Make the annuity sale a part of your New Year’s resolutions

As the year winds down, now is a perfect time to step back and evaluate your annuities sales strategies. Considering the previous 12 months, think about what worked, failed or didn’t quite hit the mark. Ask yourself how changing market conditions are affecting the way you connect with clients and how we do business.

The insight gained from your reflection time should lead you toward some resolutions for the New Year. To help bolster those resolutions, here are some additional sales strategies to consider adding to your arsenal as you prepare for a successful year of annuities sales in 2016.

Go old school to connect with clients

Drawing on traditional sales practices can foster fruitful personal connections. Taking the time to make a phone call can help you build real and meaningful relationships with your clients.

You’ll also be able to draw cues from your client’s tone of voice that may improve your client service. In the coming weeks, challenge yourself to avoid email and text message communication when the opportunity for a personal interaction exists.

Meet face to face

To step up your personal connections, try in-person meetings. Meeting your clients face to face provides better opportunities to learn more about them and allows them to learn more about you as well. Coffee, lunch or hanging at the big game are all good excuses to meet in person.

Don’t hesitate to offer an in-home meeting with clients to make it easier on them. Face-to-face interactions are typically more meaningful to both the client, and you, the financial professional. 

See also: 7 ways to do more with year-end reviews

Nurture the next generation of your client base

When meeting with some of your older clients, don’t miss an opportunity to make an impression on other family members in the room. Often, these clients are preparing to transfer their wealth to the next generation — namely, their adult children, or even, potentially, grandchildren.