The relationship process from prospect to client can be long and tedious. It requires lots of time, contact, and patience UNLESS you start with your personal story.
There is no doubt your authentic story can be your most powerful tool to building new relationships and securing the commitment of a new client. It’s a powerful tool and the best part is it’s authentic; if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t work.
If you never learned any practice management tools or processes and only had your story to share with potential clients, odds are you would STILL be able to build business and get commitments from new clients. Why? Because your story promotes TRUST and softens the listeners defenses, turning them into warm soft putty.
So, what are the best ways to use your story?
- Start your meeting with your story: My client started using her story before learning about the client and it totally changed the atmosphere and dynamics of the meeting. The potential clients became more relaxed and even asked more questions about the Advisor (and it wasn’t about her credentials). Then the Advisor turned the focus back to the prospective clients, “Now tell me about you?”. This Advisor saw an immediate impact her story had on accelerating the relationship process.
- Open your webinar or presentation with your story: You can often edit your story to be relevant to the topic at hand, and it sets a more personal and informal tone to the presentation. Participants realize from the start that you are not just about selling them a product but are truly driven to provide value and make a difference. You can refer back to your story at the end of the presentation, which brings the presentation full circle (an important component to every presentation).
- Send it in an email: Every one of your clients, prospects, and COI’s should know why you do what you do; yet most advisors only share their new message with new prospects and clients. That is a total waste. That would be like only sharing a new powerful investment product with new prospects and clients and never sharing with your clients. Let everyone in your book, even friends and family hear your story, it makes you human and reminds them that you are not one of those “Bernie Madoff” people but someone with more value and integrity. All you need is one great referral and it makes it all worth it, but trust me tell everyone why you do what you do and you will receive many more referrals.
Your personal story accelerates trust; without it you may spend weeks, months even years trying to develop a relationship with a prospect before they ever commit to doing business with you. Your story is and will be your most valuable tool to growing your business, when you turn them into putty, you can mold them into the client you want.