“Instead of saying, ‘You can do this,’ ask yourself, ‘Can you do this? How?’” Pink said. “How” questions usually get a response, he said. Practice and rehearse the answers that explain how. Those answers then can be given to clients, he said.

Questions are a good way to get clients thinking about their needs and eventually having them align with the advisor, he said, and questions can be more persuasive that statements. However, he added, financial advisors should only ask a question when the facts back up what they are trying to accomplish.

“Asking a question gets you an active response. They come up with their own reason for agreeing with you. They believe those reasons more deeply and adhere to believe more strongly,” Pink said.

Being transparent about a product’s features is another way to build trust. That includes adding minor negative details in an otherwise positive description. He said studies show that after talking up the positive aspects of a product, and then including a small negative detail, increases the saliency of the positive information.

Also, being specific on why a product is appropriate for a client and putting it in context of their current situation is much more effective than trying to predict what they might do based on their personality.

Finally, he said, financial advisors should make it easy for the client to do what the advisor wants them to do. “If I want people to do something, make it as easy as you possibly can. You might not need to change their minds,” he said.
 

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