Closing Annuity Sales: the First Appointment

Closing annuity sales is the point of the exercise, and every professional knows the euphoria of a perfect presentation and close. Some salespeople believe it is the hand of destiny ushering them through the signatures, to the button-up, the handshake, and the drive home where they bask in the good fortune of finding that “low-hanging fruit.” The true professional spends the drive home replaying a different visual, a series of familiar steps that lead inevitably, unerringly to a new client for life. One salesperson gets lucky, the other gets validation.

The perfect presentation and close takes on a Zen-like quality, like the sound of one hand clapping. There is no sale, no close. There is a problem that finds a solution, a fear that finds comfort. All reasoning, all motivation comes from the client. Aristotle nailed it 2400 years ago: “The fool tells me his reasons, the wise man persuades me with my own.”

Now that you’ve given your first pair of Safe Money Seminars and collected a couple dozen appointments, here are some defining dos and don’ts. When precisely executed, my three appointment process of closing annuity sales will assure not only sales, but new clients for life. For example, do remember that all prospects walk into your office (or await your arrival at their home) with important core emotional values