Financial Advisor Prospecting Ideas That Work Are All About Timing
Coming up with prospecting ideas for your client journey map doesn’t have to be complicated. When you take the time to learn more about your prospects and clients and how they move through the phases of the client journey, you can adopt a more targeted approach. With your prospects more clearly defined, coming up with financial advisor prospecting ideas is a matter of giving those prospects what they need to encourage them to move on to the next phase.
Learning how to prospect for clients means knowing at what point along the client journey a particular prospect has arrived. This knowledge lets you fine-tune your message to acknowledge pain points, answer questions, and help them move along their journey. The right message at the right time is a powerful tool for building those strong relationships needed to transition a prospect into a client.
What Is the Client Journey?
Sometimes referred to as a “buyer’s journey,” the client journey is the process potential clients go through before they make a buying decision. There are very few shortcuts, so understanding the route your prospects are traveling means you know where to find them and when. This route includes three phases: awareness, consideration, and decision. Each phase presents plenty of opportunities to engage and inform to make the journey as easy as possible for your financial advisor prospects.
Awareness
The awareness stage is when a potential client realizes they have a concern or problem. This awareness will usually prompt them to do some preliminary research that includes using search engines and seeking out forums and information boards to see what others with similar needs have done. The typical client will look for answers that help them define their challenge, how they can meet that challenge, and an assessment of what they need to know to move forward.
Consideration
The consideration stage is a natural next logical step after awareness. Clients will research more deeply to find who provides the service or product that solves their problem, what approach they take, and cost factors. The client will gravitate toward the most prominent solutions they see online and begin comparing them. Savvy marketers understand that this stage is critical and gear much of their marketing toward efforts that promote their online presence and keep their brand top of mind.
Decision
At this stage of the journey, clients know what their problem is and have a good idea of the available options. Now they are concerned with arming themselves with the specific information they need to make an informed decision. At this point, they simply want to identify the best potential solution, and will want assurance they are dealing with a solution from a knowledgeable and experienced brand. Assuming a particular client has included your brand for consideration, it’s just as important to solicit feedback — whether they chose you or not — to fine-tune your future marketing efforts.
Learn more about why understanding the client journey and knowing how to market accordingly is so vital for financial advisors with our insightful video.