3 Solutions To "Yeah, Let me Think About it!" When Prospecting
Jul 11, 2023If you ask for referrals in your business, you've *likely* heard the all to common "yeah.... let me think about it!"
There are a few reasons WHY client say this -- and I have some thoughts that I think will really shift things for you.
If you're not entirely sure what I'm referring to, it goes something like this:
👉 Advisor: So, did you enjoy the meeting?!
👉 Client: Yeah! It was super helpful.
👉 Advisor: Ok great! So I'd love to meet some people in your world. My business grows on referrals... so, who do you know that I could introduce myself to?
👉 Client: Oh... Yeah let me think about it and get back to you!
👉 Advisor: *thinking, frustrated, and feeling defeated* okay sounds good!
Sound familiar?
And I know how frustrating this can be -- you of course don't want to come across as pushy, so you agree --
then try following up with your client a few times only to hear *crickets* and suddenly you're thinking, "WTF did I do wrong, are they upset with me? Why does this business feel so freaking HARD?"
I'm going to share something that might be a bit surprising.
When you hear "let me think about it" -- it's already too late 😱
When advisors ask me what to do after they hear "let me think about it" -- I tell them it's like you just jumped out of an airplane, with no parachute, and you're asking - what should I do now, Scottie?!
It's too late!!
See, solving the "let me think about it" challenge begins WAYYYYYY before you ACTUALLY get that "objection"
✨*quick side note: some people WILL actually need to think about it, and some people will simply say "let me think about it" as a nice way of saying no to you.
In the way I think & teach prospecting -- the goal isn't to get 10/10 people to give you referrals (hopefully that gave you permission to take a deep breath and chill a bit!) That's just not likely.
The intention is to increase the likelihood you will get referrals -- not to become "perfect"
✨end side note
Here are a few things I recommend YOU think about if you are hearing "let me think about it":
1️⃣ Stop making your client think!!
Are you making your client work / think? For example, do you say something like "who in your world do you know that would appreciate me reaching out?!" -- Seriously, how TF are they supposed to know? If you asked me that question, I would probably need to think about it too!
Here's an example of how this plays out.
What if I said "think of one female celebrity" --
Who came to mind?
If you're like most people -- you had to pause, think about it, and then come up with ONE person. And when asked a broad question like that, it's almost like there are TOO many options -- so your brain freezes.
What if I said "think of one female celebrity on the TV show "Friends" who's name starts with Jennifer?
A little easier for you to think of someone, right
This is why specificity and clarity are so key.
If you propose a few categories of people and keep it broad, it's hard for our brains to compute.
🔥 The more specific you are with your ask, the better off you'll be!
2️⃣ Set Expectations
Man oh man this is a BIG ONE!!! (and I teach my exact expectation-setting language inside The Financial Advisor Academy)
When you're prospecting, does your client know what the intended end result is? Do you want a phone number, an email address, a text intro? The less clear you are, the more confused the client will be.
And frankly, if you're hearing "let me think about it!" -- you can literally solve that with three expectation setting sentences 💸
- I'd love to spend the next X minutes together brainstorming people in your world that might be open to a conversation.
- At the end, I'd love to gather 3-5 people in your world and have you send an email introduction.
- How does that sound?
3️⃣ Remove The Perceived RISK!
This is a topic we go deep into inside The Financial Advisor Academy.
When you ask for a referral, there is naturally going to be some level of "perceived risk". This means that your client's mind might go into subtle freak out mode -- thinking things like "what's happening? why are they asking me these questions? what if I give a referral and the person gets really upset with me?"
Their mind is going to all the possible RISKS associated with giving you a referral.
That's what mind is created to do. To protect you.
It might seem so silly and illogical, but that's only because.... it is. Literally lol. Unconscious mind is NOT logical.
If you want to get a LOT of referrals -- you need to learn how to remove the perceived risk in your prospecting (it's actually quite simple).
Which of these were most helpful? Let me know in the comments below!
🔥 If this was helpful and you want to go deeper... I help advisors 2-10 years in the business double their production by implementing next-level prospecting strategies, tactics and systems.
(Ex: maximizing LinkedIn to book 3-5 approaches/week, Nesting at companies, creating a “No Ask” method to get inbound referrals, etc.)
If you're interested in exploring, click here to learn more
Or copy and paste --> https://www.scottietaylorjr.com/explore
Scottie
Published by
