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How Many Follow-Ups Does It Really Take?

by Nancy Bleeke | Aug 21, 2019

How Many Follow-Ups Does It Really Take? At the risk of aging myself, there used to be a commercial for Tootsie Pop suckers in which a young child asks the wise owl, “How many licks does it to take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?” It was a set up to the premise that no one really ever knew because the lollipop was soo good people “bit”...

Why You Must Date Your COIs to Earn Referrals

by Nancy Bleeke | Aug 13, 2019

Why You Must Date Your COIs to Earn Referrals Have you heard of the show Married at First Sight? The premise is that “experts” set up arranged marriages and the couples meet at the altar. Then for 8 weeks they must figure out whether they want to build a life with this person or get a divorce. And only 6 of 25 couples have remained together for...

Look Under That Rock to Find COIs and Referrals

by Nancy Bleeke | Aug 6, 2019

Look Under That Rock to Find COIs and Referrals In your search for viable leads or prospects, you’ve probably heard this wise advice: “Build relationships with centers of influence – or COIs to gain a big referral source.” And yet in my 20+ years of working with financial advisors, I hear more disappointment in the results of these efforts than...

Sales Not Up to Snuff? Is the Problem Lead Gen or Lead Conversion?

by Nancy Bleeke | Jul 10, 2019

Wonder why your sales aren’t up to snuff? Is the problem your lead generation (not having enough leads) or lead conversion (not converting those leads to paid clients)? It’s an age-old business question like the chicken and the egg (which did come first?). The question then becomes: If my firm isn’t growing as desired, where should I...

The Conversation Opener That Closes Sales

by Nancy Bleeke | Jul 2, 2019

The Conversation Opener That Closes Sales Did you know that the start of your sales conversation has a huge impact on the end of your conversation? Let me illustrate with this example. Last week, I was anxiously awaiting a two-week in the works sales appointment with a service provider for my business. It’s a service I needed. I was excited. He...

It’s Not Small Talk; It’s Smart Talk

by Nancy Bleeke | Jun 19, 2019

For two weeks I looked forward to a sales appointment. An appointment where I was the buyer, not the provider. My company desperately needed the service being offered and I had high hopes I was going to get a solution to a nagging issue.Imagine my surprise then when Mark showed up at my office, sat at my table, opened his portfolio and said,...

Why is Getting New Clients So Hard? 3 Hidden Traps You Don’t Know You’ve Fallen Into

by Nancy Bleeke | May 22, 2019

How did getting new clients get so hard?When you started it was easier: You had people to talk with and maybe even some existing client relationships that followed you, but now you aren’t getting the “Yeses” you used to.What happened? Did you get bad at selling? Do you need to change your pricing? Is your business model all wrong?If you’ve asked...

A Simple Approach to Small Biz Lead Gen And the 3 Barriers to Doing What Works

by Nancy Bleeke | Apr 10, 2019

Ready to grow your business? Who isn’t? The problem is that it can be frustrating, confusing, and hard! So, let’s simplify it. Generate more leads and then convert them. Of course, doing this isn’t easy. Lead gen and lead conversion both need effort, time, confidence, resources, and skill. While my focus is on equipping people to increase their...

The Qualifying Conundrum

by Nancy Bleeke | Feb 21, 2019

No Matter What You Think…Any Client Is Not Better Than No Client. This week I’ve spoken with three different financial advisors about a very important factor when adding new clients: Not EVERYONE is going to be a good client/customer fit for you. The difference in whether the client will be a good fit or an ill-fit is found in the...

Now is the Time to Launch 2019

by Nancy Bleeke | Dec 17, 2018

Here we are at year-end…the hustle and bustle of the holidays with a year-end push for completion on projects all while trying to make time for family, and so much more to fill our days! Yet, now (as in TODAY) is the best time to launch your 2019 business success. It begins with a business review. Let’s make this review simple and...

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