met with a prospect or client and really knew what was going on with the individual and the issues they are facing?” Richter asked. “Did you know about their hobbies, politics, family, charitable inclinations and latest business achievements – or were you just winging it?”
I had to admit that I’d been winging it a bit more than I’d like due to a flurry of travel and business demands. My seatmate looked a bit guilty, too.
“Today I’m going to teach you how to know more than you ever thought you could (or should) about your clients, prospects and competition. When you practice Sales Intelligence, you’ll win twice the business of those who ‘wing it.’ You’ll ensure relevancy and impress any client, any prospect, every time,” Richter smiled.
“With information comes confidence. When you conduct a meeting or make a sales call, confidence is key to making a superb impression. Knowing something about the person and what he or she cares about is a great way to improve your confidence, even if you choose not to use it,” he said. “When you’re unprepared, it can show. It can be felt over the phone. When you have information and knowledge, you exude confidence. You feel and act more successful. This positive energy actually attracts others to your point of view.”
“Good salespeople have always asked probing questions to learn what interests their prospects and clients,” Richter said. “Today, with the help of the web-based tools, we can all be great sales people by knowing what the person cares about before ever walking in the door or picking up the phone.”
For those who think you’re not a salesperson, here’s a little side note from me: You are always selling (and reselling) yourself and your ability to deliver not just results but also a good client experience. Every staff member should be a relationship builder and salesperson, too. Everyone in the firm should embody the brand and be able to quickly, accurately and authentically articulate your firm’s value proposition. Knowing how your value proposition corresponds to the client’s personal and business interests is an essential element in building a successful enterprise. That’s why Richter’s presentation and handy reference book (which I read on the airplane going home), Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling: Web Search Secrets (seventh edition, Beaver’s Pond Press, $34.95) provide such great inside information for your use.
Finding the Right Information – and Using it in the Right Way
Richter launched into a fast paced an entertaining session to show us exactly how our businesses could be better with better information. We learned that “the web” is not synonymous with “the Internet” and that there is, in fact, an “invisible web.” Better yet, we learned at least 20 new ways to search the web and glean better information. We even learned how to access the “invisible web” – and how to tactfully use the factoids we’d glean about friends, colleagues, clients and prospects so as to engage and delight them versus totally freaking them out.
The term “invisible web” refers to billions of websites that cannot be indexed or “vacuumed up” by the search engines such as Bing, Yahoo! and Google. The invisible web makes up the majority of online information. The good news is it is accessible and is often times free. You just have to know how to find it.
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Marie Swift is a nationally recognized consultant who has for over twenty years worked exclusively with some of the industry’s top financial institutions, training organizations, investment advisory and financial planning firms. A top rated speaker at dozens of industry events including FPA, NAPFA, TD Ameritrade Institutional, Securities America, Schwab Institutional, NFL Players Association, Financial Network, Pershing and Lockwood conferences, Marie is dedicated to elevating the conversation in the industry.
ûMarie is also a prolific writer and contributes to many of the industry’s leading publications, including Financial Planning magazine. You can read Marie’s
ûnewest content on www.financial-planning.com where she writes the weekly Marketing Maven column. She is also contributes content to the Networking 2.0 blog for Sourcemedia’s interactive, online destination created just for women advisors as an extension of the Women Advisors Forum events being held in cities across the country multiple times every year.
ûA thought leader for thought leaders, she is known for bringing some of the industry’s best and brightest voices together for dialog and debate. Her Thought Leader Round Table series is just one example how Marie generates interesting conversations with movers and shakers in the financial services industry.
ûHer Best Practices in the Financial Services Industry blog provides additional insights and advice, including podcasts, articles, videos and other helpful content for independent
ûfinancial advisors and the institutions that serve them. Find it at www.marieswift.com.
ûPrior to establishing her own firm in 1993, she served as Director of Corporate Communications for Worldwide Investment Network in Irvine, California, where she helped FNIC’s then #1 Top Producer attain and maintain that title for five consecutive years. She managed a staff of twenty that supported two-dozen successful registered representatives,
ûestate planners and wealth managers.
ûAs president and CEO of Impact Communications, Inc., Marie leads a dedicated team of marketing communications and PR professionals serving financial institutions and a select group of independent advisors on an exclusive basis. Marie resides in Leawood, KS and can be reached through her website, www.ImpactCommunications.org. For breaking news, follow @marieswift on Twitter -www.twitter.com/marieswift.
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Marie Swift is a nationally recognized consultant who has for over twenty years worked exclusively with some of the industry’s top financial institutions, training organizations, investment advisory and financial planning firms. A top rated speaker at dozens of industry events including FPA, NAPFA, TD Ameritrade Institutional, Securities America, Schwab Institutional, NFL Players Association, Financial Network, Pershing and Lockwood conferences, Marie is dedicated to elevating the conversation in the industry.
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