Asking for a Commitment
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Mechanically, asking for a commitment is rather rudimentary. Why, then is asking such a difficult thing to do?
The inability to properly ask is perhaps the number one reason for failure in the Financial Services industry.
The difficulty lies not in saying the words. The difficulty lies in hearing the answer. It’s all about the possible rejection. There is very little good that can be said about hearing the word “no.” If I don’t ask, I won’t be rejected is not a good career strategy. A far better strategy is to look forward to asking for a commitment knowing that you will be successful.
There is no doubt that you want to be a great Financial Advisor. You can get there if you get great at asking! Everything you’ve gotten in life, you’ve gotten by asking. It’s not up to your prospects and clients to make life easy for you. It’s up to you to ask for what you want.
But just as it’s critical that you ask for what you want, it’s equally critcal that you don’t take rejection personally.
Mark Jennings is an Advisor in Canada and a very savvy guy. He told me a great story. In high school and college he ran his own business, selling topsoil door-to-door. Because he was selling less than a truckload at a time, he actually did quite well.
Mark’s father was a general contractor and had spent some time with New York Life earlier in his career. He gave Mark some great advice when he said, “If people say no, it’s not that they don’t like you. They just don’t need topsoil.” Rejection is not personal. How can someone reject you if they don’t know you? They simply don’t agree with you, that’s all.
Don’t let your emotions get in the way. If the objection is valid, that means you can change whatever the person is objecting to. If the objection is invalid, then fixing things is out of your control. Move on to the next person.
You don’t ever have to like rejection. You do, however, need to put it in context. It’s not personal.
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