How to Turn Missed Opportunities Into Winning Clients

There’s nothing more satisfying than knowing you played a part in a family’s financial success. You have a passion for serving others and get to live out that passion every day as you help clients make smart decisions with their money.

But do you ever wish you could help more people?

You can! We bet you’re sitting on a treasure trove of referrals that showed interest in your services at some point but never quite crossed the finish line. With a little extra attention, you could turn those missed opportunities into success stories. Here’s how.

Prospects You Never Reached

A person completed your referral form. You gave them a call, left a voice mail, and never heard a word back. Are they lost forever?

Not necessarily.

Most folks live life on the go these days. If you reached out to a new referral and never heard back, don’t take it personally. It’s easy for a message to slip through the cracks. Remember, there’s a reason they reached out to you in the first place.

Before you chalk it up to disinterest and move on to the next new prospect, give these strategies a try.

• Be persistent. A study by MIT and InsideSales.com found that it takes an average of six phone call attempts to get in touch with a prospect. Yet most companies give up after one or two calls. Improve your odds by planning to reach out 10–15 times.

• Optimize your window of opportunity. According to the same study, the best time to make contact is 3:30–5:30 in the afternoon, followed closely by 7:30–8:30 in the morning. Wednesdays and Thursdays proved to be the best days of the week for reaching referrals. Of course, don’t be afraid to try different times if those don’t work.

• Stagger your contact methods. With so many contact options available, why not give referrals a chance to respond in a way that’s most convenient for them? For instance, send a quick text to let them know what time you plan to call. If they don’t answer the phone, follow up with an email saying you’re sorry you missed them.

Prospects Who Weren’t Ready Yet

Sometimes you finally get a person to respond only to find out they’re not ready to move forward. That’s okay! Life’s big money decisions don’t happen overnight.

So how do you ensure opportunity doesn’t slip away without putting on the pressure? Focus on serving them well in the meantime.

• Start with why. Want to connect with potential customers in a meaningful way? Ask about their pain points. Invite them to share their hopes and dreams. Find out what’s holding them back. These conversations allow you to personalize your service and show prospects you genuinely care.

• Find opportunities to educate. If you want to build trust, teach people how to get from stress to success. You’d be surprised by the difference it makes. Taking time to teach makes it easy for prospects to make the right decision, and it puts you in a position to serve, not sell. 

• Be ready to respond to objections. If someone says they’re not interested, use questions to dig deeper. You just might get to the real root of their problem and uncover a fresh opportunity to address their need.

• Keep good notes. A customer relationship management (CRM) system doesn’t do much good if you don’t keep it up to date. Take notes on every conversation as soon as it’s over so you don’t forget any important details. That way you can pick up where you left off the next time you touch base with a potential customer.

• Stay in touch. If a referral says they’ll be ready in three months, let them know you’ll touch base in two months to check in. When market changes occur, email prospects to explain how it could affect their decision process. A hand-written note lends a personal touch and reminds people you’re there to answer questions.  

Looking to serve more people and grow your business in a meaningful way? Learn how you can be part of the Endorsed Local Providers program—the most effective referral program in the country.