How to Close More Free Financial Services Consultation Leads
Free Consultations are powerful lead generating tools for financial services advisors. These brief meetings introduce prospects to your company and builds rapport between you and the future client.
The problem is that it’s becoming harder to get warm leads to commit to consultations. In my experience, the problem can be tracked to poor pre-consultation communication. Here are some proven strategies to strengthen your free consultation marketing:
Pre-Sell The Meeting
Online sign-ups for free consultations are often treated as “throw-away” opportunities. Usually, the professional will just put a button or form that asks for name and contact information and leave it at that. This is the wrong approach.
You should “sell” this free consultation as if it were your main product. Sit down and write out 2-3 benefits that you will deliver during the consultation. Focus on how you will help your prospect make money, save money, or save time. Tell them exactly how you will contact them and what they will feel after the consultation. Once you’ve breathed life into your benefits, you will find more visitors submitting requests for your consultation.
Follow-up Immediately
Send a friendly confirmation email to your prospect as soon as a prospect submits your free consultation online form or calls your office. This email should come within 1 business day of receiving the request.
In this email (or phone contact), reiterate the benefits the prospect will receive. Your goal is to get your future client to imagine how it would feel to do business with you. You want them to come to the consultation having already made the decision to do business with you. Prompt and detailed follow-up is key.
Stay Top of Mind With Every Contact
Resolve to stay in contact with your prospect even if the consultation doesn’t end in a sale. Place your leads contact information in your email database and send them monthly emails about your services and other helpful information.
A recent study on sales success shows that most people buy a product after 5 inquiries. Most salespeople give up after 2 inquiries. Use your email follow-up to stay top of mind until your prospect is ready to move forward.
Make the pre-consultation communication as rich and benefit-focused as the actual meeting and you will see success. Remember that sales is a game of numbers and persistence. Take the time to make sure that your complete consultation process is wired for success.