I have had a number of Financial Road Map® appointments recently where the person has indicated they have gone through significant planning recently and their perception is they have everything in place or at least have had their financial house looked at. I offered to complete the full Financial Road Map® and explained that the information he was giving me about recent planning was a little premature. I also explained that I was only offering the full Financial Road Map® at this stage and that something may or may not come of this and followed up by mentioning that, either way, the result was ok. I get the feeling they are not differentiating me from other financial planners, though. The Financial Road Map® Phone appointments are conducted with a calm way of being and with no expectation that the person will become a client. What could I say in this situation to show the prospective client we are different in our approach even though the Financial Road Map® is also very different?

It sounds like you are referring to the phone consultation and the offer is to complete the Financial Road Map®, correct?

The key is to focus on the benefits of having a complete Financial Road Map® and not whether or not they will hire you to be their Financial Advisor and / or compare you to their current, or any other, Financial Advisor. It sounds to me like you are doing this just fine.

The bottom line is that some people may not be moved by the Values Conversation™ and defining a goal. They may not be inspired to want to complete their Financial Road Map®. When this occurs, they may offer any number of reasons for not want to accept your offer. Answer a couple of their questions and then move on. Those people who are truly Ideal Clients will love the Values Conversation™ and the whole experience of speaking with you on the phone. Which will inspire them to want to meet with you in-person to complete their Financial Road Map®. The process is as much about filtering out the wrong people as it is about attracting the right people.