020: Ian Altman on Same Side Selling, What Sets His Financial Advisor Apart, and Hiring A+ Talent

The Elite Advisor Blueprint®: A Podcast for Financial Advisors

Click Here to Get Access to Ian Altman's "Same Side Pitch" - An Approach to Selling That Your Clients Can Actually Embrace!

This week on The Elite Advisor Blueprint, Ian Altman is here to talk about how to get to the truth as quickly as possible, so you can find the right opportunities and avoid wasting time on clients that aren't an ideal fit.

Ian is a multi-bestselling author, strategic advisor, and a highly-rated international speaker on integrity-based sales. Clients come to Ian to engage audiences, flip traditional sales on its head, and become outrageously successful at targeting and winning business.

A successful services and technology CEO for two decades, Ian draws on years of success and research on how customers make decisions. He shares how his clients have more than doubled their businesses following the same methods that he used to build his former company from zero to more than $1 billion in value.

In this conversation I love how Ian dispels the notion that selling has to be done from two completely different sides - that of the salesperson vs that of the prospect. Instead, as the title of his book states - Same Side Selling, he shares how to work from the same side of the table as the prospective client and co-create a plan together.

Here’s a quick overview of what we cover in this conversation:

• We begin with why the entire sales process begins before you even interact with a prospect by understanding your clients needs and solving their biggest problems, rather than what often happens in our industry - focusing on you the advisor and what it is you do.
• Then we cover, why the sales process doesn’t have to feel like a “pitch fest” and simple tactics that you can immediately apply in order to get away from back and forth sales conversations and instead focus on getting on the “same side of the table” as your prospects.
• Later on, Ian shares a simple question - “Why would your prospects pick you?” A simple question he then unpacks that can help you define bigger and better growth opportunities for your company.
• Towards the end, I ask Ian how he picked his own financial advisor. This leads to one of my favorite discussions I’ve had on my podcast as Ian unpacks everything that led to his decision. He goes deep into the psychology of high net worth prospects, the type of activities and events that attracted him to his advisor, how his advisor built trust with his team so that Ian is comfortable working with them. He also mentions a very cool idea that I think many of you can use on how his advisor created what I’ll call a “community conference room” complete with drink services for their clients that’s led to even more business and referrals. Make sure you don’t miss this part of the conversation as I’m guessing many of you will run with this!

''Selling is not about persuasion, it's about getting to the truth quickly as possible.'' - Ian Altman

SHOW NOTES:

• [05:20] How he created a powerhouse executive team, over delivered, got acquired by a major company, and then managed the growth of that company from 100 million to 2 billion within 3.5 years.
• [09:10]How to scale your business as a financial advisor by focusing on your clients needs, rather than on what you do.
• [13:30] Ian’s “same side” approach to selling that will enable you to quickly establish trust and determine if you’re the right fit for your prospects.
• [17:20] The most common mistakes financial advisors make when trying to acquire new business, why same doesn’t sell, and how to make the best first impression so you can close the deal.
• [19:49] How to uncover and speak to the real problems that prospects are facing, peak their interest, land more appointments and get high quality referrals!
• [25:18] How to increase client retention by defining and delivering meaningful results.
• [26:08] Key questions financial advisors can ask clients in order to get to the truth and uncover what’s really important.
• [32:95] Learn the Side Quadrant framework for taking notes and how you can use it to fire low quality leads, narrow your focus and expand your opportunities as company.
• [43:02] Ian outlines his decision process for selecting Barry Glassman to be his financial advisor and the 2 biggest factors that clients consider when deciding whether or not to stay with you.
• [50:46] The importance of empowering your team and cultivating an entire organization that your clients know, like and trust.
• [55:01] How to create high-end events for existing clients and why they don’t need to have anything to do with financial advising.
• [01:07:21] How to avoid the mad scramble to find talent and why it’s critical to hire A players if you want to become the best, continuously grow, and take your business to the next level.
• [01:13:37] Find out why Will Smith is one of the first people that pops into Ian head when he hears the word “successful.”
• [01:15:07] Ian’s favorite and most gifted books.

''Same Doesn't Sell." - Ian Altman

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

• Connect with Ian Altman

Website | Twitter | LinkedIn

• Same Side Selling
• Grow My Revenue Business Cast
• Inc Magazine
• Forbes Magazine
• Giftology by John Ruhlin
• Purple Cow by Seth Godin
• To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink
• Sell More & Work Less by Andrew Blume
• They Ask, You Answer Marcus Sheridan
• Networking is Not Working by Derek Coburn
• Glengarry Glen Ross

PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE

• John Ruhlin - Founder of Ruhlin Group
• Jack Quarles - Author of Expensive Sentences
• Barry Glassman - Founder & President of Glassman Wealth Services®
• Scott McKain - Business Thinker, Best Selling Author and International Speaker
• Derek Coburn - Author of Networking is Not Working
• David Bach - Author of The Automatic Millionaire
• Ron Carson - Founder and CEO of Carson Group Holdings
• Will Smith - Hollywood Actor

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