/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Successful financial advisors know that expressing empathy is critical in helping them to connect with clients and solidify their relationships. Clients need to know you understand their circumstances and what they may be going through at any given time. However, empathy taken too far can backfire when advisors find themselves sharing the same emotional distress as their clients, which can threaten their objectivity and compromise sound planning advice.
At the extreme, this can lead to advisors relinquishing control of the relationship to their clients and acquiescing to their desire “to fix the problem” in the short-term at the expense of their long-term plan. This type of role reversal is not uncommon for advisors who become emotionally vested in their clients, wanting to do what they can to ease their pain. Suddenly, the relationship is no longer being guided by rational, objective advice; but rather the behavioral impulses advisors are supposed to prevent, such as selling into a steep market decline, or abandoning the long-term strategy just to alleviate the immediate suffering.
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The Slippery Slope from Empathy to Role Reversal, and How to Avoid It
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Successful financial advisors know that expressing empathy is critical in helping them to connect with clients and solidify their relationships. Clients need to know you understand their circumstances and what they may be going through at any given time. However, empathy taken too far can backfire when advisors find themselves sharing the same emotional distress as their clients, which can threaten their objectivity and compromise sound planning advice.
At the extreme, this can lead to advisors relinquishing control of the relationship to their clients and acquiescing to their desire “to fix the problem” in the short-term at the expense of their long-term plan. This type of role reversal is not uncommon for advisors who become emotionally vested in their clients, wanting to do what they can to ease their pain. Suddenly, the relationship is no longer being guided by rational, objective advice; but rather the behavioral impulses advisors are supposed to prevent, such as selling into a steep market decline, or abandoning the long-term strategy just to alleviate the immediate suffering.
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What Not to Do in Building Lasting Client Relationships
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
For financial advisors, building lasting client relationships is as essential as it is challenging. There’s really no more important aspect of an advisor’s practice to ensure sustainable growth. While many advisors try to focus on facets in their practice to bring more value to the relationship, they tend to gloss over what not to do, which can have an even more significant impact on their relationships – and not in a good way.
Here are four key “what not to do’s” all advisors need to proactively convert into a priority to-do list.
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What Is Buyer’s Remorse and How to Overcome It in 3 Easy Steps
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Buyer’s remorse is defined as ‘a feeling of regret experienced after making a purchase – typically one regarded as unnecessary or extravagant’ (Oxford Dictionary).
Most of us have experienced this type of feeling at some point – maybe after buying a pair of expensive shoes that with hindsight we considered an unworthwhile purchase.
But buyer’s remorse doesn’t just apply to shopping – it’s possible your clients might feel similarly disenchanted about their decision to hire you.
Make sure your clients don’t experience post-hiring disappointment by doing the following three things.
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5 Questions Prospects May Ask You before Deciding to Hire You as Their Financial Advisor
/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments
Just as there are many questions you need to ask a potential client, prospects will have plenty of things they’ll want to know before they consider doing business with you too. Here are five questions you’re likely to receive.
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How Do Clients Choose a Financial Advisor?
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
If you don’t know what’s going on in a client’s mind when they’re choosing a financial advisor, you won’t be able to present yourself in a way that meets their needs. And you won’t get selected.
So let’s take a look at some of the things likely to be on a client’s mind when they’re looking for an advisor…
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Put Investing in Terms That Clients Can Understand
/ by Don Connelly / Investing Wisdom / 0 comments
Everyone knows that cars go down in value. That’s just the way it is. No matter what you pay for a car, and no matter how carefully you look after it, it’s going to be worth a lot less than you paid for it. It’s never going to bounce back in value, but car owners are okay with that. They are pre-conditioned to the loss. However, clients don’t see their investments this way. They think investments are only supposed to go one way – up. When investments go down, clients feel they have lost money, even if they have not sold out. They will take a hard loss on a car and not bat an eye, yet they can’t stomach a paper loss in their portfolios.
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5 Things You Should Do to Successfully Manage Your Relationships with Clients
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
What your clients do this year and going forward will not be dictated by world events alone. It will be dictated by the strength of their relationship with you. That’s why you need to make relationship building one of your top priorities.
Here are five ways to keep your relationship on a firm footing.
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What Not to Do in The First Client Meeting
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
It takes hard work and perseverance to set up a first appointment with a potential client. Don’t waste this precious opportunity by approaching the meeting in the wrong way – because it’s unlikely you’ll get a second chance.
There’s no ‘first meeting rule book’, however there are some things to avoid if you want to move things forward. Here are a few.
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What Really Is The Job of a Financial Advisor?
/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
To be an elite advisor you obviously need technical knowledge and expertise. But, just as importantly, you must possess superb soft skills. Your role is to change your clients’ lives for the better and you can only do this if you can effectively communicate with them. To do your job properly you need to get across to people the importance of investing, and why you are the perfect advisor to oversee their investment plan. Here are three aspects of your job as a Financial Advisor that should never be overlooked.
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7 Ways to Manage Client Expectations
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Managing client expectations is crucial in order to keep your clients invested in you and with their financial plan. Here are a few ways to make sure you deliver on your clients’ expectations both in terms of investment performance and your level of service.
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