CLIENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
Last year we started a client advisory council
so we could get feedback from clients and they could feel invested in our
success. We invite 10 of our top clients to spend a couple of hours weighing in on a specific
topic related to our practice. We have received some productive insight.
For example, clients said they wanted more frequent and in-depth reviews of their portfolios, so I realized that I needed to bring on a financial analyst as a partner. He gives the clients professional management and review of their portfolio, while I focus on the financial planning and insurance.
Without the client advisory council, I would have continued to inefficiently give clients a lower-level portfolio review, because I wouldn’t have known anything was wrong, and they otherwise are too kind to tell me anything could have been improved.
— Meagan S. Balaneski, CFP, RFP Vermilion, Alberta, Canada, 5-year member
For example, clients said they wanted more frequent and in-depth reviews of their portfolios, so I realized that I needed to bring on a financial analyst as a partner. He gives the clients professional management and review of their portfolio, while I focus on the financial planning and insurance.
Without the client advisory council, I would have continued to inefficiently give clients a lower-level portfolio review, because I wouldn’t have known anything was wrong, and they otherwise are too kind to tell me anything could have been improved.
— Meagan S. Balaneski, CFP, RFP Vermilion, Alberta, Canada, 5-year member
GET REFERRALS, GAIN TRUST
The best way to remove objections and the trust barrier they represent is to make sure we are good at getting referrals. Because if we have more referrals than we need, then the trust question has automatically been dealt with in the prospect’s mind. Somebody else — the referrer — made the decision that you are trustworthy. So they think, “If he’s OK for the referrer, then he’ll be OK for me.”
— Tony Gordon Bristol, England, 40-year member, 2001 MDRT President
RANK YOUR CLIENTS
Evaluate your top five client experiences
and establish why these clients are a great fit for you. Once these traits are
determined, spend a day ranking all your clients.
You’ll quickly realize your best relationships have many of the same characteristics. These are the people/companies you want to work with all the time!
Then do the same thing regarding your worst client experiences. Often these are clients who are no longer working with you or your company. Learning from these scenarios can help you avoid pursuing undesirable situations and clients when prospecting in the future.
— Steven P. Arengo, CFP, AIF, Mason, Ohio, 5-year member
You’ll quickly realize your best relationships have many of the same characteristics. These are the people/companies you want to work with all the time!
Then do the same thing regarding your worst client experiences. Often these are clients who are no longer working with you or your company. Learning from these scenarios can help you avoid pursuing undesirable situations and clients when prospecting in the future.
— Steven P. Arengo, CFP, AIF, Mason, Ohio, 5-year member
MAKE IT PERSONAL
My firm has been using online webinar software to connect with our clients more frequently for investment reviews. Recently, to begin our web meetings, we started displaying photos of our advisors and staff during exciting life events (weddings, births, vacations, etc.). Unexpectedly, our clients have begun sending us pictures periodically to share their families and experiences. This small adjustment to our presentation method has further enhanced our firm’s image and motto of “Planning Made Personal.”
— William T. Spencer, CFP, AIF Sudbury, Massachusetts, 10-year member
