Back in my consulting days, we were taught to build personal relationships with our clients. Now I will confess that some of the clients we didn’t want to get any closer to but the majority of them were nice and we actually enjoyed meeting them and helping them. The point is, the better the relationship you have with a client the higher the chances of them introducing other people to your business. Why you might ask? It’s an age-old tradition but people like to work with and help those that they like, know and ultimately trust.

For some its very easy to get to know clients on a deeper personal level but for some, it can be quite challenging. Perhaps your natural style is quiet; your quite shy but love the work that you do. Perhaps you don’t know how far is too far and some guidelines would be helpful.

Below are four ways in which you can start to develop deeper relationships with your clients. It would be a good idea to print these off and discuss them as a team or place them in the kitchen as a reminder. You might even like to check in each month [or weekly] and hear what success others are having in the business with regards to client relationships.

1. Get to know the family. One of the easiest ways to do that is by using the family tree concept. There are several variations which can easily be found on Google or you can create your own. Depending on your style and your business will depend on how you choose to use this framework but at its basic level, it’s an excellent tool to help navigate the conversation about their family. The more you know about someone the easier it is to have better conversations and the better the conversations the closer the relationship. In coaching, we talk about coming from a place of curiosity which is exactly the mindset I would encourage you have with this concept. Typical things advisers will ask about family members are age, work status, marital status and so forth. General questions which are more than suitable and legitimate for their financial adviser [you] to be curious about.

2. Celebrate milestones. There’s not enough love and celebration in the world these days! When was the last time you sent a random card to someone to say thank you or congratulations? Has a client recently started a new job? Had a new baby? Finished a course? Got married? Retired from work? Their child completed VCE? Been a client for a certain amount of years, even one year? What did you do to acknowledge these achievements? Depending on your business, budget and style will depend on how you celebrate these milestones. There’s no need to go overboard with gifts but a nice card, a bunch of flowers, a bottle of wine with a handwritten card are all lovely ways to demonstrate that you have their interests at heart, that you care and that you value the relationship.

3. Demonstrate warmth. Throughout our lives, there will undoubtedly be some trauma whether it affects us personally of a loved one. A client of mine, a financial adviser, heard that one of his client’s business partners had passed away unexpectantly. It was a tragedy. This financial adviser hadn’t met the business partner but was so saddened to hear the news and knew how much it would shatter his client that he flew interstate to attend the funeral and offer his compassionate support. It’s acts of kindness that show the true character of a person.

4. Show you listen. I’ve said it before random acts of kindness are one of the best ways to deepen relationships. Let’s say one of your clients is having a hard time; anything could have happened. You might decide to send them a handwritten card to let them know you are thinking of them. They might be going on an overseas trip – you could buy them a nifty travel device for the plane or a book about the destination. Again this idea doesn’t need to break the bank. Keep it simple.

Many financial advice businesses claim to be client-centric yet so many can’t be because at their weekly catch up meetings they aren’t talking about clients they’re talking about processes, system upgrades, staff holidays etc. While I appreciate they are all legitimate items to discuss I would encourage whoever runs these meetings to include the topic of clients that way more of your advisers will be able to make deeper relationships, gain more of the ideal clients and ultimately bring in more revenue.

How do you create better client relationships?

We live in interesting times. There is so much going on in the world; in our everyday lives. Nothing is slowing down. The point of my article today is to talk about governance, compliance, scams, audits all these dry topics [I am a marketing person they are dry!] but topics that I think today are more relevant for you to talk about than ever before.

All of us know someone who has been scammed. Many of us know of someone who has had their identity stolen. No wonder we question if we can trust someone let alone a financial services company.

Your clients are talking about the Royal Commission. I know because I talk to clients of financial advisers and because financial advisers themselves have told me that their clients have told them! Yet, some advice businesses haven’t been in contact with their clients.

Where is your communication to your clients about your thoughts regarding the Royal Commission?

You might rate highly with your clients when it comes to satisfaction scores. You might not have lost any clients recently but let me suggest [recommend] that you take this golden opportunity to talk to your clients about the proactive steps your business is taking to protect your client’s best interest.

The words governance, process, systems, audits, compliance are strong words to use to let your clients know how your business operates.

In fact, don’t just use them with your clients, use them with your strategic partners too.

Tell your clients that you take their privacy seriously and give them comfort by telling them how you do that.

Create campaigns to tell them. Share the information on your website. Be proactive, not reactive.

When was the last time you told a client that you were audited?

We all know that the ideal client is likely to be introduced to your business through someone else whether that is a family member, friend, co-worker or a trusted professional source. However, I can tell you through the research that I do; you aren’t getting all the client referrals they say they will send you. Everyone has good intentions, but everyone is busy. Below are some of the reasons why you are being forgotten and not receiving the referrals they said they would send:

1. No referral plan – sitting opposite your client they mention they have a friend who they think could benefit from your advice. You say great thanks. 80% of the time there is no conversation about how you and their friend are going to get in contact with each other. Connect the dots there and then and agree with your client about the best way forward. Don’t feel awkward about it; its business.

2. No information – sitting opposite your client they say that yes they have a friend who could also benefit from your advice and they’ll make sure they mention your name when they see them next. They forget to mention your name because that’s life BUT if you’d given them your latest brochure, e-book, report or something that can be passed on they have less chance of forgetting to mention you. Even better, you email your client with the marketing collateral for them to email on – or you do it if you have their details. This positions you as an expert, thought leader, whatever you want to call it, the important piece is to have something of value for them to pass on to their friend. You might even scribble your direct contact line on the front – yes it’s probably in the material that’s not the point! The point is you make an effort to make it easy for them to call you!

3. Lousy website – 80% of the people who meet you for the first time will Google your name, even if a trusted person has referred you. Why? Because that’s what we all do now because we can! Your website fails to impress. It fails to inform what you do, who you do it for and why they should choose you. They know they need to seek advice, but they’re not impressed and merely forget at it.

I know lots of Advisers who are being contacted by supposedly facebook experts at the moment who promise to deliver 15-20 client leads per week – it’s a scam. If you want quality leads, clients who will take your advice and pay your professional fees, please put your energy into introductions [referrals] and once you’ve completely nailed that then look at Facebook campaigns, if you’ve got something to offer that is.

Most of my articles offer simple practical advice and that is exactly what this article aims to do; give you a campaign that we’ve used that works. It might not be the sexiest of campaigns or the most complex but it’s a campaign that will get noticed and get you results; isn’t that what you want your marketing to do?

It doesn’t involve automation or social media. It doesn’t involve hours and hours of labour, it really is a simple idea that works.

A common issue for many advisers is not receiving the right type of client from a referral partner or networking group. Instead, they receive clients who don’t suit their business which can cause major dramas for the adviser, the client and person who referred them.

There’s a reason some of the greatest marketers in the world think of joint venture relationships as the most effective marketing strategy.

Someone else has spent years and money building trust with a list of clients and prospects that are also your ideal clients. Joint ventures make it possible for you to access their clients, tap into the trust, and position your advisory services.

In this article I’m going to share a marketing campaign that we have recently used with an adviser because it’s simple, doesn’t cost a fortune and works!

As with most brilliant marketing strategies, it’s not always the easiest thing to pull off. Even when the other professional party appreciates the value of your advice and services, they often lack the right mindset and understanding to promote you to another.

However, with the right message and campaign, you can quite easily fill your pipeline with the ideal clients your value proposition supports. Which I know is music to many ears!

Before you can launch this excellent marketing campaign though, you need to find the right partners. I’m not necessarily talking about accountants and solicitors [although this marketing campaign will work with them too] but other professionals who would be open to a JV marketing opportunity. Who? That will depend on who your target client is. Ask yourself, who do they trust? It could be a business coach, a personal trainer; the list is endless depending on who you want to work with.

Right from the start, you need to identify the perfect people you want to work with; people who share the same values, culture and ideal clients as you do. You might think that their values and culture doesn’t matter to you, but if there is one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that shared values and culture make the JV stick, and campaigns work!

Remember the WANTED/REWARD posters from old Western movies? The ones that show the face of someone that the sheriff is looking for? They pinned them to walls and trees around town.

We want a WANTED poster of your ideal client. This is the exact campaign that we created, and it worked.

First of all, have you worked out who your ideal client is? Remember, it can’t be all Australians! If you tell a referral partner that you can help anyone, you become a commodity, not a specialist, and you’ll simply be forgotten and never referred to.

This is how the campaign looked:

I recently worked with an Adviser who is part of a BNI group. BNI groups might not be your thing, but you might be part of another networking group which is why I want to share this idea with you – because it works! If you’re not part of a networking group, I would encourage you to. There are lots around, and if you really can’t find one you like, you could start your own.

This adviser was having a problem with articulating to the BNI group who his ideal client is.  He is a risk specialist. The group understood what he did, but they either couldn’t understand who his perfect client was or just forgot as soon as the meeting was over. So, we devised a plan so that they wouldn’t forget!

Knowing that most people are visual processors; meaning they prefer to see something than just read it, we created a WANTED flyer for this adviser to use at his BNI group.

The flyer had the words WANTED written at the top and a picture of a small business owner who was working on a farm. He looked successful but stressed. He had a young family; wife and three children. He had people who worked for him. The adviser named the farm business, the family and listed out seven other characteristics about this person.

Each Tuesday when the group met, the adviser handed out the flyer so that the group was reminded exactly who he wanted to see. Simply giving it to them once and never again wouldn’t have achieved the results. That’s an important tip! The group thought it was a great novel idea!

The result? He started receiving the ideal client referrals.

This simple idea can be used in your networking group, with your existing clients and your referral partnerships.

Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive or hard. Sometimes the simplest of messages work. There are many ways in which you can use this campaign. You could use it internally so help the team understand who your ideal client is. Use it on your website to clearly explain who you work with, although you might want to remove the words, WANTED! And you might look at using the concept in your corporate brochure.

One of the best ways to get your message out there is through presentations either from a stage/platform or online – one to many is far more effective than one to one.

But for many, the idea of actually doing the presentation sends them into a nervous sweat [sometimes that’s actually not a bad thing!].

To help you and more importantly to help others hear your message I’ve written some tips for you below:

1. No more than three key points should be discussed. People simply can’t retain too much information in this type of forum. Don’t baffle the audience. Think three key messages and stick to them.

2. Slow down. Take deep breathes. When people are nervous they can tend to speed up their speech or worse still, mumble. Remeber to breathe.

3. Nerves are good. I hinted at it above. Feeling nervous makes you grounded and you come across as more natural.

4. Own your mistakes. If you missed a key point from the last slide it’s totally OK to admit it. We were often taught that if you got to the end of a presentation and you’d forgotten a key point then offer the audience some ‘bonus’ material and talk about it then! You are human after all!

5. Embrace your flusters! If you feel yourself reddening, sweating or simply getting flustered it’s OK. Walk away from your spot to maybe the other side of the stage or, if you are online change your posture, breathe and continue. You may even want to have a line up your sleeve that you can use to distract the audience at that stage so that you can re-focus.

6. Look up and talk. Never ever read your presentation. It’ll be boring, you won’t be able to project your voice or engage with your audience. Preparation is the key and if you’re as passionate as you say you are about the topic – show it!

7. Stick to the time slot. The number of people that say to me, ‘I’ll wing it!’ scares the living daylights out of me! Why? Because it’s rude to go overtime plus you’ll lose peoples attention.

Presenting is an ideal marketing tactic for any financial adviser – actually let me re-word that, any financial adviser who wishes to. If it’s not up your alley then don’t do it let someone else in the business but make sure you share these tips with them because even the most confident people need some tips now and then!

Need a professional presenter for your next conference, PD day or strategy day? Contact me directly for information about the marketing topics I present. rachel@srscc.com.au

The first thing any professional marketing person thinks of when they read and see all of the media around The Royal Commission is reputation management. Managing the reputations of the thousands of financial advisers and their staff who do outstanding work for their clients day in day out. Ideally you would work from the top down and take a strategic view, but unfortunately, that horse has bolted.

So what can you do as a business to ensure that your reputation remains intact and that you continue to attract and retain the right type of clients, employees and business partners?

There are many ways, but in this post, I’d like to suggest one way. A way that won’t cost you anything and you can start doing today.

Make sure your excellent reputation is visible for everyone to see.

How? Online reviews. I know some of you will grumble when you read this but think about it. 80% of people who meet you for the first time whether told about you through a trusted source of theirs or Google, will check you out online. Why do they do that? Because they want to make sure you have a ‘heartbeat’ [seriously clients have actually used that word] and that you look like you know what you are doing.

Sometimes when people Google your name, your website might not be the first thing that comes up – do it now and see what Google has to say about you. [Finish reading this first!].

If people can read loads of the positive reviews about you, your business and profession surely that has to be a good thing? I know it won’t rid the profession of its current reputation but its a move in the right direction for your business and it won’t cost you anything!

People love to rate things, and we like to read comments about what others have said about things too! I admit I use Tripadvisor. I’m respectful with my feedback and like to read what others have said about places I’m about to spend my hard earned money. I will also admit that I read the comments on Facebook about products that appear in the sponsored spots! Some of them are entertaining! And yes, I have purchased a product because of all the raves reviews!

I know many of you are concerned about all these rating platforms and options available to clients, don’t be. Rating sites and variations of them are here to stay, and they will evolve. What I would suggest you do, though, is take a proactive role in managing your reputation rather than shy away from it.

Here are four simple tips you can start using or, if you are already using them, review them:

1. Own your patch – what people say about you is only one part of the whole reputation landscape. Have content rich visibility on social platforms, for example, LinkedIn, Facebook, and your blog. By having relevant up to date information, you are beginning to show the world that you are knowledgeable. I’m not saying that anyone who shares content is brilliant, instead, if you have content that is visible online, it’s a good start!

2. Be proactive – I keep saying this…when you post an article on a social platform don’t just post the information and give yourself a tap on the back! All you’ve done is clog up the system like many others out there! When you post something, ask for a comment, ask for some feedback – aim to get some engagement. There are 101 reasons why you would do that simple action but in the context of this post, if you ask for feedback and each time you get responses [and they will be good] it is another way to help develop your reputation. It shows people that others do like you and like to communicate with you positively.

3. Ask – rather than running away from online reviews, ask for them! Sometimes if you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you make it part of your plan to get lots of positive comments from your clients and business partners, it will again, help build a positive reputation for you. Ask for them on FB, LI, Google reviews, your website and Adviserratings to start with

4. Take note – actually, take the time to read what words your clients are using when they are describing your service. Are there common words being used? Do you use the same words to describe what it is that you do? If not, why not?

Don’t let the increase in online rating platforms rattle you, instead, accept that they are here to stay and embrace the opportunity to be able to engage with people and make your positive reputation visible to others.