How many prospecting calls did you make t

527 this week, but had appts all day on TUE and am taking off early today. Will be in tomorrow to leave messages for exec's, etc.

Next week should be the same... Keep it consistent, get your name out there, and then DRIP away till the meeting comes and the ACAT's come over...

I am focused on networking and seminars right now.  Unfortunately, I don't have many leads to purchase in my area for cold calling.  I think I've hit everyone off of the DNC list at least once that fits my criteria for a prospect.  Other things I am doing, getting out and being active anywhere I can.  It's funny, I've had a lot of people ask me what I do when I see them say at a gas station or store, vs. when they see me at our event, like my bowling league.  No one wants to talk about money around a group of people, which I respect.

 "I think I've hit everyone off of the DNC list at least once that fits my criteria for a prospect."

At least ONCE? That's crazy! And they havent called you back to set up a meeting? Research shows it takes between 6-8 'touches' before a qualified, affluent propsect will either commit to a meeting or doing business with you, or finally tell you to F-off.

Zero. How many cold calls did you get from other professionals this week?

[quote=joecamelguy]

Zero. How many cold calls did you get from other professionals this week?

[/quote]

Are you a doctor? Because this is a forum only for salesmen of security products.

[quote=farotech] [quote=joecamelguy]

Zero. How many cold calls did you get from other professionals this week?

[/quote]

Are you a doctor? Because this is a forum only for salesmen of security

products.

What is the formula for success if you don't have a wealthy natural market? Mailings and seminars? Buying a table at Chamber events?

If you can show me a salesman who succeeded without cold calling and without a qualified natural market, then I will eat my hat.

[quote=farotech]

What is the formula for success if you don’t have a

wealthy natural market? Mailings and seminars? Buying a table at Chamber

events?

If you can show me a salesman who succeeded without cold calling and

without a qualified natural market, then I will eat my hat.

Cold Call + existing network = success

I'm all ears.

I went years without cold calling.  Despite not needing to do so, resuming cold calling was a great move for me. 

[quote=farotech]

What is the formula for success if you don’t have a wealthy natural market? Mailings and seminars? Buying a table at Chamber events?

If you can show me a salesman who succeeded without cold calling and without a qualified natural market, then I will eat my hat.

[quote=anonymous]I went years without cold calling.  Despite not needing to do so, resuming cold calling was a great move for me.  [/quote]

Did you really start doing it, again? I used to get a huge thrill out of it. I just hired a caller who will start in a week and a half and I'm gonna spend a couple of days calling with her, so she can learn from me.

I did.  My attitude is that I can wait to get referred to Joe Blow or I can just pick up the phone and call him.  The worst thing that can happen is that I don't get the appointment.  Even if this is the case, if I then get referred to him, he won't remember that I cold called him in the past.

I must admit that I'm a bigger fan of cold walking than cold calling.

[quote=anonymous]

I must admit that I'm a bigger fan of cold walking than cold calling.

It takes a pair to walk into the first couple of businesses.  After that, it’s easy.

[quote=anonymous]It takes a pair to walk into the first couple of businesses.  After that, it's easy.[/quote]

Have you been using that Bert Meisel approach?

[quote=joecamelguy]

Zero. How many cold calls did you get from other professionals this week?

[/quote]

Was this thread titled  "How many cold calls did you make this week?"

Oh, that's right, it wasn't.

If you called a referral to introduce yourself, or seminar attendee to make an appointment , wouldn't that be prospecting call? Why, yes it would.

Reading comprehension counts!

As for cold calling, there is absolutely nothing wrong with as a marketing approach.

And to answer the question: How many professionals cold called called me this week? Three. Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney(Citi) called to invite me to dinner seminars at two very nice restaurants and a really strong call from AG Edwards wanted to know if I'd like some investment research. Good calls one and all. Very professionally handled. Unfortunately, ethically, I had to decline their offers.

And one more thing:The two calls to invite me to the dinner seminars were from multi-million dollar groups. I recognized them as two major competitors in my area. There a hundred different ways to get this business done and cold calling is just one of them. I don't want to hear anyone feeding any BS about cold calling being non professional, or not working or not being necessary. There's a reason these groups are doing millions of dollars in production. They didn't get the memo that cold calling is a non professional approach that no longer works.

I think you get the point. There'e cold calling, and then there is following up on referrals or seminar attendees.

It is just my opinion that when you start selling your ideas to someone out of the blue, it puts you in a whole different professional light than when they come to you.

If a dentist or lawyer or doctor or CPA or even a chiropracter or mortgage broker  called me up randomly at work and offered their services, I would be negatively impressed.

Anyone who does not get that about our profession (and I don't mean you) is deluding themselves into equating true financial professional advising work with traditional product selling - obviously there are elements of both in our profession - but it tends to be exploited by the suits in the home offices to the detriment of the American consumer. You can focus on defending the selling aspect, but it does not enhance your personna as a professional.

It almost seems like some established reps here are sentimental about cold calling, which is " nice ", so am I, but lets get real about needing or wanting to do it as an established professional, or conveying that message to younger reps who do need to cold call but should know that they need to get away from it and go for referrals and natural market leads, or at least " seminars ", as you mentioned.

We can still tolerate each other. No need to get you undies in a bundle when we talk here, or attack my reading comprehension abilities.

[quote=joecamelguy]

I think you get the point. There'e cold calling, and then there is following up on referrals or seminar attendees.

It is just my opinion that when you start selling your ideas to someone out of the blue, it puts you in a whole different professional light than when they come to you.

If a dentist or lawyer or doctor or CPA or even a chiropracter or mortgage broker  called me up randomly at work and offered their services, I would be negatively impressed.

Anyone who does not get that about our profession (and I don't mean you) is deluding themselves into equating true financial professional advising work with traditional product selling - obviously there are elements of both in our profession - but it tends to be exploited by the suits in the home offices to the detriment of the American consumer. You can focus on defending the selling aspect, but it does not enhance your personna as a professional.

It almost seems like some established reps here are sentimental about cold calling, which is " nice ", so am I, but lets get real about needing or wanting to do it as an established professional, or conveying that message to younger reps who do need to cold call but should know that they need to get away from it and go for referrals and natural market leads, or at least " seminars ", as you mentioned.

We can still tolerate each other. No need to get you undies in a bundle when we talk here, or attack my reading comprehension abilities.

[/quote]

The thread is about prospecting calls. You assumed I meant cold calling.

Attack? I wasn't attacking you. I merely pointed out that you misunderstood the purpose of the thread and in doing so threw a fire bomb at cold calling. You don't like cold calling so be it, don't do it. Actually, You are in the majority. And most of that majority has never cold called. So start your own thread about why you don't like cold calling and leave this thread to the positive people who want to talk about what they're doing to move themselves forward. And personally i'd love to hear, chapter and verse, your professional approach. As I'm sure most others would too.

Sure, there must be some miscommunication.

Good luck with your thread, then.

Allow me to add my 2 cents....

I survived and prospered all through cold calling.  Can't tell you how many (former) colleagues were going to build a business via networking, "natural affinity markets", referrals (with no clients as of yet!), seminars, "deep and narrow" target marketing, etc etc etc.  Well, they are all out of the business and the true grunts are still around and succeeding.  There's a lesson there.

At the end of the month, my firm pays me a % on what I have produced.  Nothing more, nothing less.  As long as I'm in good standing with compliance they could care less how the business has been generated. Just that it has.  Too many people that get into the business get much too wrapped up on "strategic" ways and means.  And they almost always fail.  It all comes down to contacting a more-than-ample enough of (suspected) qualified people on a daily basis with an effective approach and good follow-up skills.  Not to mention organization and selling skills.  That said, ANYONE could succeed if they simply made a certain amount of calls EVERY DAY and just pitched something.  I get rejected more than you can imagine.  I also succeed quite a bit, and my earnings put me in the top 1% of the population.  Simply put- I'm measured (i.e earn) on the total # of successes, not on the # of attempts.

One last point for those looking to build on their "network" or "affinity market": I've been in this business for well over a decade.  I know quite a few people, and I'm involved in numerous organizations.  I've done very well for clients over the years' and I "think" most that meet me will surmise that I've done quite well for myself in the business (title, lifestyle, knowledge, etc).  While I never ask friends/known people for business, I rarely get anyone I know ask me to help them with their portfolio.  I'd starve if I depended on those that I know.  Yes, I could be more proactive and ask for the business, but THAT is what makes me feel uncomfortable.  I much prefer to regularly contact strangers and go from there.  And (yes) I do get some referrals from existing clients', though that is an area I should be working much harder at.

Bobby,  I do use the Meisel approach.

If a dentist or lawyer or doctor or CPA or even a chiropracter or mortgage broker  called me up randomly at work and offered their services, I would be negatively impressed.

That may be very true.  Therefore, you most likely would not become their client.  If they didn't call you, you also wouldn't become their client.   On the other hand, if the chiropractor called 100 people a day, 99 of them would be negatively impressed and 1 would meet with him and he'd soon become a chiropractor who becomes incredibly successful and postively impacts 1 new person a day more than he otherwise would. 

With apologies to Bond Guy for apparently hijacking his thread:

Look, Anonymous, a lot of good points have been made here, and Judge you make some excellent points about personal relationships vs. pure business connections.

Results are results and success is success. I'm making a small point here, just keep an open mind about the idea of chasing folks around versus having them come to you.

I'm thinking at the professional level, not trying to discourage anyone from finding a start by cold calling. Hopefully, your work speaks for itself and you eventually grow by word of mouth. If not, why?

If veterans want to celebrate what in my view is distasteful albeit necessary, more power to them, as Bond Guy has adequately if not peevishly pointed out here.

It is nice to think our industry would do a little less ambulance chasing, I know I'm a little idealistic in this regard, but I would hope that especially established and successful advisors would appreciate the relatively passe stature of cold calling with regards to increasing our professional perception by the public, which of course could increase our livelihood.

I know from experience that through positioning and reputation, new clients will come to me. I also know that I usually have to sift through a lot of crap regarding past experiences and perceptions when taking new clients into the planning/investment process.

Anyway, sorry to inturrupt the topic at hand.

[quote=joecamelguy]

With apologies to Bond Guy for apparently hijacking his thread:

Look, Anonymous, a lot of good points have been made here, and Judge you make some excellent points about personal relationships vs. pure business connections.

Results are results and success is success. I'm making a small point here, just keep an open mind about the idea of chasing folks around versus having them come to you.

I'm thinking at the professional level, not trying to discourage anyone from finding a start by cold calling. Hopefully, your work speaks for itself and you eventually grow by word of mouth. If not, why?

If veterans want to celebrate what in my view is distasteful albeit necessary, more power to them, as Bond Guy has adequately if not peevishly pointed out here.

It is nice to think our industry would do a little less ambulance chasing, I know I'm a little idealistic in this regard, but I would hope that especially established and successful advisors would appreciate the relatively passe stature of cold calling with regards to increasing our professional perception by the public, which of course could increase our livelihood.

I know from experience that through positioning and reputation, new clients will come to me. I also know that I usually have to sift through a lot of crap regarding past experiences and perceptions when taking new clients into the planning/investment process.

Anyway, sorry to inturrupt the topic at hand.

[/quote]

I'd rather be a rich "non-professional" than a poor professional. I like the hunt, making the kill, and eating the spoils. I just don't get that from putting together a little projected cash flow analysis and a pie chart. To me, there's nothing more exciting than banging on the phone all day and driving home, having booked 3 or 4 appointments with qualified, motivated strangers.

Some of you know what I'm talking about and most of you don't/never will.

Many of us will never know the particular “pleasures” described in the movie, Sideways. But some will. What a great country.

Let's talk about some of the non cold calling alternatives:

Seminars: Ophs, Thats right you need to get people to attend the seminar. Mass mail works to a point. As does advertising.  Cold calling is usually part of the process, if not the complete marketing process.

Joining service groups: Let's see, Rotary Clubs usually have lots of wealthy members. So if I've got this straight, I join to get business for myself, not because I believe in what Rotary stands for? Yet I lead my fellow Rotarians to believe I'm there for the cause. Yeah, that's definately less slimy than a straight forward cold call.

Joining Charity groups: See above,  possibly more slimy, definately as  disingenuous.

There is nothing wrong with joining charities and service groups where you have a vested interest in the cause. However, if you are joining for the business connections, regardless of how hard you work for them and you think yourself more professional than a cold caller, you're wrong.

Joining a networking group: This actually is a good idea. Good Luck being the only financial advisor in the group. And more power to you if you can actually make a living doing this.

Referrals: Another good way to go once you are established and have something of value to offer. Nothing wrong with asking for referals, but that's a shaded slope where the slime starts to grow. Clients didn't sign on to help you make more money, only to help them manage theirs. Promoting referrals is a much better way to go, if passive. Let clients know you are open to referrals and let them come to you. That said, iIm not opposed to asking. yet, i cringe when the phone rings and its some long lost friend who is now working for NY Life and wants to help me out. After telling him I'm not interested he asks me if I can refer some people. And I'm suppose to do what?

Critics can say what they will about cold calling, at least it's straight forward and honest.

[quote=joecamelguy]

Sure, there must be some miscommunication.

Good luck with your thread, then.

I got my start like everyone else - no silver bullet, just scrapped appointments with the phone.

Now, it's 100% referrals. I service the heck out of my clients, and they tell folks they know they are happy with me.

For me, the way to book those aquaintances of existing clients comes down to one thing: doing fun things with them in a social setting, along with the client, so I can be " checked out " at arms length.

Since I was successful and good at cold calling, it took a long time to make a 100% commitment to this approach. In terms of positioning as a professional in my own mind, there is no going back.

Some have said that being a money advisor is a little like being a priest or minister, in that people's money - how they feel about it - touches very close to their spiritual values. If that is true, at least for some people,  hiring a financial advisor would be a little different than just hiring someone to do some dental work, write up some legal papers, do taxes and so on.

The more you talk to clients and their friends about this a little - keep it light and honest - the more this resonates and draws people to you. The average person who hires an advisor wouldn't mind working together for decades, and will pay a fair price - they want your knowledge, experience, consistency and so on - the more you can get this message out through " positioning " - the more the business just flows to you. I don't imagine, for advisors who do this, that there is a lot of need or even desire to talk about it, if you know what I mean.

What is the Bert Meisel method?

Many of the above posts are correct; i.e use whatever method works for YOU, be it cold calling, seminars, networking, etc.



I was introduced to a high-tech high-touch relationship marketing system just over 6 months ago. It is the best $400 investment I have ever made. I did not get sales overnight, but I did get immediate positive feedback that turned into sales just a few months down the line.



Their website is:

www.Word-of-Mouth-Referrals.com



I wish I would have found these guys years ago!

Marketing, I guess that your business isn’t successful enough to actually purchase and ad.

I made 967 calls this week, spoke to 122 live people and set 11 appointments(some of which take place at the beginning of next week).  I didn't leave voicemails as they take too long, but since this was a list of retirees, I wonder how many were screening their voicemail machine.

Next week I am going to call business owners to ask if I can stop by and introduce myself.  

[quote=LEAP]

I made 967 calls this week, spoke to 122 live people and set 11 appointments(some of which take place at the beginning of next week).  I didn't leave voicemails as they take too long, but since this was a list of retirees, I wonder how many were screening their voicemail machine.

Next week I am going to call business owners to ask if I can stop by and introduce myself.  

next week? the week isn't over...if you don't come in on saturaday, don't even bother coming in on sunday.

[quote=LEAP]

I made 967 calls this week, spoke to 122 live people and set 11 appointments(some of which take place at the beginning of next week).  I didn't leave voicemails as they take too long, but since this was a list of retirees, I wonder how many were screening their voicemail machine.

Next week I am going to call business owners to ask if I can stop by and introduce myself.  

[/quote]

Good job, brotha. How many do you figure will keep the appts and how many of those do you think will convert to clients?

What is the AVG number of calls one should expect to make in 9 hours (To simplify, assume there are no meetings and minimal break(s)) thx

[quote=joecamelguy]

Zero. How many cold calls did you get from other professionals this week?

[/quote]

my sentiments exactly

If you wanna be one, you gotta act like one.

Bobby Hull - I really don't know.  I am a newbie.  At the conclusion of each call I did mention that I understand and respect that situations arise where you might need to cancel.  Please just call my office in advance if you need to cancel or reschedule.  Each person responded favorably to my request.  I believe that acknowledging this vulnerability and my understanding of it drives my value up in their mind. 

Is it unprofessional to cold call?? - Since I am not yet a professional money manager for many clients at this point, I currently consider myself a professional solicitor for people in need of money management services.

At some point, I hope that my results with clients will speak highly enough to refer other prospects.  However, at the current juncture each and every prospecting action is educational enough that it is contributing to my survival.  My cashflow doesn't currently allow me to dump huge amounts of money on outside marketing schemes like seminars and appointment setters, but I am always looking to work smarter.

[quote=LEAP]

Bobby Hull - I really don't know.  I am a newbie.  At the conclusion of each call I did mention that I understand and respect that situations arise where you might need to cancel.  Please just call my office in advance if you need to cancel or reschedule.  Each person responded favorably to my request.  I believe that acknowledging this vulnerability and my understanding of it drives my value up in their mind. 

Is it unprofessional to cold call?? - Since I am not yet a professional money manager for many clients at this point, I currently consider myself a professional solicitor for people in need of money management services.

At some point, I hope that my results with clients will speak highly enough to refer other prospects.  However, at the current juncture each and every prospecting action is educational enough that it is contributing to my survival.  My cashflow doesn't currently allow me to dump huge amounts of money on outside marketing schemes like seminars and appointment setters, but I am always looking to work smarter.

[/quote]

Forget the please call if you have to cancel crap. It makes you sound weak. When you set the appoitment, ask them if you should write it in pen or pencil. When they ask the difference, tell them that pen means that they are highly motivated to solve their problem and that pencil means that they have some type of reservation about the whole thing. It's better to deal with that now than later. It gives you a chance to dig for more pain and convert them to an "ink" appointment.

That sounds like a load of crap, pen and pencil. Just be yourself, but let folks know your time is valuable. If you are giving your time, and they are coming by your office, that is a fair trade. If you act manipulative, you risk being perceived as a schmuck.

Of course you need to get some clients before you can survive. Whatever training you have already makes you a lot more knowledgeable than the average person, so be honest, direct, respectful and business like. Uncover needs and meet them, be persistant, talk with a smile in your voice, and you will find success.

The ‘pen or pencil’ question IS letting the prosect know that your time is

valuable. It’s a good tongue-in-cheek way to make that point.

[quote=joecamelguy]

If a dentist or lawyer or doctor or CPA or even a chiropracter or mortgage broker  called me up randomly at work and offered their services, I would be negatively impressed.

.

[/quote]

I think that if one of these professionals called and was able to convince you as to why a) they were calling you, and b) what made their practice better than the down the street, you might change your tune.  It's all in the delivery.  If you call someone and come off like a spammer or one of those cell phone salesmen from the mall, then sure, it reflects poorly on your practice.  If you are able to create interest, you can then, in turn, show what value you can bring to the client.  It's easy to come up with elevety-bazillion different reasons why you shouldn't CC and much more difficult to pick up the phone and start dialing.

Remember 6-8 touches before anything comes of it.  The people who tell you to f- off are @-holes anyway and you wouldn't want them as a client in a bear market anyway.  It can work, you just need a spine and some patience.

Think about what you just said. A physician takes time out of a busy day to cold call you, and tell you what makes his practice better than your current physician ( he doesn't even know who your current health advisor is). He is very smooth and convincing. After six to eight calls from this doctor, including many missed (caller ID) attempts, you .... become concerned and contact the medical board to find out what is wrong with this psycho ....

I realize you need to get some clients and get started, just don't try to make a virtue out of cold calling. Yes it detracts from our profession.

[quote=pretzelhead][quote=joecamelguy]

If a dentist or lawyer or doctor or CPA or even a chiropracter or mortgage broker  called me up randomly at work and offered their services, I would be negatively impressed.

.

[/quote]

I think that if one of these professionals called and was able to convince you as to why a) they were calling you, and b) what made their practice better than the down the street, you might change your tune.  It's all in the delivery.  If you call someone and come off like a spammer or one of those cell phone salesmen from the mall, then sure, it reflects poorly on your practice.  If you are able to create interest, you can then, in turn, show what value you can bring to the client.  It's easy to come up with elevety-bazillion different reasons why you shouldn't CC and much more difficult to pick up the phone and start dialing.

Remember 6-8 touches before anything comes of it.  The people who tell you to f- off are @-holes anyway and you wouldn't want them as a client in a bear market anyway.  It can work, you just need a spine and some patience.

[/quote]

The 6-8 touches crap is a cop out. You should close for an appointment on the first call and close the deal during the appointment.

[quote=joecamelguy]I got my start like everyone else - no silver bullet, just scrapped appointments with the phone.

Now, it's 100% referrals. I service the heck out of my clients, and they tell folks they know they are happy with me.

For me, the way to book those aquaintances of existing clients comes down to one thing: doing fun things with them in a social setting, along with the client, so I can be " checked out " at arms length.

Since I was successful and good at cold calling, it took a long time to make a 100% commitment to this approach. In terms of positioning as a professional in my own mind, there is no going back.

Some have said that being a money advisor is a little like being a priest or minister, in that people's money - how they feel about it - touches very close to their spiritual values. If that is true, at least for some people,  hiring a financial advisor would be a little different than just hiring someone to do some dental work, write up some legal papers, do taxes and so on.

The more you talk to clients and their friends about this a little - keep it light and honest - the more this resonates and draws people to you. The average person who hires an advisor wouldn't mind working together for decades, and will pay a fair price - they want your knowledge, experience, consistency and so on - the more you can get this message out through " positioning " - the more the business just flows to you. I don't imagine, for advisors who do this, that there is a lot of need or even desire to talk about it, if you know what I mean.[/quote]

This is pretty close to my story, except that the first part was the lazy man's path...I sat in a bank and supplemented my prospecting efforts with referrals from bank employees.  Today, it's all client/professional referrals and I love it.  On a referral, your close rate is very high and you're confident that the prospect is there because he/she/they WANT to be there.

I won't say that cold-calling doesn't work...there are too many proofs that it does.  I simply have no taste for it and I have a hard time believing that with all the obstacles (DNC, saturation, etc.) that it's as effective as it once was.  In fact, some old timers I met last week said that it's nowhere near as effective as it used to be.  The fact that it's still probably among the most effective methods for rookies underscores just how difficult it is to start from scratch today and be successful in this industry.  Hats off to all of you who've made it work.

If you say the same things that everyone else says on the cold calls, you will get the same crappy results that everyone else gets. If I gave a crap about any of you, I’d share some ideas for cold calling.

Nice comment, Indy. It was interesting following your transition thread here.

I think the whole point of the Joe Camel thread series is, we really need to remake ourselves as professionals - there almost comes a point when we just tell the wirehouses to " shove it " and quit screwing up our fishing waters by chumming them with garbage that is self serving and short term - having rookies cold call isn't even a good idea any more, for any one. Why don't we just get on with it.

Bobby, nobody cares what you think, anyway. Time to put on your thinking cap and develop some content, or at least start telling some good jokes here. We're bored with you and your shocking attacks upon civility.

[quote=shorttoday]

Nice comment, Indy. It was interesting following your transition thread here.

I think the whole point of the Joe Camel thread series is, we really need to remake ourselves as professionals - there almost comes a point when we just tell the wirehouses to " shove it " and quit screwing up our fishing waters by chumming them with garbage that is self serving and short term - having rookies cold call isn't even a good idea any more, for any one. Why don't we just get on with it.

Bobby, nobody cares what you think, anyway. Time to put on your thinking cap and develop some content, or at least start telling some good jokes here. We're bored with you and your shocking attacks upon civility.

[/quote]

How can I lose with you serving as my self-esteem director?

 No way you can lose, friend.

To this day I still ask people if they invest in Muni’s  when I cold call.  If the answer is yes, they probably have money.  Cold calling is one thing, qualifiying on the phone is key.  If you can qualify quickly, it makes you more motivated to close.

[quote=shorttoday]

Nice comment, Indy. It was interesting following your transition thread here.

I think the whole point of the Joe Camel thread series is, we really need to remake ourselves as professionals - there almost comes a point when we just tell the wirehouses to " shove it " and quit screwing up our fishing waters by chumming them with garbage that is self serving and short term - having rookies cold call isn't even a good idea any more, for any one. Why don't we just get on with it.

[/quote]

You've gotta love the reading comprehension issues in this post.

This thread is entitled  "How many prospecting calls did you make this week?"

It's not "How many cold calls did you make this week?"

Yet the anti-cold calling coalition putting their poor reading skills to good use have decided to use this thread to jump on their just don't cold call soap box. The least they could do is get the thread originator right.

A prospecting call is any call that moves the prospect, regardless of how obtained, one step closer to becoming a client.

And on cold calling:

At least it's straight forward and honest. Which is more than can be said about the disingenuous gladhanding FAs hanging out at charity events, not as true believers in the cause, but for the business contacts.

[quote=bXpress]To this day I still ask people if they invest in Muni's  when I cold call.  If the answer is yes, they probably have money.  Cold calling is one thing, qualifiying on the phone is key.  If you can qualify quickly, it makes you more motivated to close.[/quote]

I used to do the same thing, but instead of asking "if" they buy them, I asked them "where" they were buying them. That little nuance made all the difference in the world in terms of being able to take that conversation in any direction.

"I used to do the same thing, but instead of asking "if" they buy them, I asked them "where" they were buying them. That little nuance made all the difference in the world in terms of being able to take that conversation in any direction."

Good point BH- now go back into your cage.

" Where do you buy your muni bonds, " and " Do you want to play golf?". I really like that.

Bumped for good read.

How many will you make next week?