Messages, Qualifying Questions & The Right Of Passage

Here a pic of the London office.

Life is about messages, if you get the message you get an attainment, if you don’t get the message, then you create a problem, if you don’t fix the problem then you create a crisis, then you get the message.

I believe we are getting the message by asking qualifying questions and as a result we are getting attainments.

The message was to create very strong boundaries by qualifying new prospects that contact us requesting an appointment by sending them a few questions by e-mail that we would like them to answer in advance of our call which also enables us to provide them with far better service.

In the past I found myself getting in lengthy conversations, sometime more than one, with prospects which did not turn into any business.

A few weeks ago, a prospect that I allowed to have at least three conversations a few years back e-mailed to say that they were ready to talk with me from where they left off a few years ago. I e-mailed the questions. The prospect replied back with requesting a phone call. I e-mailed back with my fees and if they would like to proceed I invited them to contact Laura and provide her with a credit card number and Laura would confirm their appointment. I never heard from the prospective client again.

We have experienced a number of these situations over the past few weeks and again, the questions go out and the reply goes something like, “I breezed over your questions and I didn’t have time to answer your questions and I will call you?”.

🙂 No way! My time is too valuable to sit and ask the same questions where the prospective client could take the time in advance of the call to answer the questions. In essence the coaching starts right at the beginning – what kind of client will the prospect make if they are not willing to answer a few questions?

Yesterday brought an open door invitation to speak to the Federal Government which we declined. The message is do we really own our niche? Are we willing to take hours of our time to edit our presentation to suit the audience and then deliver it and to what avail? We work with financial advisors – period.

The attainment is as follows.

I have been affirming and intending on attracting a strategic alliance.

Two days ago I was contacted by a leading mutual fund company requesting an appointment to discuss a strategic alliance. Halleluiah!