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<\/p>\nYou can\u2019t admit it. But want to.<\/p>\n
Saying it out loud sounds so bad, even though your intentions are good and the outcome would be great. So the truth goes unsaid, makes a permanent home in your churning thoughts. You’ll just wait until “the perfect moment” finally comes along when you can naturally bring ‘It’ up to your client.<\/p>\n
But when will that moment of truth come?<\/p>\n
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Leaving awkward-yet-important conversations to \u201chappen naturally\u201d is fine, but you really can<\/em> free yourself now.<\/p>\n Identify the thing you\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0want to say, then consider how these leading questions can help open that discussion.\u00a0Here are a few common truths that may feel better left unsaid, and suggestions for how to spin it into a conversation with your client.<\/p>\n Start with:\u00a0What\u2019s been on your mind lately?<\/p>\n There’s probably some relationship mending to do here. If you feel like you haven’t spoken with a client in a while, you can be certain they feel the same about you. This can be scary territory. Take a good chunk of time before diving into anything on your list of meeting to-do’s and get caught up on their life. Make them feel heard and understood. Next, put a process in place to keep regular communication moving forward, showing your client that you acknowledge the issue and care enough to propose a solution. (If you need help, our client engagement platform equips advisors with tools to automate this. Ask about it here.<\/a>)<\/p>\n Start with:\u00a0Do you have time to grab a coffee (or beer) after this?<\/p>\n Try to chat with the client outside of designated “meeting time”. While you may feel confident in your ability to get clients to open up during meetings, a casual environment is more conducive to getting to know them on a truly personal level. They’re probably on their best behavior during a scheduled meeting, but grabbing a drink and chatting about sports, family, vacations, LIFE… could really help you achieve this goal.<\/p>\n Start with:\u00a0What\u2019s the word on the street about (insert hot topic)?<\/p>\n If you want to sound topical, well, bring up a hot topic. They key, however, is to do it in a conversational way like this. Don’t give any one story too much attention or power, as we all know how most financially scandalous news becomes irrelevant over time and you don’t want your clients to put too much weight on any one story. Which leads us to…<\/p>\n Start with:\u00a0Did you notice your hard work has earned you xx% growth over the past 4 years?<\/p>\n Reminding clients about their long-term progress can help calm short-term worries. Have clients who tend to struggle with this? Check out how to combat the\u00a0CNBC effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n Start with:\u00a0Did you know you could share your online portal with your accountant and lawyer?<\/p>\n I know, this may sound like it comes from left field, but it’s actually quite powerful. Connecting with your clients’ other advisors helps you establish strong relationships with the professionals who can send you boat loads of referrals. And getting them to\u00a0share their portal<\/a>\u00a0with these folks is a key first step. While client referrals\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0nice (when they actually happen), they’re unpredictable and advisors have told us they’re often low quality matches. Instead, pose this question to be helpful and become a COI – “center of influence” – referrer.\u00a0It’s a concept we talked about in\u00a0one of our past whitepapers<\/a>\u00a0if you’d like to learn more.<\/p>\n Start with: Could you update me on what \u201cyour number\u201d is now?<\/p>\n An inability to recall their total net worth at the drop of a hat proves one of their most basic financial needs has not been met. You can be the help they need. Demonstrate how your account aggregation technology makes it incredibly easy for clients to sync held-away assets to their client portal, giving them a snapshot of “their number” any moment they want it. If you haven’t already guessed, Blueleaf does this. –\u00a0Related reading: Getting Clients to Go “All In” With Held-Away Assets<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Start with:\u00a0Can you explain your current process of (doing x)? What\u2019s annoying about that?<\/p>\n Focus on how they currently handle the thing you hope a new system will help them with.\u00a0By getting clients to discuss their challenges and frustrations you\u2019ll be in a much better position to think clearly about how this new tool can help solve those issues. –\u00a0Related: How To Introduce New Technology To Your Clients<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Other things you really want to say, but not sure how? Admit it in the comments below and get help turning it into something a client would love to hear.You want to say:<\/span>\u00a0I feel like we haven\u2019t spoken in forever.<\/h3>\n
You want to say:<\/span>\u00a0I still need to get to know you as a person.<\/h3>\n
You want to say:<\/span>\u00a0I keep up-to-date on what\u2019s going on in the news, so trust that I\u2019m aware.<\/h3>\n
You want to say:<\/span>\u00a0I wish you\u2019d stop freaking out about short-term market performance.<\/h3>\n
You want to say:<\/span>\u00a0I\u2019d like you to refer me to a friend.<\/h3>\n
You want to say:<\/span> If you bring all your “other” assets over to me, I could really<\/em> help you with this.<\/h3>\n
You want to say:<\/span> I\u2019m considering new software and am worried you may not like it.<\/h3>\n
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