Three ways to blow your credibility and any chance of getting a new client

Mistake #1

Have an email address with the domain name but no website at that domain.

Here is an example.

This professional uses this email address [email protected].

Yet, if you go to the domain castlefsg.com, there is no website.

It is very common for prospects who see your email address to visit that domain and check out your website. If they find nothing there or a website that's never been constructed, you lose credibility.

You wonder why they don’t answer your calls or respond to you.  You appear to be a fly-by-night operator with no substance.

A business that does not have a website is no business at all.

Whether you agree with the previous sentence or not is irrelevant.

I am explaining how other people look at the world. If you insist on seeing the world from your point of view rather than the prospects' point of view, you will be poor.

Mistake #2

Being unaware of your caller ID.

When you call a prospect, it is likely you are calling a mobile phone.  The prospect will look at the caller ID before they answer the call. Don’t you always look at the caller ID before you answer a call?

Do you pick up a call that says "telemarketer" or "spam caller" or displays a phone number that is unfamiliar to you?

Do you know how your caller ID appears on the prospect’s mobile device?

You probably never thought about this or checked it.

If you have a ”bad” caller ID,  people will not answer your call.

This problem is made more complex because the appearance of your caller ID depends on the mobile carrier of your prospect. Your caller ID will appear differently on a T-Mobile or Verizon or ATT mobile phone.

Currently, the only way to control your caller ID appearance on all three carriers is to pay for a service called caller ID branding. The least expensive provider we have encountered is from Pacific East  https://www.pacificeast.com/branddelivery.  It’s about $100 monthly.

Let me explain the prospects’ psychology.

If they have an incoming call and see on their caller ID a 10-digit number they do not recognize, they are not likely to answer the call.

If they have an incoming call and see on their caller ID a name, “John Smith,” even if they do not know John Smith, they are more likely to answer the call.

When you apply for caller ID branding, it is best to use your own name as the caller ID display.  That is not always possible as there are rules and you may be forced to use your company name.  Having your company name display is not as good as having your personal name display as your caller ID.  However, it is better than an unrecognized 10-digit number.

Mistake #3

Talking about financial products on your initial call or meeting.

Your prospects’ view of the world is different than your view.

You attend weekly training sessions about your products and their features and benefits. The insurance companies and investment companies fill your head with product information. And your sales presentation is a regurgitation of that information.

Communicating that information is the fastest way to turn off the prospect.

The prospect is not interested in your products and services. The prospect is only interested in the answer to one question, “what’s in it for me?”

The prospect has no interest in managed money accounts, IUL, FIA or any other financial product.

The prospect has these concerns:

• how do I stop worrying about my money?
• how can I afford retirement with costs constantly increasing?
• how can I best provide for my children when I’m gone?
• what will I do when my health fails and I’m alone?

While you may have products that help address those concerns, speaking about those products early is a sign to the prospect that you have more interest in the sale of your products and services than in their concerns.

Focus on the prospect, a person, not on your products and services.