Changing the way you think about following up with leads can be key to building your book.

Many advisors believe contacting prospects after a first meeting makes them seem like a nuisance, says Sylvia Garibaldi, a business-building coach for financial advisors with SG and Associates in Toronto. Instead, you should focus on the value you bring to your clients, and always follow up after an introduction.

Here are four tips to help you follow up successfully with prospects:

1. Get focused
Knowing your niche makes following up with leads a snap.

Focus on the clients you already have who fit your target market, says Duncan MacPherson, co-founder and co-CEO of Pareto Systems in Kelowna, B.C. Find out how you can meet or be referred to others who fit that profile.

While this may mean meeting fewer prospects, the chances of successfully adding them to your client roster will be greater.

“It’s more important to reach the people who count,” MacPherson says, “than to count the number of people you’re reaching.”

2. Think like an insider
Get inside the heads of your ideal clients, says MacPherson, by learning about their issues and concerns — and even their jargon.

For example, if your ideal clients are audiologists, he says, check out their websites, read their publications and attend their conferences. That way, you can send information that is valuable to those prospects, whether it’s in the form of a case study or an interesting article sent via email.

3. Make it about meetings, not sales
When it’s time to pick up the phone, make it clear to the prospect that you are presenting an opportunity.

A follow-up call is not an effort to close a sale, Garibaldi says. The goal should be to arrange a meeting to find out more about the prospect and whether you can help them reach their financial goals.

4. Believe in yourself
Only if you believe in the value of your services can you persuade prospects to join your business.

Sometimes, an advisor’s confidence in his or her services can waiver, Garibaldi says. When that happens, prospects quickly lose interest.

Constantly remind yourself of the value you bring to clients and why prospects should choose you over the competition.

This is the first in a two-part series on following up with leads. Next: Creating a process for following up.