Had a chat with an old friend and colleague today. A bright fellow who got his MA and then started financial advising. Drawn into London, self employed he started cold calling solicitors to get them to come across to centre point to discover how a pension could actually pay their mortgage off.

It was a nice prospecting line that opened doors. On closer inspection it only really meant that the tax savings from a serious pension would free up the amount needed for paying their mortgage. Straight cold calling probably wouldn’t even be allowed these days.

The point is though, that it was hugely more effective than asking for an appointment about their financial planning needs. It also proves an interesting point that, in sales it is easier to sell a tangible than an intangible.

Imagine walking down a high street, one tailor has an offer for a free fitting to tailor the perfect suit for you. The second tailor shop has a suit in the window which looks your size, style, colour and best of all has 50% off. Which one is more appealing?

Take this business, it is much easier to get an owner in his 50’s or 60’s to sit up and pay attention when there is a cash rich buyer on their doorstep versus calling them to chat about their exit plans.  One owner in Southampton had been speaking to us for years and we were getting nowhere, until one day we rang him up with something tangible. He responded in a completely different way!

The thing is, when you have a tangible to present it means you have something of immediate value right now for your prospect.  A call to sell a service can never offer immediate value in the same way.

How can you use tangibles and products in your prospecting or marketing?  Remember, the closer and more immediate the value is for the prospect, the more powerful it is.

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