Being accountable will benefit not only your business, but every aspect of your life. Being accountable to yourself will help you focus your attention on your performance, encouraging you to set and achieve personal goals. Being accountable to your clients will help you keep them on track and invested.Here’s how being accountable will help you succeed as a Financial Advisor.
One of the top traits of successful advisors is personal accountability – watch the
Webinar Replay, 7 Essential Traits of Successful Financial Advisors, to learn more.
1. Take accountability for your clients’ actions so they stick to the plan
Your job is to make sure your clients stick to the plan. You’re accountable for any bad decisions they may make.When the markets are down, you need to be at the ready to reassure them that you are on the case; that you made a personal commitment to them at the outset (i.e. that they would hit their financial goals) and that nothing has changed.While you can’t be held accountable for market conditions, you can be held accountable for your clients’ behaviors. At times like these, take the helm, step up and be accountable.
Show leadership and don’t let them down.
2. Be accountable for your own actions and clients will trust you
We all make mistakes from time to time, it’s human nature. If you have knowingly made a mistake, then own up to it. Don’t try to sweep it under the carpet or your clients will start to distrust you.Behave honestly and clients will see that you have
integrity. Tell them you have made an error, but that you have put things right, and have learnt from your mistake.If you need help building and maintain healthy relationships with clients, check out the
mp3 compilation, Mastering Client Relationships: What Elite Advisors Do.
3. Being accountable will help you set goals and stay on track
Accountability will motivate you to focus on important business tasks, monitor your performance, and give you
insights on how to improve. The ability to step back and analyze your performance is essential if you are to get the results you want.Set yourself clear, achievable goals. Then become accountable for them. In this way you will steadily grow your business, step by step.
If you’re not accountable when it comes to how you spend your time, you may be wasting it, performing tasks that are not adding real value to your business. This could mean you’re spending too much time preparing to meet clients rather than actually sitting down with them. Or you’re letting paperwork take over your working life.Accountability encourages you to focus on revenue-generating activities such as prospecting. The more time you devote to prospecting, the better you will become at this essential task, and the more business you will generate.Related:
Articulating Your Value to Prospects and Clients 4. Accountability can reinvigorate your career
Becoming accountable for yourself and taking charge of your own actions will give your career a boost. The feeling that
you are in control of your own destiny will not only help you avoid getting into a lull, but help you get out of a rut.Accountability will motivate you to hit your targets and give you a sense of self-worth. Without accountability you can easily drift and become despondent. By becoming accountable you will develop a clear direction and purpose.If you’re committed to succeed as a Financial Advisor, be sure to check the
mp3 compilation, Blueprint for Success: What They Don’t Teach You in Training.
5. Your accountability will seal your reputation
Once you start taking control and becoming accountable both to yourself and to your clients, you will
build a reputation as a reliable and trustworthy advisor. Your actions will seal your reputation and you will naturally become referral-friendly.Once you learn the art of accountability you will be better placed to take charge of your life and career. To help you become more accountable you could consider seeking a mentor – someone who can give you an objective opinion on how you’re doing as well as some
insights on how to improve.
