Trending
Beyond the Know Your Customer rule, the catch phrases of “client-centered” or “client-focused”, and the quest for the Holy Grail of client engagement marketing technology, there exists a small but growing realm of financial services practitioners that are borrowing from a diverse set of cross-industry behavioral and wellness tools, methodologies, skills and forging them into a true art and science approach to client engagement. This effort is selectively combining a rich and wide-ranging body of human knowledge and resources that seems to be resulting, not just into a sum of the parts, but more into a truly powerful, alchemical combination. One that can, not only, provide a huge jump in an advisor’s value proposition and competitive positioning, but most importantly, provide an effective, personalized advice delivery process leading to deep client connection and an energized pathway for clients to reach their most important goals.
Such were the thoughts and feelings that overcame me at the DNA Behavior Fall Mini-Conference in Atlanta last month. Their 2022 Fall Conference on “Mastering Your Money Energy” took behavioral science and its application to financial services and client engagement to a deeper more impactful human level.
More of a launching of a movement than a typical financial services event, all the financial advisors and life coaches participating were there to share and borrow from each other all the influences and processes they have integrated into their practices and in working with their clients. Discussions amazingly ranged from epigenetics, meditation, quantum field, visualization, longevity, essentialism, heartmath.org, kinesthetics, Aristotle, Einstein’s e=mc², Newton’s Laws of Physics, technology, API/platform development, and a “behavioral chip” to embed it all into an advisor’s practice. Interestingly, these discussions did not dwell or overly focus on the deeper philosophical/spiritual nature of the topics but were geared to extremely practical and successful applications in building, nurturing, and guiding clients to financial wellness, peace of mind, and life enjoyment.
The leader of this movement is Hugh Massie, Founder and CEO of Atlanta-based DNA Behavior International which he has built into "The Behavior and Money Insights Company". Maybe best described as a behavioral technology company, the firm is powered by its proprietary Financial DNA®, Business DNA® and Communication DNA® behavior tech platforms and its small army of API and tech developers that can incorporate and embed their behavioral tools and approaches into any firm’s systems through their “behavioral chip” technology. Of particular note throughout the course of the conference was Massie’s genuine and passionate personal connection to his mission to raise money consciousness as a powerful energy to help self-empower people - to change an unhealthy relationship to money that can cause stress, compromise happiness, and therefore their health. His story and the formation of his company was driven by his personal experiences and challenges which he openly shared with the group to illustrate how a person can channel their relationship with money in a positive way - from thinking about it in a linear pathway to addressing it in a quantum pathway.
The bulk of the DNA Behavior Conference targeted the concept of “Money Energy” and how money is omnipresent in our lives. It interrelates and is tied into all facets of our lives. Money, both consciously and unconsciously, plays a key part in our dealing with life’s challenges, whether it is a career choice, life decision, or personal goals. A person’s relationship with money is based upon who they are fundamentally and their life’s perspective. It is a combination of natural and learned behaviors and is ever-present directing our reactions and responses to pretty much everything around us and that challenges us. Unfortunately, money can be a huge source of stress that can negatively impact our decisions and the resulting outcomes. This view fits squarely into the rising realization by many financial planners of how true wealth is more than just about the level of assets or account sizes that one possesses.
“Money Energy” was defined as the inherent power and capacity to generate wealth that resides internally as a stored force releasable into your life at any time. The concept being that understanding the client’s unique financial stress points, and helping people build a healthy relationship to money, is incredibly powerful. This positions the financial advisor to help their clients learn to talk about money, encourage a balance between heart and mind, thereby amplifying a client’s positive relationship to money leading to better decisions and outcomes.
DNA Behavior’s ability to capture behavioral insights were designed to reveal the foundation of a person’s identity, which is fundamental to their life, including their relationship to money. Armed with this information, advisors can then amplify the client’s money energy in quantum leaps by guiding their mindset towards striving for equilibrium and balance in all aspects of their lives by knowing their authentic self.
Key Topics discussed included:
The Quantum Power of Money
DNA Behavior shared with participants their new research White Paper (September 2022) – “Mastering Your Money Energy – Introducing a working formula to help unleash the quantum power of money” that defines and outlines “money energy” as a previously hidden behavioral module which if understood and developed can be proactively released to propel the life of a human being in extremely meaningful ways. Knowing how to measure money energy that is coming from your subconscious mind that was formed early in life, but also how that energy is the result of the positive and negative energy you are consciously creating in every area of your life, can radically change the linear trajectory of expected outcomes to quantum leaps.
DNA Money Energy Measurement
The DNA Behavior discovery process database was compiled from 65,000 people done from 125 countries. The firm has prepared a library of booklets on research concepts, questionnaires, and other tools based on their work. Participants were invited to fill out a number of the questionnaires including our own personal Financial DNA® Natural Behavior Discovery, Money Energy Opportunities Discovery, and Quality Life Performance Discovery to showcase the quality and depth of information that these tools can reveal about ourselves and how they can offer guidance to our clients, as well as on our own paths.
Amplifying Money Energy Conversations –
Julie Marie Murphy (CLU, ChFC, MBA, CFP), author of Awaken Your Wealth – Creating A PACT to Optimize Your Money and Your LIFE with more than 24 years’ experience as a certified financial planner, shared her journey in how she has been turning the personal finance industry upside down by redefining standard financial planning approaches and educating clients about a new way of finding financial success by following a process which starts from within. Walking us through some of the unique ways she engages and coaches her clients made it clear why she has often been referred to as a financial healer or money therapist.
Leading Money Energy Conversations
Learning to talk about money is essential to amplifying money energy. Extensive examples of techniques and approaches were shared among the conference participants. The Platinum Rule of Money Conversations was distilled down for advisors into three steps: 1.) Start with discovering the client’s authentic identity as the foundation for obtaining money clarity, 2) Have the client draw a “Painted Picture” of their ideal Quality Life to cement their dreams, desires, and goals through visualization, and 3) Then, as a final step discuss the role of money.
Further, Platinum Rules for Relationships were distilled down for advisors to build customized communication: 1.) learn how to ask the right questions based on client DNA style, 2.) keep conversations safe, and 3.) manage emotions.
This was truly a masterclass on the art of conversation for client connection.
The Secret to Longevity Discussion
The landscape and research results behind the mind-body-life connection was explored, and again, in its most practical and effective application for client’s overall well-being. Longevity requires maintaining a high level of equilibrium in personal life energy between money, nutrition, health, and mind. In particular, there was a big emphasis on reducing stress caused by money.
Behavior Tech 3.0
DNA Behavior discussed how they are updating their technology platform for white labeling and flexibility to conform their behavioral platform to different advisor and consultant practices for release early next year.
A key element in financial services practice management training focuses on uncovering client needs and goals – usually through asking a series of direct and linear questions. But the over-riding question remains as to how exactly do you truly engage your clients and prospects? What does effective engagement look like? What are the appropriate questions to ask? How far can you and do you need to go in building a connection that can lead to quantum benefits for the client?
The Conference’s greatest message for me was realizing the massive growth and maturity on the perceptions of what client engagement and financial advice can become. How behavioral insights can be embedded into a financial business to “Know, Engage and Grow” every employee, advisor, and client on a real-time basis. Can this behavioral technology application become a major catalyst responsible for actualizing and driving advisors into the next-generation of financial advisors – further propelling financial services away from a sales industry to an advice profession - to meaningfully engage and advise their clients to a true holistic state of wealth management?
Recommended books as resources:
Transfer Your Mindset and Emotions Behind Money - by Julie Marie Murphy
How Rich People Think by Steve Siebold
Changing Conversations in Organizations by Dr Patricia Shaw
Coaching A to Z: The Extraordinary Use of Ordinary Words by Haesun Moon
Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams
Focus: Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence by Heidi Grant Halvorson PhD
The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton
Teresa Bullard-Whyke (meta physicist) - Youtube videos on quantum field & harnessing quantum field