Better Than Cold Calling!
I wrote this for http://eTIP.ca in June, 2002, over 4 years ago, and thought it has enough merit to repeat.Back in the early eighties I figured there must be other, less daunting ways to prospect than cold calling, and asking friends for referrals.
Two issues of Howard Shenson's "The Professional Consultant" proved me right.
Both gave the results of surveys on practice-building techniques. One showed the percentages of high earning and low earning advisors using each technique. The other gave their estimates of how effective those surveyed felt each technique was in attracting and retaining clients.
I learned from the first survey that high earners use more techniques than low earners. While the second survey told me that some widely used techniques were not considered to be very effective.
Howard hadn't combined these two sets of results, so I did.
By figuring out which were both effective, AND used by more top earners, I'd know the few to concentrate on.
Here they are, in order of merit:
1. Working the Contact/Referral Market
2. Publishing a Newsletter
3. Conducting Seminars/Teaching Classes
4. Writing Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, Books
5. Speeches, Talks to Civic, Trade, and Select Audiences
Some things are immediately evident.
Some techniques are easier than others. For example, you don't have to write your own newsletter---you can buy it.
And some techniques take less time than others. Writing an article takes less time than giving a speech, because a speech must also be written.
But there are ways to tame the time problem, and ideas to enhance effectiveness. As you'll see in future TIPs.
And thanks to new communication methods we have more alternatives to cold calling than in 1980.
Which we'll discuss in future issues of TIP (visit http://eTIP.ca for subscription details).
Don
Get This Referrals Ebook
Get "Why Clients Like to Make Referrals" by answering TIP's newest survey.
This ebooklet gives you a simple step-by-step method to get clients to gladly give you referrals. It's so easy to learn you can start right away using it with each of your clients!
To get it, just answer TIP's new survey.
Click on http://www.eTIP.ca then on each of the 5 articles in the "Articles" section on its left:
- "Top Prospecting Techniques";
- "8 Roads to More Referrals";
- "Your Email Newsletter";
- "The Secret Multiplier!"; and
- "Pharaohs and Vikings".
Read each one, and decide which you like best.
Then click on "Survey Freeby" to record your opinion, and the ebook is yours!
So go now to http://www.eTIP.ca, then click each of the five articles, and decide which you like best
Then click "Survey Freeby" in the top menubar to answer the survey, and obtain "Why Clients Like to Make Referrals".
You'll profit from it!
Don
Get "Sid's Road Map for Reaching MDRT"
Earn yourself "Sid's Road Map for Reaching MDRT" by answering TIP's newest survey.
This short ebook is by Sid Friedman, a 28-year veteran of the International Top of the Table, who's known within the insurance industry as one of the five greatest salespeople of all time.
Forbes magazine calls Sid, "One of corporate America's most powerful people."
To get it, just answer TIP's new survey.
Click on
http://www.eTIP.ca then on each of the top 3 issues in the column on its left:
-"How I Sold a Life Annuity" (sale story);
-"Adding Value to Client Relationships" (marketing idea);
-"How To Refinance Whole Life Insurance" (product handling).
Read the lead article in each issue, and decide which style: sale story, marketing idea, or product handling, offers you useful information most effectively.
Then click on "Survey Freeby" to record your opinion, and the ebook is yours!
So go now to
http://www.eTIP.ca, then click each of the top 3 issues to read the above articles, and decide which has the most informative and effective style
Then click "Survey Freeby" in the top menubar to answer the survey, and earn yourself "Sid's Road Map for Reaching MDRT".
Don
p.s. And don't miss the other ebooks waiting for you to download from each issue.
How to Double Your Sales
Earn the ebook "Four Things You Can Do Today to Double Your Sales Tomorrow", by answering TIP's newest survey.
This short e-report by Bob Serling gives you four techniques you can use immediately to increase your sales.
To get it, just answer TIP's new survey.
Click on http://www.eTIP.ca then on each of these "Past Issues":
* What's a Contact?
* Is Cold Calling Spam?
* Great Source Of Referrals
* Term vs Whole Life
* Talk Tax Today
Read the lead article in each issue, and decide which one is most useful.
Then click on "Survey Freeby" to record your opinion, and the ebook is yours!
So go to http://www.eTIP.ca, then "Past Issues" to read the articles. Click on "Survey Freeby" in the top menubar to answer the survey, and earn yourself "Four Things You Can Do Today to Double Your Sales Tomorrow".
Don
p.s. You'll also discover that there's another ebook that's waiting for you to download from each Past Issue.
I Need Your Opinion
TIP has a number of free articles on building your business, which you can use in your client newsletter, on your website, in your mailings, as giveaways at your seminars, or wherever you see fit.
My problem is that I don't know how useful they are to you, so I'm asking your opinion on just 3 of them.
So, please
go to http://www.etip.ca/ and click on "Publish" in the top menubar.
Read the top 3 articles: "
The Aim of The Name", "
How to Acquire More Leads", and "
Do You Really Need A Website?".
Decide which one you feel is most useful, and click "Survey Freeby" in the top menubar to record your opinion.
And you'll get a free ebook!You'll be rewarded with the ebook, "
The Success Collection", by Robert Imbriale.
It's all meat!Do you know "
The 10 Most Costly Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them?" No? Then get this ebook, and find out.
Or do you want to know "
How to Write Sales Letters That Sell Again and Again". This ebook tells you how.
Or how about "
The Simple Formula That Guarantees Your Success!"--- another valuable concept!
So go to http://www.etip.ca/, click "Publish", and read the first 3 articles now. Then click on "Survey Freeby", record which one you liked the best, and "The Success Collection" is yours!
But do it NOW, because this opportunity expires on July 21st, 2006.
How To Get A Free Website!
Microsoft is providing all the things you need to make a website, hosting it for free, paying for the domain name, and providing the tools for you to design it as well.You can find out more at http://officelive.microsoft.com/.
This sounded like something that could benefit my TIP subscribers and members of New TIP, so I applied, and discovered a few off-putting things such as:
1. You must create a Microsoft Passport account, which wants your credit card data, and needs a U.S. address.
2. Even when I gave them that the process was frustrating and aggravating as I couldn't get into the actual creation part of the program immediately, and there was nothing telling me to wait because it would take time to process.
But after vacating the internet for a few hours, then going back, I found it seemed to be working as it should, and I was able to start designing a website.
My progress in working with this program will appear on this blog. It's in beta, so there are a few glitches still.
I Need Your Opinion of the New TIP
The principal purpose of this blog is to add value for New TIP members.How can it do that?
Most of what I think you'll find useful, I publish in the New TIP ezine, and its website at www.New-TIP.com.
But the advantage of this blog over them, is that you can add comments.
You can tell me what you find useful, and would like to see more of.
I want your comments on what you like (or don't like) about the New TIP, and your suggestions to improve it.Just click on "comments" below, and tell me what you think.Thanks
Don
