The Sales Call You Didn’t Know You Were Making

Advisors aren’t salespeople. Right?

Most advisors reject the label, and rightly so. Their work is about guidance, expertise, and solving problems, not pushing products or closing deals. They know traditional pitches don’t work anymore.

But here’s the catch. You may not call it a sales call. But discovery calls often walk like one. And talk like one.

Notice what’s happening here:

• The meeting follows a structured, advisor-led format.
• The conversation subtly, or sometimes overtly, guides toward a decision.
• The advisor does most of the talking, explaining, educating, proving value.

It may feel more professional than a hard pitch, but it still functions like a sales call.

The real obstacle: Inertia, not other firms

Advisors often think their biggest competitor is another advisor, the firm down the street, the online platform, or the client’s current provider.

More often, the true competitor is inertia.

Most prospects don’t resist because they’re skeptical of your value. They resist because:

• They’re uncertain about their options.
• They feel overwhelmed by complexity.
• They’re emotionally attached to their current setup.

Even when they see the gaps, they stall, not because it’s illogical to act, but because change feels uncomfortable.

The psychology of decision-making: Why prospects freeze

Understanding the forces behind inaction helps you design discovery meetings that move people forward, without pressure.

1. Status quo bias

People tend to prefer the familiar, even when better options exist.

Try asking:

“If nothing changed for the next five years, how would you feel about that?”

2. Loss aversion

Psychologically, loss feels about twice as powerful as gain.

Instead of:

“You could improve your portfolio.”

Try:

“What might it cost you to keep it the way it is?”

3. The endowment effect

We often overvalue what we already have, even if it’s flawed.

Reframe critiques with:

“It looks like your current approach has served you well. What do you think could be improved?”

4. Cognitive dissonance

People feel tension when two beliefs conflict—such as “I’m responsible” and “I haven’t updated my plan in years.”

Ask:

“How confident are you that your current strategy protects what matters most over the next 10 years?”

Designing discovery that leads to action, not pressure

You don’t need to sell change. You need to help people discover why they want it.

1. Shift from persuasion to clarity

Stop pitching. Start asking:

• “What’s working well in your plan?”
• “What concerns, if any, keep you up at night?”
• “If nothing changed, would that be OK with you?”

2. Let them verbalize the problem first

Instead of saying:

“You need to update your strategy.”

Try:

“Have you thought about how taxes could impact your income?”

When they name the issue, they own it.

3. Reframe the cost of inaction

Instead of:

“Working with me could improve outcomes.”

Ask:

“What’s at stake if you don’t make a change?”

4. Give them the power to decide

Close the conversation without pressure:

• “What do you feel would be a good next step?”
• “Would it be helpful to explore how we might work together?”
• “What timeline makes sense for you?”

Advisor check-in: Your process has inertia, too

It’s not just the prospect’s behavior that matters. It’s yours as well. What if your own discovery process hasn’t changed in years? What if the real resistance is coming from you?

Ask yourself:

• Are your meetings energizing, or just efficient?
• Are you attracting the clients you want, or just the ones who say yes?
• If nothing about your process changed, where would you be in five years?
• Is your process helping you shape the future, or just react to it?

These aren’t warnings, they’re invitations. Because “good enough” is often the most dangerous place to get stuck. Just like your prospects, the cost of staying the same isn’t always visible. Until it is.

Bringing it all together

The best advisors don’t push. They clear the path. When a prospect realizes, on their own, that staying the same is riskier than moving forward, they take the next step naturally. Illumination replaces pressure, and the next step becomes theirs to take.

Thoughts to carry forward

1. Many advisors unknowingly structure their discovery meetings like sales calls, which can subtly trigger resistance rather than trust.
2. The real barrier to client engagement isn’t competition. It’s inertia, fueled by psychological forces like loss aversion and the status quo bias.
3. Advisors can overcome resistance not by persuading, but by guiding prospects to articulate their own reasons for change through clarity, reflection, and choice.