You'll be asking a series of closed-ended questions to get the "facts" and probing, open-ended and closed-ended questions to explore the "feelings" behind them.

Try this! Here are several questions that can help you understand how prospects feel about their situations and present financial decisions:

• "How do you feel about that arrangement?"


• "Are you comfortable with the results?"


• "Is that a good situation?"


• "Are you concerned about that?"


• "Can you share some of your views on that?"


• "If you had a chance, would you do that the same way again?"


• "Why do you feel that way?"


• "How do your family members/business associates feel about that?"


• "Do you plan to continue that approach?"


• "Does that satisfy your concerns?"


• "Would it matter if you did this differently?"


• "Would you be interested in getting more value for the same outlay?"

Don't take shortcuts. A completed fact-finder is the continuation of your client "relationship." It provides all the information you need to analyze and evaluate the prospect's financial needs and wants and develop appropriate strategies and solutions. It can also uncover additional sales opportunities, and is a great source of on-profile referrals.

Try this! Even in "product" or "priority" sales situations, such as disability income or debt liquidation, you should try to complete the entire fact-finder. Use this information to reintroduce the client to the sales cycle in the future and to get names, which you can feed back to the prospect later to create on-profile referrals or introductions.

Two commitments must be made before completion of fact-finding.

• "Process Commitment." Before preparing recommendations, be sure you understand your prospect's priority issue, and what he or she expects to gain from this process.

  Try this! "Is there anything we haven't covered? Would you like me to prepare a specific proposal for you to consider based on the information you've provided?"

  People will understand that they are not obligating themselves to follow your recommendations, but they are being asked to confirm the seriousness of their commitment to discussing them further.

• "Financial Commitment." Ask prospects what financial commitment they're willing to make to address their needs and wants, objectives, and concerns.

  Try this! "If we were to develop a plan that would meet each of the concerns you have outlined this afternoon, and do so with no real changes in your lifestyle nor substantial impact to your bottom line, you'd be pleased, wouldn't you? On the other hand, if some rearranging of your resources was necessary to achieve your objectives, what percentage of your payroll, or how much would you be willing to allocate on a regular basis to implement your plan?"

After getting these commitments, schedule a one-hour presentation meeting for the following week, within five to seven days. Set a specific date and time for the meeting, preferably in your office in the afternoon.