Carson Coaching Chronicle Issue #15: Sales Skills for G2 Advisors

In the MasterClass by Author Daniel Pink on sales and persuasion, Pink mentions that sales is a necessary skill for various aspects of life. We all need to sell our own skills—whether you’re an advisor or you're on the marketing team. Being able to sell your skills could mean the difference between a fulfilling career and one where you’re doing work that doesn’t connect with your soul. ?

Pink notes that selling is all about putting yourself in the shoes of the person you are selling to and understanding their perspective and genuinely connecting with them. It’s about getting curious and asking layered, deep questions. ?

Our resident expert on the topic, Executive Business Coach J.J. Peller , adds to that the need to genuinely believe in your firm and the services you offer. But even if you don’t have that right now, there are ways to work on your sales skills to be more effective. ?

In this issue of the Carson Coaching Chronicle, we'll tackle advice from J.J. on how to do that, plus offer you some other great content, including:

• Access a free resource from Carson Coaching – plus invites to some other free events!??
• Insight into what we’re reading.??
• Some stats and facts that might be top of mind for your clients.??
• The inside track on how to take more control over your narrative and how to show clients you care.?

Let’s get to it! ?

Assess and Sharpen Your Sales Skills?

What does the term ‘sales’ mean to you? J.J. Peller notes that it’s important to understand the definition of sales so you can better assess and sharpen your own sales skills. ?

J.J. writes in the most recent issue of the Journal of Financial Planning that one definition is, “Operations and activities involved in promoting and selling goods or services.”?

Let’s break this down in the context of a G2 financial advisor: you are the goods and your communication and expertise are the services. J.J. reminds you of a few things to keep in mind when assessing and sharpening your sales skills: ?

1. Do a SWOT analysis on your own sales skills. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. ?
2. Identify your role models when it comes to service and emulate what you love about what they do. ?
3. Ask for feedback—and actually implement it. But it’s critical to ask for feedback from people you respect and whose advice you’ll take. It is detrimental to relationships to ask for feedback and not implement it. ?
4. Be genuinely curious. Ask questions and actively listen to your clients’ answers. Curiosity and active listening are essential to sales. ?

Lastly, J.J. notes that you should keep in mind that not every prospect is a good fit. You want to work with respectful people you enjoy working with. Read J.J.’s full article in the latest issue of the Journal of Financial Planning. ??

The Ted Lasso Factor in Sales?

If you’re a fan of Ted Lasso, you know that his famous “Believe” sign is more than just decor—it's a powerful sales lesson. The best salespeople are those who truly believe in what they’re selling, writes J.J. Peller in his latest blog post. ?

This belief is contagious—if you genuinely believe in your services, your clients will, too. Ed Mylett captures this perfectly, saying, “You don’t need to convince people to believe you, you need to convince people that YOU believe you.”?

Believing in your firm’s value is essential, but so is mastering sales skills. Sales, especially for G2 advisors, is about effective communication that guides your clients to making the best decisions. Your ‘goods’ are your expertise, and the ‘services’ are the advice you offer, as we just said above. To be successful, you need to convey your message clearly and convincingly.?

One of the most impactful ways to communicate is through asking genuine, curiosity-driven questions—a technique J.J. calls the “coach mindset.” This approach isn’t about leading questions but about deeply understanding your client’s perspective. Great questions are open-ended, give clients time to think, and often lead to meaningful insights.?

Lastly, the power of silence can’t be overstated. Pausing and allowing silence after asking a question gives clients space to process their thoughts, often leading to valuable responses. Silence shows that you value what they’re saying, making them feel heard and understood.?

Believe in what you sell, ask the right questions, and harness the power of silence to build strong, trusting client relationships. Read J.J.’s full blog post for more. ?

What We’ve Got for You This Month??

Our members and Partners have access to a range of events and resources. Here’s what we’ve got for you this month:?

Stairstep Questions for Wealth . To make your client and prospect meetings the most effective they can be, you need to go beyond traditional fact-finding and ask feeling-based questions. Use the questions in this resource during your first meeting with a prospect to learn how you can add value to their situation.

Group Coaching Call with J.J. Peller. Join us for a free Group Coaching Call, co-powered by the Financial Planning Association (FPA) , where we’ll dive into how you can perfect your sales skills as a G2 advisor. Register today for the call, which will be at 1 p.m., Central, on August 13. ?

ReFrame with Dr. Patricia Villarreal. Join Ana Trujillo Limón, MBA as she interviews Dr. Patricia M Villarreal, Psy.D., chief clinical officer for Expressive Wealth, about the Queen Bee Syndrome and how we can go on journeys of transformation to attempt to eradicate it—both within ourselves and from others. Or, at the very least, learn how to navigate it when we experience it. Put it on your calendar for August 22, 1 p.m., Central.

?

What We’re Reading??

Our team of lifelong learners is big on reading. Here’s what we’ve been reading this month that you might want to check out!?

• Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters is exactly what firm owners need when they feel overwhelmed and like something is missing. That's because something likely is missing. Wickman and Winters explain that a company needs not just one great entrepreneur, but two: the visionary and the integrator. Visionaries start companies, stay forward-focused, and have an incredible amount of ideas. And integrators love numbers, processes and keeping operations smooth. And the two need to be aligned. For financial advisors running their firms, this book might inspire you to find the integrator to your visionary or vice versa.?

• There are so many times in your life and career where you’re faced with tough and important conversations. And how you handle those can mean the difference between a fruitful or rocky relationship—with clients, family members and others. The tools presented by Authors Joseph Grenny,?Kerry Patterson,?Ron McMillan,?Al Switzler and?Emily Gregory?in Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High equip you to effectively handle these difficult conversations. The authors note that you have to have foundational skills like courage, self-control, humility and social intelligence. They further note that in these tough conversations, you should start with self-reflection, make sure everyone feels safe, focus on the facts, find common goals, stay curious and choose your words carefully, in addition to many others. Check out this book to turn your challenging conversations into opportunities for deeper connections and better outcomes. ??

Top of Mind: 10 Stats and Facts??

Here are some stats and facts in the news that might be top of mind for your clients!?

71%...Percentage of Americans who say “dreamscrolling” or looking at things they want to purchase online, is time well spent. (Empower) ?

2.5 hours...The amount of time per day Americans spend “dreamscrolling.” (Empower)?

2.6%...The 2025 Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) predicted by the Senior Citizens League, which is the smallest COLA in three years. (The Motley Fool) ?

3.2%...The COLA adjustment for 2024. (USA Today) ?

$1.5 trillion...The total amount of monthly benefits Social Security will pay out to 68 million Americans over the course of this year. (Barrons) ?

83%...Percentage of scheduled benefits the Social Security trust fund will be able to pay in scheduled benefits by 2035. (AARP) ?

90%...Percentage of Americans aged 50 and older who are worried that Social Security benefits will be cut more than 90 percent. (AARP)?

39%...Percentage of millennials who say they believe they don’t get the Social Security benefits they have earned. Plus, majority of millennials (76%) say they will have to work in retirement because of this. (Nationwide) ?

$240...The average hourly rate Americans say their time is worth. (Empower)?

$328.84...The hourly rate millennials say their time is worth. The next highest is Gen Z, who says they are worth $266.92 an hour. Gen X says they are worth $215.90 an hour. And boomers say their time is worth $137.18 an hour. (Empower)??

The Inside Track: Tips from the Coaches?

The coaches have a variety of tips for you this month, including how to use the phrase “I choose” to feel more in control and to reach out to clients to let them know you’re thinking of them when the world is turbulent. ?

Here they are:

“One way you can become more proactive and feel more control about what’s happening in your daily life—and actually have more control over the results—is to use the phrase ‘I choose’ more often to yourself. When you use the words ‘I choose,’ you’re using a very different part of your brain that puts focus on your intention and makes things easier to do naturally. It can also make things easier to put to bed and put out of your mind, as well.?

For example, say ‘I choose to put up with this situation,’ or ‘I choose not to take action, or attend that event.’ This can be scary for your subconscious and can spur you into action about what needs to happen...?

It’s a very empowering phrase that can enable you to achieve more results, feel more in control, calm down chaos, put things out of your mind, and put things to bed that are swirling. Try the phrase, ‘I choose’ more often, and see how it works in your life.” ?

—Tammy Breitenbach?

“Right now is a great time to do a call campaign to your clients to simply reach out and let them know that you are there for them, paying attention, helping them, and wanting to know how they’re feeling about everything that’s happening in the world and in their lives. Certainly also in their financial life. But the problem is that when things are going well, they think ‘I don’t really have anything specific to reach out to my clients about so I don’t really want to do a simple check-in call.’” ?

Let clients know “whatever turbulence or challenges come our way, we’ve got a plan in place, we’ve got a process, and we’ve trust the people that are in place to pay attention to how things are going and make decisions on your behalf to help you stay in the best possible positions to handle turbulent times.” ?

—J.J. Peller ?

How Can We Help You?

Did you like this newsletter? Then you might like our platform Carson Coaching Online, where you can get access to more content like courses, resources, ghostwritten articles (such as our beloved Weekly Market Commentary) and greeting cards.??

See if membership might be a good fit for you. Visit our website or email us at [email protected]. Or, schedule your complimentary 30-minute coaching exploratory call today with Katie Trout, Client Relationship Specialist.?

If you need some help sharpening your sales skills give us a call! With Carson Coaching, you don't just have one person, you have a whole team.?

We will see you again in next month!??

?