How the Leading Financial Advisors in Atlanta are Taking Client Relations to the Next Level
Think of your business like the north pole.
Now think of your prospective clients like magnets.
NOW, think of your existing clients like the polarization for those magnets.
If you could check, would those magnets all be pointing north right now?
If you’ve ever read the book “Raving Fans” you understand that it’s not just good enough to satisfy your clients.
Your goal needs to surpass client satisfaction to what we call determined sharing.
This means that your goal with every client is focused around what needs to happen to wow that client so they are determined to share their story about your services with everyone they know.
Mediocre financial advisors satisfy their clients to grow their bank account.
Good financial advisors please their clients to grow their book of business.
Excellent financial advisors wow their clients to expand their business via word of mouth.
The beautiful thing about this?
You can make the jump to the “excellent” group (if you’re not there already) at any time.
How do you do this?
STEP 1: Survey your clients
Ask them a series of questions about what has worked well or not so well during their time with you. You can do this via email or phone.
STEP 2: Look for patterns
Find the consistencies within your current clients and write them down.
STEP 3: Create an action plan
This is something you will need to do eventually anyway. However, taking a proactive approach allows you to prevent clients from dropping off and will show you gaps in your service. How will you take action to address the patterns you're finding?
STEP 4: Reach out individually
Address each survey respondent one by one with the steps you are taking to ensure their needs (the patterns you discovered) are being met.
You’ll be surprised how much your clients will appreciate this proactive approach to addressing their needs.
This is the foundation to lay so that any time “financial advisor” comes up in their day to day conversations, they are the first to jump up and say “I love my Financial Advisor! They just get me!”.
Because you acted.
This word of mouth is extremely important for your business.
But don't take it from us.
We asked some of the leading financial advisors in the Atlanta area what their thoughts were on the matter and how they grow their business.
Check out what they had to say below…
Name: Faye Sykes
Company: Scarlet Oak Financial Services
Website: www.scarletoakfs.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayesykes/
How does word of mouth play a role for you as a financial advisor?
Faye: "It’s my bread and butter, we have clients, friends, CPA's, Lawyers and Bankers that understand how we can assist our clients as a fiduciary and our specialties like Social Security retirement income planning."
What do you wish people knew more about when choosing a financial advisor?
Faye: "Many people put themselves out as an financial advisor but in many cases they have a pre-agenda in asset gathering or insurance quotas. Understanding the company that they work for will direct in many cases they types of services provided. There is also a difference in "suitability" verses "fiduciary" and asking the advisor which are they. Suitable dictates that as long as its suitable to a client but maybe not the best option or makes the advisor more money then they can legally offer and sell. A fiduciary which held to the highest legal level in our industry and are legally obligated to offer their clients the best option even if they make less money. The other question you should always ask is how do you get paid. There can be a big difference in commission based sales - where the advisor makes money up front with no incentive to help your money grow- verses a fee based advisor where they get on the same side of the table as their clients in that the advisor which typically gets paid on a percentage of assets quarterly can only grow their income but helping their clients increase theirs."
How do you typically find new clients to work with?
Faye: "Clients come to us in three ways, Client/Gate opener referrals, Speaking- TV, Radio and Live events and through our social media and website."
Name: Shelby Green
Company: Sag Financial Group
Website: www.sagfinancialgroup.com
How does word of mouth play a role for you as a financial advisor?
Shelby: "Word of mouth is primarily how we grow our business, other people knowing about us through spread of others is most important and essential to our business growth opportunities."
What do you wish people knew more about when choosing a financial advisor?
Shelby: "When choosing a financial advisor, it is all about the relationship and trust. Who do you want to deal with for YEARS on end, who has YOUR best interest in mind. Who is a good fit for your specific circumstance and is going to maintain your most efficient goals during the duration of the relationship."
How do you typically find new clients to work with?
Shelby: "We find clients generally through social media outlets. Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, and referrals."
Name: Chris Quintana
Company: CQ Consulting Services
Website: www.CQConsultingservices.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedIn.com/christinaquintana
How does word of mouth play a role for you as a financial advisor?
Chris: "It’s most of my business. Word of mouth fuels my business."
What do you wish people knew more about when choosing a financial advisor?
Chris: "That not all advisors are the same. Many focus on retirement. I personally I use innovative strategies to increase cash flow for my clients today. By doing this they can live more now and in the future. I’m able to do this by creating contractual wealth instead of statement wealth. I guess you could say wealth behind wall st."
How do you typically find new clients to work with?
Chris: "Most of my clients come from referrals. As soon as the cash flow starts coming in they can’t help but tell there friends and colleagues. I started out just educating women and sending them to another advisor. Now I focus on educating and implementing the same strategies I’ve used to increase my wealth for my clients. Goal is to help clients to keep more of their money (less tax) make more and live more starting today!"
Conclusion
The sooner you start “wowing” your current clients, the faster your prospective clients will hear about you, and that’s where real exponential growth begins.
Want to launch your own referral program?
