How are VouchedFor enquiries different?
VouchedFor enquiries are different to client referrals, professional connection referrals, or cold leads. When speaking to these enquirers, small changes in your approach can make all the difference.
Where do you get most of your new clients from today?
- Personal referrals?
- Lead generators?
- Your website?
People who make an enquiry through VouchedFor are most like (3), and quite different to (1) and (2). They need to be treated differently.
Personal referrals are great. They are often sold on you before they pick up the phone. But they can be in short supply (though we hope your “VouchedFor status” helps!).
VouchedFor enquirers, like visitors to your website, like to do more homework. They don’t rely on one person’s word. They may have a little less confidence, trust or knowledge. They’re sometimes in the dark about what advice they’re really looking for and have little to compare your services or prices to.
Usually, they will want to speak by phone, but they won’t necessarily yet be committed to meeting you. During that call, they’ll be asking themselves:
- Does this adviser understand me?
- Does it sound like they can help?
- Do we gel?
Usually, if they answer “yes”, they will be keen to meet. But not always. Their research process will sometimes take them off in a different direction.
What will almost certainly turn them off is treating them like “leads”. We’ve banned this word in our offices. Web “leads” are often generated by websites targeting product-related keywords (e.g., “Purchase Annuities”) and offering things like “free quotes” as code for “a call from an adviser”. A lead is a phone number for someone looking for product. An enquiry is someone asking you if you can help them.
Here’s a comparison to help you think about potential differences:
Consumers in charge: exclusive enquiries
Some enquiries aren't exclusive to you on VouchedFor. This section explains more about why consumers decide to contact more than one adviser and what it means for you.
- Consumers in charge: enquirers can choose one, two or up to three advisers to contact. The choice is completely up to them.
- Why some consumers need to compare: many enquirers have never dealt with an adviser before, and even those who have may still not be aware of the full value a great adviser can add. As the adviser/client relationship is key, it can make sense to speak to more than one adviser to make sure it's the right fit for both.
- The other side of the coin: It can be frustrating to call up an enquirer and speak to them to later find out they decided to become a client of another adviser. This is the perfect time to ask yourself, was it the right match? If you think it could have been, what could you do to make sure that next time they do choose you?
- Our statistics show that enquirers who contact more than one adviser are often the most likely to proceed to formal advice - they are committed to finding the right adviser for them.
You may face some competition, but you have a keener potential client so if you think it's right make sure they think so too!
