CHRISISM #6 - Removing The Fear Of The Unknown

22 December 2015

The degree of anxiety in a prospect's head when they meet you for the first time will usually depend on the relative warmth of the prospect i.e. from where they have been sourced, but even red hot referrals will have some anxiety based on their fear of the unknown.

What is the outcome of this meeting going to be? What is going to be expected of me? What am I going to be committed to? How much is it all going to cost? What is this person going to be like? All these are unknowns at the outset and for this reason it is absolutely crucial that, as early in the piece as possible, you establish and get agreement on the purpose of the meeting you are about to have.

Doing this right at the start of the meeting will remove the unknowns and enable your prospect to relax and it will also ensure that you are both singing from the same song sheet when it comes to the purpose of the meeting, the outcomes that can be expected and what evolves thereafter.

For what it's worth, what I actually say to my prospect at this point is as follows:-

“My mission today is not to get you to tell me what you would need to survive financially in certain 'what if' situations – I'm not interested in that. What I am on a mission to do today is to help you tell me what it is that you would want in terms of outcomes (financial outcomes) in those same 'what if' situations, because once you have told me what you would want in terms of outcomes, then I will be in a position to use my expertise in putting together an appropriate combination of types and levels of cover which will be specifically designed to achieve those financial outcomes you have told me you want - and hopefully within an affordable budget. Does that sound reasonable?”

Apart from removing the prospect's fear of the unknown, what I have also successfully done here is pre-position the concept of a wants analysis and effectively kicked the dreaded ‘needs analysis' firmly into touch - but that is a CHRISISM for another day!  

The Risk Workshop by Chris Unwin

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