Stump The Guru Podcast

Sales scripts are often promoted as the key to success. 

But let’s be honest—scripts can sound robotic and insincere. 

If you’re relying too much on a script, you might be missing out on connecting with your prospect on a human level. 

In this month’s Stump The Guru show, I talked about “Are You Using A Sales Script?”. 

I've made it my life’s mission to create the clarity that is missing in the traditional sales process, through d...

A sales roadmap is often presented as a step-by-step guide to closing deals. 

But here’s the thing: If your roadmap is focused only on the destination—making the sale—you might be missing something crucial along the way. 

The journey is about creating trust with your prospects at every step, not just rushing to the finish line. 

In this month’s Stump The Guru show, I talked about “Do You Have A "Sales Roadmap"?. 

I've ma...

Objections are a common part of the sales process, but here’s a thought: What if trying to “overcome” them is actually working against you? 

When we push against objections, we’re not connecting with the true concerns of our prospects. Instead of seeing objections as hurdles to overcome, let’s see them as opportunities to listen and understand.  

In this month’s Stump The Guru show, I talked about "Should You Be Overcoming Objec...

We often assume that more information is what our prospects need. But what if that’s not the case?  

In reality, giving too much information too soon can overwhelm them and drive them away. What they really want is clarity, confidence, and trust in you—not a firehose of facts.  

In this month’s Stump The Guru show, I talked about “Is Information Really What Your Prospects Want From You?”. 

I've made it my life’s mission to create...

When you're challenged by a prospect, your first instinct might be to defend yourself. But what if that’s not the best response?  

Defending yourself can create a barrier between you and the prospect, making it harder to build trust. Instead of pushing back, what if you leaned in with curiosity and understanding?  

In this month’s Stump The Guru show, I talked about “Are You Defending Yourself When Challenged?”. 

I've made i...

As a highly competent advisor with years of experience, it’s easy to assume that your accrued expertise is all you need to successfully acquire new clients at a steady pace.

You have a respectable book of business that you’ve built over the years delivering dependable advice and tremendous value.

Clients are happy and your business is relatively stable.

With all of that, it’s easy to assume new potential clients would instantly recogn...

For a long time, referrals were the “I’ve made it, I’m good at what I do, I don’t need to market myself,” safe zone for many advisors.

As referrals started coming in, there was a sense of relief that you could keep your foot on the brake and not have to worry about stepping on the marketing pedal to accelerate your practice.

But waiting for your phone to ring for a referral is no longer the safe zone as it once was, unless you are ha...

What could be worse than having a qualified prospect who you can help, slip through your fingers and vanish?

You did everything right in the initial conversation.

You were friendly, gave them great information, and you didn’t pressure them to move forward.

But at the end they say:

“Thank you so much for your time. Let me think about it, and if I’m interested, I’ll get back to you”.

In th...

Our instinct to gaining a new paying client during the sales conversation, subconsciously directs our thinking to keeping the sales conversation constantly moving forward -- so we don’t lose momentum, ending in losing the potential client.

So, when an initial sales conversation with a prospect runs out of steam, and feels like it should reach some kind of conclusion, we often fill that awkward moment with: “Do you have any other que...

Being an expert often comes with what I call “the curse of mastery” – when someone tells you about their problem, you immediately begin trying to solve it – because you can.

The curse of mastery also comes with this belief: solving problems for your prospects up front, is how you prove your value by showing them you know your stuff.

But the truth is, trying to solve their problems by providing information and insights in your initial...

How many times have you had an initial consultation with a new qualified prospect, where no matter how well you explained your process, they just wouldn’t take the next step with you?

For most advisors, it’s far too many.

Somewhere in the conversation the momentum is lost, they don’t return your calls, don’t respond to your emails, and you never figure out the root cause of why they decided to “ghost” you.

In this month’s Stump The Gu...

A funny thing happens when you have an initial conversation with a potential client. 

When they start sharing their challenges with you, you probably can’t help yourself but to do what I call “free consulting”.

Free consulting is when you provide information and education to prove you know your stuff.

It assumes they’re making their decision to hire you based on your competence – proven by the information and education you provide to ...

As an advisor, the last thing you want is to be labelled as a stereotypical “sales person”.

But when your prospects don’t give you enough information in your initial conversation, you begin educating them and fall into “free consulting” mode.

You’re a fiduciary, you have their best interest at heart, but they keep you at bay shopping around, seeing other advisors.

In this month’s Stump The Guru show, I spoke about “Is The Hard Sell Ob...

Your prospect won’t allow you into their world unless they perceive you as being selfless in your intentions.

But unless your advisory practice is a non-profit entity, being selfless in your intentions is completely at odds with your need to make the sale.

How do you reconcile this paradox?

In this month’s Stump The Guru show, I spoke about “Does Being Too Friendly Come With Downsides?”

I've made it my life’s mission to create the...

Many advisors have been conditioned to believe that their prospects must like them first before they’re willing to become a paying client.

If you eavesdropped inside a typical initial conversation

between an advisor and their prospect, you’d probably hear a lot of chit-chat about trivial things, that may not relate to their challenges.

The problem with rapport-building on its own is that your prospects can sense you may have a hidden ...

When there is an abundant supply of advisors in your local market, it becomes harder for you to differentiate yourself. As a result, it’s easy to let your guard down and adjust your fees downward (or add more pre-sale “meetings” to your sales process), out of fear you might lose a new client opportunity.

But if you allow yourself to become commoditized in this way, you open yourself up to being “shopped” against other advisors.

In th...

The life blood of your practice depends on you bringing in new paying clients, consistently. So, why is it that so many of your new client opportunities end up disappearing on you?

You’ve done everything “by the book”. You’ve built a relationship, provided value, education, and given them plenty of room to make a decision without any pressure…then poof, they’re gone.

In this episode of Stump The Guru Podcast, I spoke about How Can Yo...

Are you overcompensating by going heavy on relationship-building in your sales process?

Building deep trust with your prospects in your sales process does not require you to build a relationship with them.

That's a BOMB in the entire traditional selling industry.

If you have a very clear process on how to create trust in your sales process, based on their deep issues, then you don't have to spend your energy getting them to ...

 Let me be blunt ... The number one goal is not to promote your product, brand or solution – but rather focus in on, and understand the problem your prospect is trying to solve. It is only then, when you have demonstrated your genuine concern for the problem your prospect is trying to solve, that you have the trust needed to offer a solution.
 
Traditional selling methodology suggests a sale is lost at the end of the proces...