“The Great Mehdi’s”
Golden Sales Nuggets

Seeking valuable sales tips for you, Lew Nason interviews...

the world’s most successful active insurance sales agent!

Mehdi Fakharzadeh has presented his 'Fast-Track Sales Briefing' to eager agents, advisors and planners in over thirty countries.  (He has presented 10 times at the MDRT)  These combined agents, advisors and planners have then increased their sales and service results.  The combined total of those results now totals multi-million dollar figures.  His fast-track sales briefings are always presented to standing-room-only audiences.  These select gatherings have become near legendary within the insurance world.  To teach, Mehdi often uses an exclusive “uncover the answers by yourself”  method.  With this in mind, I asked “Our Great Mehdi” the following:

Lew Nason:  You have given your Fast-Track Sales Briefings to select groups of people around the world.  Many who received your briefings went on to become world-class sales and service achievers.  Could you please give Insurance Pro Shop readers the highlights from your briefing?  Can you please deliver this wisdom again, by once more presenting your golden nuggets for those who will read the entire transcript of this session?

Mehdi Fakharzadeh:  My Fast-Track Sales Briefing is something that gradually evolved as audiences of financial professionals everywhere, again-and-again, kept asking me not to leave.  They did not want me to stop speaking about how to sell.  They wanted more.  And they specifically requested key golden nuggets summarized in simple words.  They wanted this condensed and clear. 

Over the years, I realized they benefited more and learned better, and then improved their sales most significantly, if they were not spoon-fed by me.  They later accomplish far more, if I present this briefing in a format where they were told what to solve and then left to their own resources for finding their best solutions.

So, my sales briefing is different from most all other sales training because my fast-track briefing is designed to encourage you to search for the answers that work for you.  Again I say, I believe that if you dig-out the helpful information you need, only then you will be more likely to remember and act upon that information.  You will be more inclined to continually use this, especially when you start realizing the benefits to you for doing so. 

Most agents, advisors and planners have been spoon fed sales techniques and strategies and concepts, and then forgotten them or devalued them in their later thoughts.  Possibly, you can be like Sherlock Holmes and solve the mysteries of what you need to do to improve your sales results, if I present you with the puzzle elements and key clues.

So here goes...

Selling is motivating your prospect to take action, to purchase, to invest.  Selling is not forceful persuasion.  Selling is intelligent reason and logic, presented respectfully.  Learn how to motivate with practical truths that embody obvious reason and logic.  That is one of your mysteries.  So I repeat, learn how you can motivate with practical truths that embody obvious reason and logic.

I have made, and continue to make, many sales simply because I had product benefit knowledge.  (Knowledge of how prospects will benefit from these products)  These sales are ‘given to me.’  I do not have to work hard for these sales.  Some people, when they agree to see you, are already interested and they simply want accurate and complete product benefit knowledge.  (They want to know how they will benefit from purchasing the product)  You must acquire and maintain accurate and complete product benefit knowledge that is always up-to-date.  This becomes a part of your specialty knowledge.  This helps make you valuable to your clients and prospects.  Never attempt to fake product benefit knowledge.

Selling is a “hurt” and “rescue” activity.  Or this can be stated another way.  Selling is a “problem” and “solution” activity.  Find out what this means and practice this.  Identify the “hurt” or “problem” and then present the “rescue” or “solution.”

Understand that your prospect will eventually become your client and purchase or invest because he or she wants to do so with you.  You must help make this possible for them.  Your prospects often needs encouragement to take appropriate action.  Always be encouraging to your prospects.  Figure-out realistic and practical ways to help your prospect realize, understand, and accept, how it can be possible for them to take the desired action now.

Understand that your prospect will eventually become your client and purchase or invest because he or she wants to do so with you.  This means you must be a person of high class, integrity, honor, and intelligence that they can be truly comfortable with.  This does not mean you must be like they are.  This means you must be personable and strong with your specialty knowledge.  You should build upon whatever is unique, special, and precious about your persona.  This is what you will do best.  Don’t try to become especially folksy or formal, super-fast or slower, or whatever.  Be your true self.

Remember we live in an era where greed and exploitation are running amuck in our society and especially in our corporations and governments.  People know this.  They instinctively know that they are daily gouged and over-charged.  Cheating has now become highly concealed, but common place.  They are manipulated endlessly and even robbed of their time and peace-of-mind.  You should represent only products that will pay your clients if necessary, and you should be your client’s representative, servant, protector, guide, agent, advisor, and loyal friend.  Establish a relationship where this is mutually understood.  Achieving this comes before your fee, or commission, or obligation to a home office or corporate headquarters.

Selling does, as the cliché goes, mean selling yourself first.  You can best do this is a low-key and natural manner, not by being over-attentive, highly ingratiating, super friendly, or totally compliant.  You do not have to be the most agreeable person on earth to sell.  People who do this seem to burn-out quickly.  Sales professionals who do anything to please and endlessly give of their emotions seem to often become emotionally drained or spent.  If you can simply learn to care, really care, about the welfare of your prospects and clients, and allow this to show or be realized, then you can sell.  Learn to care and allow your caring to be obvious in sincere ways only.

Once you can effectively sell, or once you learn how to sell, realize that folks often buy from you because they want to, not because they need to.  You become a person they like and trust.  I often have people wanting to buy from me when they do not need to do so.  You and I have the duty and responsibility to know our client’s circumstances well and never sell them something they do not need or something that is not the best or right product for them.  Never sell anything just because you can.  Have the courage to always do what is best for your client, and tell your client about this in advance.

An effective way to close, is with the alternate close.  I hope I have given you enough clues in one short sentence, as to what an alternate close is.  Identify and practice the use of the alternate close.  If you can not figure this one out then e-mail me.

Uncover their wants, but sell to their emotions, and close on their needs.

Yes, they are interested in purchasing if they ask the price.  But any and every price is too high until you...  Do you know what to do next?

I’ll answer some of the above for you by saying that any and every price is too high until you justify with the benefits for your prospect.  Nothing can kill your sale like exposing the price before you detail the personalized benefits.  What you should do is learn how to justify the price by explaining and personalizing the benefits.  Now can you solve this one?