client communication Archives - Don Connelly & Associates

How Financial Advisors Can Use AI to Free Up Time for More Client-Facing Activities

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Despite the shortfalls of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial advisory business in that it cannot replace advisors as relationship builders, there are several ways advisors can embrace AI to achieve higher efficiency and have more time for the human element of the business.

We know that AI is rapidly transforming industries, and the financial services sector is no exception. Financial advisors are often overwhelmed by managing multiple tasks at once, especially when much of their time is consumed by administrative and back-office duties. And, with the increasing complexity of financial markets and compliance requirements, advisors must spend more time on data entry, paperwork, and compliance at the expense of more client-facing activities.

Future-Proofing Your Financial Advisory Career: The Power of Soft Skills in an AI World

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Financial advisors are bracing for the “next big thing” as artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly prominent role. The rise of AI-powered tools and robo-advisors is automating many of the routine, data-driven aspects of financial planning, creating more efficient and accurate solutions.

Robo-advisors, for example, offer algorithm-based portfolio management services that can reduce the need for human intervention in certain advisory functions. AI tools can sift through massive datasets, analyze market trends, and generate investment strategies, all at a fraction of the cost and time it would take a human advisor.

However, as AI takes over the technical aspects of financial advising, the human touch remains irreplaceable.

Financial Planning Challenges for Financial Advisors

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In today’s saturated market, financial advisors must offer holistic financial planning for several reasons: It’s a sure way to differentiate themselves from those who only offer investment management. It can build deeper, more trusting relationships with clients, and it leads to better financial outcomes for clients. It can also attract a broader client base and retain those who might otherwise seek these services elsewhere.

Financial planning should unquestionably be a cornerstone service offered by financial advisors. However, performing the service is not without its challenges, particularly as it relates to communication and relationship skills. Awareness of and overcoming these challenges through focus, practice, and sound execution is critical to providing effective guidance and building enduring relationships with your clients.

The Perils of Lacking Empathy: Why It Matters for Financial Advisors

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Nothing can form a human connection quite like the genuine expression of empathy. That human connection, which is the basis of trust in a relationship, is what clients want from their advisors. Failure to make that connection quickly can drive clients into the arms of a more empathic advisor.

Why empathy is so powerful

Empathy is the ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes, understand their emotions, and connect with them on a deeper level. But to your clients, it’s much more than that. When you express genuine empathy with a client, they feel like they are the most important person in your life at that moment. You took the time to step inside their shoes, walk around, and make them feel understood without judging them.

How Financial Advisors Can Be the Leader Their Clients Want

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In today’s complex financial landscape, being knowledgeable and able to connect with people is not enough. Clients expect more from you as their financial advisor. They expect you to lead them to financial security. Individuals seek financial advice because they lack the knowledge and expertise to navigate their financial futures effectively. But they are not inclined to follow just any advisor—only those who can unequivocally inspire trust and confidence. Why bother with anyone else?

Advisors must work each day to demonstrate leadership qualities that inspire trust, confidence, and informed decision-making. Here are the critical areas advisors should focus on to become leaders in the eyes of their clients:

Should FAs Allow Clients’ Political Opinions to Influence Their Investment Decisions?

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Here we are again—another presidential election year. If it’s like the last couple of elections, financial advisors are sure to see some clients wringing their hands over which candidate will win the White House and how that will impact the financial markets and their investments. At the very least, you’re likely to get an earful of some clients’ political viewpoints—which is fine if they don’t try to correlate them with how they should invest their money.

For decades, investors have tried to find some correlation between elections and investment performance, hoping it will foretell how a particular outcome will impact their portfolio so they can adjust their investment strategy appropriately.

Of course, if you search far enough, you might be able to uncover data that supports such a link. But you’re not going to find any that decisively shows a causal relationship or enough of one to warrant serious consideration for changing investment strategies based on election results. Still, some clients have such strong political views that they see a connection in all aspects of their lives, including how they invest their money.

Steps to Take When Ending a Client Relationship

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For everything it takes to secure a new client, it seems counterintuitive that a financial advisor would fire one. But, under certain circumstances, that’s precisely what you must do to keep your practice on the right growth trajectory while keeping your sanity.

Holding on to clients who stray outside your profile of an ideal client, or when they become too demanding or no longer follow your advice, can weigh you down. Your time is too valuable to spend it with clients who aren’t a good fit for you.

So, you need to fire them. But how? Ending a client relationship is a delicate process, but it doesn’t have to be awkward for you or the client when handled with care and professionalism. Much like a structured onboarding process, you should also have a clearly defined “deboarding” process to make it easier on everyone. Here are some steps to consider when ending a client relationship.

Why Financial Advisors Quit

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It’s estimated that nine advisors out of ten don’t last three years in the industry. That seems high for a career that offers so much promise and potential. Most people come into the business checking all the appropriate boxes for having what it takes. Still, when you consider the gap between reality and expectations of fledgling financial advisors, it begins to make sense why most choose to leave the business.

To put it bluntly, not everyone is cut out for a career as a financial advisor, even for those who do check all the boxes. However, with a better understanding of why many financial advisors quit the business, you can beat the odds by avoiding that fate.

The reasons why financial advisors quit are varied, but here are some of the most common.

Top 5 Critical Acquired Skills Financial Advisors Need for Success

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There was a time in the not-so-distant past when the only skill you needed to succeed in financial services was how to sell. The business of selling investments was almost entirely transactional, and all a financial advisor needed to do was shake the bushes for prospects and close them on a product sale. It was not easy by any means, and only the most tenacious advisors survived.

Certainly, that required some skill, but most were learned through memorizing scripts and drilling on closing techniques. The rest was all about persistence in dialing the phone.

Fast forward to today, and the game has changed drastically. With compensation coming largely from recurring revenue from assets under management or planning fees, advisors have had to develop an entirely new skill set. Tenaciousness, persistence, dogged determination, and knowing how to sell are still essential, but they take a back seat to more critical skills needed to succeed in the business today. Here are five such acquired skills you need to master.

How to Regain the Trust of a Client After a Disagreement

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

Can you think of any relationship that has never experienced conflict—where two people with the best of intentions fail to see eye to eye on an issue? Such is the nature of relationships, even where there is a track record of trust. You expect it in a marriage and even among colleagues—so why not between a financial advisor and their client?

It happens more than you might think. Financial advisors are wired to be analytical, while clients are often driven by emotion, which sets the stage for many “reality vs. perception” standoffs.

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