/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Most people suffer from financial stress at some point—whether it’s dealing with high inflation or a volatile stock market. That’s to be expected, and we’ve provided tips on how financial advisors can help “de-stress” their clients.
However, when clients suffer from financial anxiety, it creates a new set of challenges for financial advisors. While stress can make a person worry about their financial situation, financial anxiety can be paralyzing, making it virtually impossible to move your client in any direction.
It’s easy to understand why a client might be stressed about something. Stress is typically triggered by identifiable external factors, such as a plummeting market or job loss. Because it is often tied to a specific event or issue, it usually subsides when the problem is resolved.
However, anxiety triggers are hidden beneath the surface, often with deep emotional or psychological roots. It may not be tied to a specific financial situation. Instead, it’s an emotional state influenced by fears of what could go wrong financially, even when there’s no immediate threat. If you can’t get to the root of the anxiety, you will be powerless to help your client.
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Leveraging Behavioral Finance: Understanding Client Decision-Making Patterns
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Financial advisors looking for an edge in influencing their clients’ decision-making need look no further than behavioral finance. Behavioral finance is a game-changer for advisors seeking to deepen client relationships and drive better decision-making outcomes.
Understanding how psychological factors influence financial decisions can help you build trust and guide clients through the emotional and cognitive challenges of investing. When clients feel understood and supported, their confidence in their financial plan—and their advisor—grows exponentially.
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How to Handle Unexpected Client Questions
/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
As a financial advisor, it’s essential that your clients ask questions. It means they want to engage with you, and they trust your expertise. Every question a client asks is an opportunity to educate them, which is a good thing. When your clients are comfortable enough with you to ask questions, it’s a sign of a healthy advisory relationship.
But what if a client blindsides you with an unexpected question, one you didn’t see coming? The relationship could turn on how you handle the question. If you hesitate, appear uncomfortable, or try to avoid the question, you could find yourself outside the client’s circle of trust, at least for the moment.
However, if you’re prepared to manage these impromptu and uneasy moments with confidence and professionalism, you will reinforce the trust you’ve already built.
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Ten Strategies for Encouraging Your Clients to Spread the Word About Your Business
/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments
We’ve often posted about the importance of creating an extraordinary client experience to make yourself more “buzzworthy” as an advisor your clients will want to discuss. You can’t even think about creating a compelling word-of-mouth buzz until you create the kind of service that feels personal, unique, and genuinely caring to your clients. That should be your primary focus.
However, beyond creating an extraordinary client experience, it’s essential to turn your clients into vocal advocates, like human billboards spreading the word about your business. While it does happen—having a delighted client go on and on about your service to a friend or colleague—most people are not naturally inclined to initiate a conversation like that without some help and encouragement.
Here are ten effective ideas to inspire your clients to spread the word and advocate for your business proactively.
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5 Client Behaviors Financial Advisors Must Put a Stop to and How
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
The widely studied field of behavioral finance has firmly established that many investors’ mistakes can be attributed to their emotions, which can cloud their judgment and overpower their patience and discipline. Ben Graham, arguably one of the best investors of all time, said, “The investor’s chief problem—even his worst enemy—is likely to be himself.”
Many financial advisors think their most important function is to devise financial strategies and help their clients allocate their assets to help them achieve their financial goals. Certainly, that’s important. But that’s what advisors study and train for. It’s what they do.
However, I would argue that the most essential function—the critical role advisors must fulfill—is that of a financial coach. Above all else, a financial or investment strategy rooted in sound practices and principles requires discipline and patience. However, when emotions cause a client to break from the strategy, you are the only person who can keep your clients anchored and coach them through the momentary instinct to act irrationally.
Addressing these behaviors proactively can help your clients stay on track and make sound decisions. Here are five common client behaviors that financial advisors should be prepared to address and strategies to manage them effectively.
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Financial Planning Challenges for Financial Advisors
/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
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.
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The Non-Salesy Way to Finding and Attracting Your Ideal Clients
/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments
Financial advisors’ success hinges on building trust and long-term relationships. To do that effectively, they need to target the right audience—individuals who value their expertise and require the specific services they offer.
Successful advisors know how to identify a niche that represents their ideal client. More importantly, they know how to reach out in a way that leads to a connection without resorting to pushy sales tactics. The key is to create a sustainable and repeatable process that positions you as an expert in a particular niche to the extent that they are drawn to your message.
Here are the steps to follow:
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Why You Need to Encourage Your Clients to Ask Questions
/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
As a financial advisor, you occupy a position of trust, guiding clients through complex financial landscapes. While knowledge and experience are crucial assets, an advisor’s success hinges on another critical factor: fostering a culture of open communication where clients feel empowered to ask questions. This often-overlooked attribute can unlock a multitude of benefits, leading to more effective financial planning, stronger client relationships, and, ultimately, a brighter financial future for the client.
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5 Effective Ways Financial Advisors Can Educate Clients
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Even though overeducating your clients can intimidate or overwhelm them into analysis paralysis or lost trust, still, one of your critical roles as a financial advisor is empowering your clients to make informed decisions.
Financial advisors who prioritize client education foster trust and instill confidence in their clients. The more trust and confidence your clients have in you and your advice, the more enduring the advisory relationship will be. But you must walk the fine line between overeducating your clients and empowering them with the right amount and type of financial literacy.
Here are five of the most effective ways financial advisors can educate their clients:
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The Paradox of Financial Education: How Too Much Knowledge Can Cost You Clients
/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
Financial advisors constantly walk a tightrope between empowering clients and overwhelming them. While financial literacy is crucial for informed decision-making, overeducating prospects and clients can backfire, resulting in the loss of an account. This phenomenon can be better understood by examining the psychology of financial decision-making and the delicate advisor-client relationship.
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