Most wholesaling teaches people what to pitch. This one teaches people how to think — and what to say instead.
Sales is the service of helping others balance where they are at and where they want to be.
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Structured Annuities / RILAs
Downside buffers and defined outcomes — protection with participation, in one wrapper.
They're buying protection
Structured Products
Defined-outcome notes and buffered strategies — shaped risk, shaped return.
They're buying certainty
Variable Life & LTC
Protection that does more than one job — legacy, tax efficiency, and care coverage.
They're buying peace of mind
I. Intentional Awareness
There are three kinds of awareness. Tap each to open it.
🧭
Internal Awareness
Know for Yourself
How clear are you on what's important and why?
Before every advisor call, meeting, or follow-up.
Open ▾
Clarity
- What client outcome are they really trying to deliver?
- What would make this call worth a busy advisor’s time?
- What do I want to be true when this ends?
Motive
- Why does this matter — client risk, income, or legacy?
- Why now? What changed — markets, a review cycle, client demand?
- Why should they trust me / Barnabas to help?
People
- Who has a say — Advisor, Practice Operator, Gatekeeper, Influencer?
- Who lives with it day to day — the advisor and their clients?
- Who haven’t I accounted for — compliance, the OSJ, the platform?
Measure
- How will they know it’s working — assets placed, retention, referrals?
- How are they handling protection or risk today — what’s in the lineup?
- What are they judged on — flows, client outcomes, growth?
Movement
- What’s the next step — a case, an illustration, a follow-up?
- What’s the smallest commitment that moves this forward?
- What do I owe them when we hang up?
CreatesClarity→Focus→Action
👁️
External Awareness
Read the Room
Who has a say & what role do they play?
What mode are they in & what's their win?
Open ▾
Identify — who has a say
Advisor — FA / RIA Principal / Independent ProducerPractice Operator — Associate Advisor / Paraplanner / OpsGatekeeper — BD Compliance / OSJ / Due-DiligenceInfluencer — Platform team / Champion / COI
Uncover — what matters most
What they thinkHow they feel
Let’s stop asking “What question gets me the placement?” & start asking “What question uncovers their Mode?”
The best questions are simple, conversational, and easy to answer — the kind that don’t feel like discovery. Work them in this order, and each answer opens the door to the next:
Situation→Mode→Improvement→Hook
Establish context without sounding like discovery.
- WhatWhat do you know about…?
- HowHow are you currently handling protection or downside risk in client portfolios?
- WhereWhich client conversations are hardest right now?
- WhatHas anything changed in how clients are reacting to markets?
- WhatWhat are you focused on growing this year?
Where most wholesalers struggle. Instead of asking about facts, ask about experience — these tell you almost everything about their Mode.
- HowHow’s that been working for you and your clients?
- WhatWhat’s been the biggest challenge with protection solutions?
- WhereWhere do you feel the most pressure from clients right now?
- WhatWhat’s taking more time than it should — case design, approvals, education?
- IfIf you could change one thing about how you handle risk, what would it be?
Advisors don’t buy products. They buy improvement.
- WhatWhat would a better client outcome look like?
- WhatWhat’s costing you the most today — in time, risk, or lost assets?
- WhereWhere do you think the greatest opportunity is?
- WhatWhat would make the biggest impact on retention or referrals?
- IfIf this went exactly right, what changes for your clients?
Timing separates a real opportunity from a someday.
- WhyWhy is this important now?
- WhatWhat’s driving the timing — volatility, a review cycle, client demand?
- WhatWhat happens to clients if nothing changes?
- WhereIs there a deadline or event you’re working toward?
- WhatWhat made this move to the top of your list?
Identify who matters before the case moves forward.
- WhoBesides yourself, who else is involved in product decisions?
- WhoWho ultimately approves it — compliance, the OSJ, due diligence?
- WhoWho implements and services it day to day?
- WhoWho else would want to weigh in?
- WhatWhat does a win look like for each of them?
🪝 The HookOnce you’ve heard their Situation, Mode, and Improvement — the hook writes itself. Offer a next step that fits what they just told you, and move to a warm, informed next conversation.
Build the Hook
“It sounds like [Situation] is creating [Impact]. If there were a way to [Improvement], would it be helpful to see how?”
“It sounds like the recent volatility has your clients anxious about downside. If there were a way to keep them invested with a level of protection built in, would it be helpful to see how it works?”
Mode detection shapes how you ask — to gain their permission:
- Growth “It sounds like you’re looking to…” → improvement
- Trouble “It sounds like this is creating…” → relief
- Even Keel “It sounds like things are working, but…” → possibility
- Overconfident “It sounds like you’re comfortable with where things are…” → curiosity
Align — before end of conversation
Advisor phrasing shown. Tap any question to see how it changes for the Gatekeeper, Practice Operator & Influencer.
Defines the outcome — clarity
GatekeeperCompliance / Due-Diligence
What suitability or compliance requirements matter most?
Ex: Suitability, disclosures, carrier ratings, approvals
Practice OperatorExecution / Client Experience
What are you trying to improve for clients?
Ex: Downside protection, income, retention, case design
InfluencerPlatform / Alignment
What’s most important internally for this to land?
Ex: Platform buy-in, advisor adoption, firm alignment
Reveals the process — reality
GatekeeperCompliance / Due-Diligence
How are product approvals handled today?
Ex: Due diligence, OSJ, compliance, documentation
Practice OperatorExecution / Client Experience
How are you managing protection in portfolios today?
Ex: Current lineup, allocations, tools, illustrations
InfluencerPlatform / Alignment
How are decisions made and communicated?
Ex: Home office, platform team, advisor committee
Identifies friction — truth
GatekeeperCompliance / Due-Diligence
Where does risk or exposure show up?
Ex: Suitability gaps, concentration, disclosures, audits
Practice OperatorExecution / Client Experience
Where do things get stuck or off track?
Ex: Case design, approvals, client education, follow-through
InfluencerPlatform / Alignment
Where do priorities or perspectives conflict?
Ex: Growth vs. risk, cost vs. protection, competing products
Tests commitment — decision
GatekeeperCompliance / Due-Diligence
If this reduced client risk while staying compliant, what changes?
Ex: Confidence, cleaner suitability, fewer surprises
Practice OperatorExecution / Client Experience
If this were easier, what improves for you and your clients?
Ex: Better outcomes, retention, referrals, time saved
InfluencerPlatform / Alignment
If this succeeded, what would be possible for the practice?
Ex: Growth, deeper client trust, a stronger book
CreatesIdentify→Uncover→Align
🎯
Situational Awareness
Solve for Improvement
Is this account worth pursuing?
The right account — and a real reason to reach out today.
Open ▾
Right Fit
Is this advisor a fit for us?
- A real client-portfolio need exists.
- Our solutions fit how they build portfolios.
- We solve a problem their lineup doesn’t.
- The book and flows support the effort.
- Room to grow beyond one allocation.
- A channel and platform we serve.
- I can reach the advisor and their gatekeepers.
- A clear edge over what they use today.
- Trust and credibility can be earned.
Right Now
Is now the right time for them?
- Something isn’t working in the current lineup.
- Client expectations or outcomes have shifted.
- Market conditions expose a gap they feel.
- Time to learn the strategy and case design.
- Willingness to reallocate or add to the book.
- Firm approval / platform availability exists.
- A timing trigger — volatility, review cycle, or event.
- Client demand is surfacing now.
- Waiting a quarter carries a real cost.
Right Fit+Right Now=Opportunity Qualification
II. Simple Shifts
Change the word. Change the answer.
Same question. Different door. Tap any swap to open it.
Select a shift above to open it.
✕ Instead of
“Why are you using that carrier?”
✓ Try
“What led you to that carrier?”
“What went into that decision?”
Why it works
“Why” asks people to defend a decision. “What” asks them to describe one. Same information — without the wall going up.✕ Instead of
“Tell me about your protection lineup.”
✓ Try
“Help me understand where the gaps are.”
“Help me get up to speed on how you position risk.”
Why it works
“Tell me” is a command — it puts you above them. “Help me” makes them the expert and you the student. People are wired to help.✕ Instead of
“Why do you say that?”
✓ Try
“What makes you say that?”
Why it works
You get the story behind the statement instead of a defense of it. Use it any time they say something you don't understand yet — it never sounds like a challenge.✕ Instead of
“Why did you place that with them instead of us?”
✓ Try
“Help me understand — what made that the better fit vs. this?”
Why it works
Asks about the choice, not the person. You learn the actual criteria they buy on — which is exactly what you need to position the right solution.You're not softening the question. You're removing the reason to guard the answer.
Curiosity + Empathy = Context
How you show up before the conversation earns you the right to ask.
Belief + Trust = Content
What they share reveals what really matters.
Context + Content = Contrast
What you uncover reveals the distance between where they are and where they want to be.
Role + Mindset = Reality
Role = how they see the problem. Mindset = how they feel about the problem.
III. Gold for Ghosting
A Communication Framework
Awareness earns the meeting. This earns the reply.