Sales Questions for Top Sales Results

Clients of financial planning advisers rarely use only logic and rational thinking to make decisions.

That assumption pre-supposes that clients when buying financial planning services have clear well-articulated goals when in reality clients often have as a consequence of how they percieve and process information, limited and imperfect data to allow them to make a choice that the financial planner sees as the most rational option for the client situation.

Financial planning clients often, because of the mis-match in the clients learning and information processing style and the financial planners style of communication, find the financial planning process confusing.

Because emotions play a major part in the sales process then it makes sense that to increase your sales results you need to ask better sales questions. By asking the best sales questions about a clients decision making process, you can dramtically enhance your sales results and in so doing positively engage your client and assist them in making choices that are in line with their financial and emotional needs.

Client emotions are critical aspects to manage in the sales process. Clients emotional processing determines initial preferences for solutions, moods and emotions influence the process of evaluating financial planning solutions and emotions provide guidance when making buying decisions.

Gut feel is a big factor.

Sales success is far greater when your financial planning client feels that you, as a financial planner, know them, the client, better than your competitors.

Client Lifestyle Questionnaires provide the knowledge for the financial planner to be able to break down the communication barrier and pitch the financial planning solution in a way that makes sense to the goals and dreams of the client.

To help your clients make more effective decisions and in so doing increase your financial planning sales success you need also to short circuit the limitations clients have when making decisions.

You need clients to imagine future scenario's and different emotions both positive and negative.

Another critical part of the sales questioning process are "what if" scenario planning.

Ask clients what if:

- they had all the money they could ever imagine?
- they had 10 years to live?
- they had one day to live?

Then explore all the emotions and plans that have either been accomplished or missed out on.

This provides the client with what they should do in a financial planning solution to ensure that the above scenarios are planned for.

This step is important particularly in the sales process involving insurance.

Clients unconsciously block negative scenarios, anything that challenges the status quo and in particular anything that challenges safety or the concept that they have not looked after their family.

It doesn't mean our clients don't love their family. They do, but these planning scenarios are not something they are rationally able to process - without your help.

Develop your client lifestyle questions and your what if scenario questions.

It's a proven way to dramatically increase your sales results and using your financial planning and insurance solution skills and love of your clients, you will change your clients lives for the better.