If trust is NOT the goal of acquiring new ideal clients, then what is the goal? The answer is, it is simple and complex.
The goal is the experience.Do you have a process that creates an exceptional experience, creates a high level of trust and that inspires people to hire you? Could your process need some work? When I ask a room full of advisors, could your process of client acquisition need some work? Most of the hands go up, simply because most financial advisors do NOT have a process for acquiring ideal clients. Sure they can acquire clients, but to acquire more ideal clients, more high net worth clients, most financial advisors are struggling to achieve success.
What is your process?
“Practice management is about process, process, process." - Grant Hicks What is your proven process for acquiring more ideal clients, and how do you create an experience that will inspire them to hire you? Let me share a story to help you with your process. I just got back from a great workshop with
Bill Bachrachin San Diego. Bill asked me to discuss some key practice management strategies for financial advisors. It was interesting to talk to financial advisors from all over the world, who had a high degree of success, yet wanted to come to a workshop and improve their process. After three days of practicing and listening to Bill Bachrach’s proven process a few key ideas came to light.
Altruistic process
First off, it is an altruistic process. Giving and expecting nothing in return is difficult when advisors are promoting product sales. It is not a sales process, it is a trust process. Do you have a process to build trust, or create sales? The process helps people regardless if they do business with you or not. Helping people get clarity around their future, their dreams and goals and of their higher self, is valuable, regardless if they work with you or not. Everyone could use a little more clarity in life about their future, their family and their life. It is not about building rapport, it is about building trust and asking trust building questions, to help people understand where they are going. Remember, you are in the goals business, help people discover more goals in their life, not just retirement. Asking better questions, listening with empathy and understanding them is crucial to creating an ideal experience. Help people get a deeper sense of clarity around their future.
Active listening
The second element that is essential in creating an ideal client experience is listening. It is amazing to see financial advisors that want to write everything down and take notes while a client is talking. Knowing what to say, by having a clear process or script to follow shows that you are paying attention to body language in a conversation. Having a pen in your hand tells people that you are only interested in taking notes for your purpose, not theirs. Your critical questions are a big part of your process. Knowing what to ask, when to ask it, listening and most importantly, understanding what they are saying, without a pen in your hand is all about the client experience.
Related: How to Achieve a Deeper Relationship With Your Key Clients Record
Do you record your meetings with ideal prospects? Elite financial advisors record their meetings so they can listen to them over and over to understand what the client is saying. Use Bill Bachrach’s scripted process to help you overcome the fear of recording.“The reason I record is because I’m very thorough. (Pause.) Do you know how you can watch a movie a second or third time and see things you missed the first time?” (Long pause for response.) “Well giving you advice about your money so you can achieve your goals is obviously much more important than a movie, so I want to make sure our advice is right for you. If we choose to work together, I’ll
listen to this recordingat least one more time to make sure to get it right.” (pause) source
Elements of your process
To be successful in acquiring more ideal clients, you need to work on your process. The elements you need to have are:
Booking the appointment- Gathering all of the information needed in the first meeting Asking great questions Building an altruistic process to help people get clarity Recording the information Articulating your value promise Practice
Finally, every advisor could use a little bit of practice. I encourage you to grab a successful advisor and practice your process to acquiring ideal clients. In my workshops with financial advisors, I ask who could use a little help in their process, and usually, most hands go up. Everyone could use a little help in their process. Start by practicing it with a colleague and if you want to master it, record it and practice it. Go for it and good luck!
