Tom Hopkins - How to Master the Art of Selling Financial Services

How to Master
the Art of Selling
FINANCIAL SERVICES

by Tom Hopkins

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Hopkins, Tom

How to Master the Art of Selling Financial Services

ISBN: 9781613397800

1. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Sales & Selling / General

2. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Sales & Selling / Management

3. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Finance / General

Tom Hopkins is recognized throughout the world as Americas #1 sales trainer. He has taught, motivated and inspired millions of individuals directly through his public seminars and as a consultant to some of the most prominent companies and organizations in the world. These include many of the top firms in the financial services industry. His books, CDs and DVDs have sold in the millions and Tom Hopkins International, Inc. is one of the leading sales training organizations in the world. His books include How to Master the Art of Selling (Grand Central Publishing), having sold over 1.4 million copies, Selling For Dummies, Sales Closing for Dummies, Sales Prospecting for Dummies (Wiley), Sell It Today, Sell It Now with Pat Lieby ( To m Hopkins International) and The Certifiable Salesperson with Laura Laaman (Wiley).

Hopkins real-world training in sales began in the challenging arena of real estate when he was just 19 years old. During his first six months he earned only $42 a month. After realizing that selling was a learned skill, he invested his last $150 of savings in a selling skills seminar that saved his career.

After becoming a dedicated student of the profession of selling and applying what he learned, he sold more than $1 million worth of $25,000 homes. During that phase of his career, he closed 1,553 property transactions365 of them in a single year! Many of the sales records he set then still stand today. By the age of 27 he was a self-made millionaire.

His success brought with it challenges. He had a huge fear of public speaking yet was asked to speak when receiving his many awards. Not knowing what else to say, he spoke about how he made the sales that earned him those awards. Rather than sitting idly listening to his speech, audience members began taking notes! Seeing the light of understanding on the faces of those in attendance was the spark that lit the way to his true path in lifeteaching.

In addition to conducting more than 60 seminars per year, Hopkins is a pioneer, innovator and leader in the production of top-quality audio and video training programs, powerful presentations that are continually being updated to provide the most relevant information and techniques for the current economy as well as for a variety of industries and selling situations.

He is a long-standing member of the National Speakers Association. And, he is one of its few members to be honored with its Council of Peers Award for Excellence.

Hopkins extensive real-world business experience, keen insights into the art of selling, down-to-earth approach, understanding of financial services consumers, and sense of humor make him uniquely qualified to teach you How To Master the Art of Selling FINANCIAL SERVICES.

No one can teach who has not learned. First and foremost, Id like to thank the professional financial advisors who have come into my life to assist me on a personal level. From them, Ive learned volumes and benefited tremendously.

Second, thanks go to the hundreds of thousands of students of my training who work diligently in the financial services industrya very necessary and growing field.

Third, much appreciation goes to the many companies in the financial services arena who have hired me to assist their consultants, representatives and associates with their selling skills.

And last, but certainly not least, thanks go to my team at Tom Hopkins International for their diligence in keeping our training top of the line.

Other Titles by Tom Hopkins

How to Master the Art of Selling

The Official Guide to Success

Low Profile Selling

Mastering the Art of Listing and Selling Real Estate

Selling for Dummies

Sales Prospecting for Dummies

Sales Closing for Dummies

Sell It Today, Sell It Now----The Art of the One-Call Close
(with Pat Leiby)

The Certifiable Salesperson
(with Laura Laaman)

It was my very good fortune that my first exposure to the financial services industry was a positive one. Don Zeledon was an insurance agent who contacted me when I was in my early twenties. Being young, I thought I didnt need insurance. Don was patient and listened to all of my excuses, diversions and stalls. Then, he educated me with examples of unfortunate situations in which other young families like mine had found themselves. He appealed to my intellect, but especially to my emotions and my sense of duty in caring for my family. He persuaded me that having a life insurance policy was less painful than what could happen to my family if I didnt have one.

As my real estate sales career took off, so did my need for the services of financial industry professionals who could help me protect the investment properties I owned, advise me on putting my increased earnings to good use, help me avoid financial pitfalls and so on. Again, I was truly blessed by the professionals who came into my life, educated me and helped me make wise decisions. So, I applaud you for choosing to serve the needs of others as a financial services professional.

Let me tell you a little bit more about my history so youll understand what this book offers you. I once did physically demanding labor lugging steel around construction sites. Seeking something better, I discovered the exciting and liberating the world of selling. Selling is by far more mentally demanding than many other careers, but with greater potential for satisfaction and reward.

The key word is potential. There are no guarantees. Youre only as secure as your last sales call and your own ability to educate people.

I had no guarantee when I entered the field of residential real estate sales that I would succeed, but I knew it would afford me a better Opportunity to generate a good income for my family than construction. What I didnt understand was that even though I wasnt afraid to meet and talk with people that skill alone wasnt enough.

After a pretty awful first six months in the business, it finally dawned on me that I should start asking questions of the other agents who were doing well. What were they doing that I wasnt doing? I quickly learned that succeeding in sales requires a very specific set of skills. But I also discovered that they were skills that could be learned. Thats when I became a voracious student of the nuances of selling. I made the subject of selling my passionate hobby.

By investing in self-development and in proven-effective sales training, I entered a phase of my life where much of what had previously been turning into muck and mud, started turning into silver and gold. By working hard to professionally serve the needs of as many clients as possible, I achieved levels of success beyond my wildest dreams.