SAMPLE Dear Ms. Pescarino: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me this week. I'm sure you will be pleased with the results. To confirm, our next meeting will be in my office on Thursday, February 15th, at 1:00 p.m. I'll have some specific recommendations based on the information you provided. I appreciate how important meeting your financial commitments will be. Also, I'll have the material you requested on dollar-cost averaging, and how tax-qualified savings affect investment earnings. Best wishes, Paula Hardy, CLU

Fact-finding skills are worth learning well. If you're unable to control the process at this stage, you'll never be able to control the close. However, people like talking about themselves. With a few exceptions, we're our own favorite subjects. Far from turning people off, fact-finding is the highlight of the sales cycle for most prospects.

So keep it conversational and have fun, but ask questions until you have the information and commitments you need.

"Discovery Agreements" It's essential for your prospects to understand the value of the recommendations you'll be making on their behalf. Try this! Many advisers confirm their prospects' process commitments in the form of a "discovery agreement." This is usually a brief, written summary of the needs and wants, objectives, and concerns discovered during the initial meeting, or during information gathering, and for which the agent has been asked to prepare recommendations. "Discovery Agreements" are sometimes included in letters or e-mails confirming the date, time, and place of the next meeting.