Over the years of working with financial advisors who attempt to market their client services to companies, we have seen four common mistakes that are costing them business and referrals. If you want to get your foot in the door at companies to secure business with their employees, avoid the following mistakes when you meet with the HR department.
Mistake # 1: Trying to sell yourself and your unique expertise
Most financial advisors feel compelled to tell a prospect company a great deal about themselves and their background. These individuals mistakenly believe that the prospect cares about their industry experience or certifications.
Mistake # 2: Selling your firm
If your company is a well-known national brand, selling the audience on the company is irrelevant. If your firm isn’t a national brand, then you cannot sell it regardless of how hard you try. As with selling yourself, company representatives are going to discount everything you say. It is important to realize that the only thing that these people care about is a solution that addresses specific employee issues or goals (i.e. helping employees to understand, appreciate and get the most out of their equity compensation grants).
Mistake # 3: Throwing everything plus the kitchen sink at the prospect
Telling the company everything you can do for their employees severely dilutes your message. Focus on proposing one specific service (i.e. equity compensation education) that will provide employees with real value. If your initial service is adopted, you will have ample opportunity to provide other services later.
Mistake #4: Giving the prospect a meaningless proposal
Providing your prospect with a proposal that does not address their company issues or propose a solution is a waste time and paper. Keep your proposal short, succinct and focused on one issue and a specific solution. Additional detail can be provided later.
Avoiding these four mistakes when talking to companies about providing employee assistance won’t guarantee success, but it will increase your odds of getting your services adopted.