10 Useful Phrases for Getting Clients to Commit

2. We have a combined 80 years of experience on our team.

Many advisors are part of a team. Newer advisors sometimes feel their lack of experience works against them. You are “selling the team.” There might be six people on the team, three 25-year veterans and three people, each with two years of experience, but the total tops 80 years. That’s impressive.

Logic: Experience has value. You can draw on it.

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3. I will handle your account personally.

You might think being a sole practitioner is a disadvantage. There’s a compensating advantage: They aren’t being solicited by the team leader, only to be assigned to a junior team member later. Their account will be handled by the person they are talking with right now.

Logic: You are building a relationship as you bring them on as a client. You will continue to build this relationship once they have become a client.

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4. Is your advisor more interested in who you know than knowing you?

It’s the “anti-referral” approach. Some advisors don’t give every client the attention they deserve. Advisors are trained to ask for referrals. There might be a situation where a client isn’t getting the attention they feel they deserve, yet their advisor does ask for introductions or referrals.

Logic: It’s an eye-opener. It might establish a need, where the prospect explains they aren’t getting enough attention. They don’t feel like an important client.

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5. Let me make this easy for you.

You can’t say “Here’s what I want you to do.” It’s a tactful way of introducing the next step in the process.

Logic: Who wouldn’t want things made easier?

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6. Are you comfortable enough with the recommendations to proceed?

It’s an expression another advisor uses for closing. They want to transition from presenting the proposal to asking for the order. It’s a closed-ended, yes-or-no question. Yes is the comfortable answer.

Logic: They’ve basically agreed to proceed. You need to explain exactly what they are agreeing to and what happens next.

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7. I want to work for you. I need the go-ahead from you.

This is another expression for moving from presenting to closing. The “go ahead” is obviously the prospect’s agreement to proceed. It’s also a yes/no question.

Logic: The go-ahead is the prospect’s commitment. You need to formally close and explain what they are committing to at that moment.

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8. The three T’s.

This is useful if the prospect asks: “Why do I need you? I can invest on my own." A Northern California advisor would explain: “If you have the three T’s, you don’t need me. The first T is time: time to do research and anticipate tax consequences. The second T is technique: knowing what you are doing. (knowledge). The third T is temperament, or emotional control.

Logic: If you have all three, you don’t need this advisor. If you are missing one or more, that’s what you are paying for.

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9. Does that make sense to you?

You want to hold your client’s attention as you present your proposal. If they have a question, they might stop listening until they can voice their concern. By using this expression a few times as a trial close, you are giving them an opportunity to ask that question. Ideally they answer yes when you ask if it makes sense.

Logic: A series of yes answers is usually followed by another yes, not a no.

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10. The three P’s.

This is an advisor’s technique for setting expectations. “I cannot Predict what the market will do. I cannot Prevent the market from going down. I can help Protect (limit) you from losses and protect you from paying too much in taxes.”

Logic: It’s a reminder of obvious facts: You can’t predict the future or do the impossible.

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