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When you’re posting supposedly helpful content, slow down and consider how it might be perceived.
Understandably, advisors are looking for ways to communicate with their clients, but some of the things I’m seeing being sent out are totally insensitive. I’m seeing this picture with the daily volatility of the market next to a smooth line showing over time it smoothes out. Advisors, if you’re doing that, please stop. It’s insensitive.
People are dying right now. This is not ’08. OK? There is a body count attached to what we’re going through.
I’m a “glass-half-full” person, as you know. I totally believe in capital markets and absolutely believe in the equities market as a great way to grow wealth, but you need to be mindful that there are serious implications we’re all experiencing.
Earlier this week I posted on Ash Brokerage’s intranet and heard back from one of our awesome internals, who help us with our business. Leighanne mentioned about just what this means to her. She’s the mom of twins who are going to be graduating this year. They’re instead not going to get the opportunity to walk across the stage. Leighanne emailed me, and she said, “It’s so surreal how this is affecting everyone. Besides being an internal here at Ash, I’m a mom of twins – a boy and a girl, who are graduating high school.” And she’s not going to get a chance to experience that.
I had her send me some photos, and they are just a wonderful-looking family – clearly fantastic people because they are a swimming family as well (so I was super-excited to see that!). From now on, every time I see Leighanne’s name come up on our internal messaging board, I’m going to think of Leighanne, but I’m going to see the picture of their family. Now they’re real people to me – they’re a mom and a dad and three children.
That’s how you need to be with your clients. They need to hear from you, but they need to hear you – coming from the heart.
So,
1. In an effort to communicate with your clients, be sensitive. Don’t just pump out information; be sensitive to how they’re feeling right now.
2. Do communicate with them, but make it helpful. Make it encouraging. Let them know that we don’t know exactly where this is going to end, but we’re going through this together.
3. Bring some normality to their lives. Set up an office-hours time, maybe at 9:00 on a Friday morning, maybe just for 15 or 20 minutes. You can use JoinMe, you can use Zoom – get comfortable with using technology during this time – and bring them all together. Let them hear you. They’re seeing a swirl of headlines, hearing all these voice – they’ve got to hear from you, and they must hear YOU. Let them know you truly care for them.
You will be bringing incredible value at this historic time for them, just helping them settle and providing them with some extra stability in their lives.
Related: Enhance Your Communication Now Through Virtual Meetings