Never Forget that Clients and Prospects Are Real People with Real Concerns
Clients and prospects are real people so the best way to reach out to them and win them over is to appeal to their humanity – not wow them with financial jargon.
People won’t warm to you simply because you know your way around the stock market. Your prospects and clients make their decisions based on whether they like you and trust you – not on your ability to make the numbers add up. People overwhelmingly tend to make decisions based on emotions rather than on hard rational thinking. So put away your graphs, numbers, pie charts and statistics and convince people to trust you rather than the numbers.
Let clients learn why they can trust you with a ‘Who I am’ Story
Trusting someone is an irrational risk. It may surprise you to find that, rather than discussing the state of the market, clients are more interested in finding out if you are married, have children or play golf. They want to understand what you stand for and what your values are. They want to know what motivates you.
So let them get to know and trust the real you by telling them what Annette Simmons calls a ‘who I am’ story.
To help you build your story, look back and identify demonstrable examples of things you’ve done that you’re proud of. When have you stood by your convictions – even though it cost you something? Create a story based on your passion and values. Let your prospects see what kind of person you are.
Use analogies to reach out to clients and prospects
Use analogies to make the impersonal personal and help you connect emotionally. For example, explain that, just as an airline pilot who flies passengers safely to their destination, despite bumpy weather along the way, you help your clients navigate volatile markets and achieve their ultimate financial goals.
Just like the airline pilot who cannot predict the weather, you have the relevant experience and leadership skills to steer your clients through tough times and focus on the end of their investment journey.
So what’s in it for you?
Clients need to know it’s not just about the money for you. They want to know you have their best interests at heart. So impress upon them your reasons for becoming a financial advisor. It’s true to say that there are many far easier ways to make money – so what drove you to this particular career path? Maybe someone close to you experienced financial problems because they didn’t plan for the future – perhaps you entered this profession because you wanted to prevent that happening to other people?
Whatever your personal reasons, strive to get across the message that your job satisfaction comes from being able to help people, whether that’s to retire in comfort or ensure someone’s children can get through college without borrowing money.
Let clients and prospects decide that you’re there for the right reasons. Of course you need to get paid – no one’s disputing that. But your mission is to help others achieve financial stability and peace of mind – that’s what you’re selling and that’s what gives you job satisfaction.
Become the trusted family advisor
You have to earn the right to become a trusted family advisor and this can take many years. To achieve this coveted position make caring the cornerstone of your business. Mean what you say. There may come a time when your clients and family feel your advice will be helpful – but it’s up to your clients to appoint you – you don’t appoint yourself.
Learn the art of communication and make yourself relatable
A successful financial advisor is more than someone who is savvy about markets. A successful financial advisor also possesses great communication skills. Clients are most likely to leave their advisors based on their poor communication skills rather than on market performance.
Your clients are putting their financial life in your hands so they need to ensure you are a good emotional fit.
To attract clients and get the relationship to last, you, as an advisor, need to make a personal connection with them. You need to be able to reassure prospects and clients you can bring about both their future financial and emotional happiness.
To do all of this, you need strong soft skills. Let Don Connelly help you.
2:22 min. video that could change the way you do business, for the better and for good …
