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Three keywords to have on ideal client agendas
In real estate, it is location, location, location. In practice management, it is process, process, process. What is your process for ideal clients in a progress update meeting? How can you enhance your client’s experience at your meetings? What keywords do you use on your agenda? Instead of the word reviews, use a progress update.
Create an agenda with time blocks
Creating agendas are what top financial professionals use to enhance their client experience to ensure that all areas of your client’s comprehensive financial and investment plan are covered and discussed. Do you add to the agenda hidden areas that may have been forgotten, such as estate planning, tax planning, wealth management, or other investment planning ideas? Do you put on the agenda possible time frames for these discussion points to keep the meeting on track? Time blocking key activities will help you and your ideal clients focus on the key areas to cover, and not get off focus in a meeting talking about something that can be done at a later meeting or time. By adding these three keywords will help your practice implement key practice management processes into your business.
The three keywords are 1. Introductions 2. Communication and 3. Feedback These processes will help you build world-class communication strategies, gain valuable feedback, and clone your best clients. Here is how these practice management processes work.
The first keyword to put on agendas is introductions
Imagine starting a meeting with your ideal client introducing you to other ideal clients and families like themselves? Try asking this question." before we begin today's meeting I would like to ask you a question. If I were to meet ideal people like yourself, how would I do it in the current environment? I am trying to figure out how to grow my business and it is a marketing question? How would I meet ideal people like yourself? "
Two things will happen, either they will say, I am not sure i will keep it in mind, and you planted a future introduction, or they give you an idea into how to connect with people like themselves. The advisors I work with have been blown away by the response to not only help answer the question but to introduce them to a few select people such as themselves that they have been talking to. Either way, it is just one question. One advisor I worked with asked his client this question, and before the meeting began gave him 4 solid referrals. Imagine how the rest of the meeting went?
Events
The challenge in the current environment is events are severely restricted. At least have the data on where to meet ideal prospects.
Events are the way wealthy clients want to meet their potential financial advisors or their new financial professional. Your clients are meeting financial advisors at events all the time. What events are you or your wealthy clients involved in? What is near and dear to their heart such as a charity or children’s event that you could be involved in? Top advisors target their ideal clients through strategic networking or introductions from their clients. Getting personally involved and personally introduced to those high net worth clients through strategic events will help you meet your next ideal client. Making it a process for your top clients by asking them what I call “ the golden question”.I like working with retired pilots like you. If I were to meet a group of retired pilots, where would I go to meet them and how would I meet them?
Get involved
Wealthy people are out at events 3-4 nights of the week helping others, their community, and causes they are passionate about. Do you know what they are involved in? Ask ” Are there any events this year that you are involved in that are near and dear to your heart?’ Small events (less than 20 people or 10 couples) can be a great way to meet people through favorable introductions. Align your practice with your client's interests, and see what happens.
Communication
First, asking clients how they want to communicate and find out their expectations (not creating expectations) when it comes to communication. Communication has dramatically changed over the past three years, does your client want a different experience when it comes to communication. Ask five clients “how” questions: How satisfied are you with our communication to you? How can we improve our communication with you (and your family )? How would you change our communication? One advisor, I worked with found over 100 hours of time in a calendar year by asking these questions. His clients wanted 2-hour reviews twice a year ( 4 hours per year) instead of quarterly reviews ( 8 hours per year), creating a win-win experience. The real answer to better communication is always in your questions. Research by Business Health Pty Ltd. In Australia, ( key-value drivers USA advisors) states that your best clients want up to 10 personalized touches ( communications) per year. Only 38% of advisors do 10 touches per year, and they earn up to 68% more than advisors who communicate less than 10 times per year. What is your process for 10 touches or communications per year to your best clients?
Feedback
Have you created a formal feedback process? According to Business Health Pty Ltd. In Australia, one of the most disappointing statistics of practice management is that only 15% of financial advisory practices in the US and Australia have sought feedback from their very best clients. ( www.businesshealth.com.au ) How you do feedback is up to you. However, put it on your agenda and make it part of your process. You can ask questions, send a detailed survey or questionnaire, or do a feedback forum with clients. But you must do some form of client feedback, ask key questions, and make it a process for your top clients. Advisors who do feedback on a regular basis earn more than advisors who don’t ( up to 33% more) according to research by “Business Health Pty Ltd”. Your best opportunity to create a unique client experience is to ask for feedback and manage the discussion with the client. This is what I call advisors blind spots. You can not create and continually enhance an ideal client experience without constant feedback.
Keep the agenda simple
Keep the agenda simple. Have a bullet point list of items to discuss. Ask the client before you begin if there is anything else to add to the agenda, or consider sending it before the meeting. Then you can direct the meeting by starting at the top of the list or you can ask the client where they would like to begin. The big truth is that time is far more valuable than money. The agenda will make time together in your meeting more valuable. Now you get to implement three key practice management processes, communication, feedback, and meeting new ideal clients.
“If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you’ll be fired with enthusiasm”. Vince Lombard
Add your network of professionals to the agenda
Do your ideal clients know about your network of professionals? Do you know who they work with? This is critical data to collect and put in your CRM system. My CRM always had six fields for this data with every client. Their accountant, lawyer, realtor, mortgage broker, insurance agency, and others, such as a commercial realtor or commercial insurance. Remember practice management is about three things, process, process, process. The best advisors have more processes than the average advisor.
Related: To Acquire More Ideal Clients in 2021, Financial Advisors Will Need to Think Differently