This is the second installment of my reports from FPA Experience 2012. Tom Reimer, of Accretive Advisor, presented on "The Right Fit – Finding The Clients For Whom You Can Do Your Best Work." Reimer began his presentation by saying that referrals from existing clients may not be the best new prospects. To do your best work, you need to find clients who “fit.” Continue reading
Littlechild Dispels the Cult of Satisfaction
Julie Littlechild explains that to seriously drive referrals we need to get away from the "cult of satisfaction" and to look more deeply at what drives client loyalty. Continue reading
Marie Swift Interview – Best Practices Podcast
Marie Swift just released her interviews with Susan Turnbull and me on her Best Practices in the Financial Services Inductry podcast. Listen to or download both here.
Talk about your clients in your marketing – not yourself
When a prospect in your niche sees your brochure or website, the response you probably hope for is "Yes! This is exactly what I was looking for." A lot of what I see, however, (especially in the fee-only community) is oriented around "this is what we believe." Continue reading
A Niche Is A Need – Avoiding The Biggest Mistake Of Marketing
Maybe you've heard that successful marketing starts with defining your niche; know who you will market to before you start. And when they do it, most advisors make the biggest mistake before they ever begin. The people they target are not a niche at all. Continue reading
No, Angie, Client Advisory Boards Are a Great Idea!
A few days ago Angie Herbers posted an article on advisorone.com saying that while client advisory boards sound like a good idea, that is an illusion and advisors should not do them. She's wrong. Continue reading
Knowing How Your Clients Refer you Will Lead to More
How and why to get information about how your clients refer you, in my most recent post on financial-planning.com. Read it here.
Getting Referrals Without Asking
The August issue of Investment Advisor magazine features an interview of Steve by Olivia Mellan about his strategy for attracting referrals and his upcoming book. Read the article here, and preorder the book here.
Treating Your Staff Right Will Improve Customer Service
If you want to raise your level of customer service, look inward before you look outward. Advisors who want to do more business with clients and attract new clients will frequently (and correctly) focus on evaluating their customer experience. It is a good idea to make sure that you are thrilling clients before adding additional services or looking for new clients. Even before that, however, give some attention to the experience of your employees. Continue reading
Two New Articles on Referrals
A new article and an interview both appeared this morning. Here is Jen Hoyt Cummings interviewing me for Reuters on CNBC.com, and here is why it is better to have people think of you as the solution to a problem than to be your fan. Have a great weekend!