Did you know that when a client decides to take their business elsewhere, 87 percent of the time it is because of the type of relationship he or she has with you? As an advisor, it is important to really pay attention to how you’re communicating with your client and prospects.
Building trust—and closing sales—can also be made less difficult when you help your clients and prospects view financial planning as something other than a task that must be completed. By centering your clients and prospects on who they are looking to be (a good provider to their family, a financially successful entrepreneur, or financially secure regardless of contingency) before going into the tasks can help the prospect to be inspired to move forward. They see what you are doing as an opportunity, not an obligation. Top producers are often those who invest the time above the line on why somebody would take action and are capable of aligning clients’ intentions with the necessary actions.
Communication is putting information through someone else’s filter. Recognize that when you are talking to someone they are putting you through a filter. They are looking to better understand the value of the opportunity in meeting with you, so feel confident in the actions that you will or will not take and understand how they will benefit. Effective communicators put information through this filter.
To best serve your clients, what do you do to communicate more effectively?
