The stock market dropped 5% yesterday, wiping out gains for the year. While this is bad for portfolios, it doesn’t have to be bad for your client relationships.
Will the market bounce right back, or continue going down? Is this the beginning of the next bear? Who knows. In terms of the growth of your practice, it may not matter. You do not have to be slowed down by the direction of the market. The fact is the best and most successful advisors add clients in down markets.
I don’t mean to suggest that it will be pleasant. Is going through a down market easy? No. Can it be rewarding? Absolutely. Everyone looks like a genius in an up market. The professionals standout when things are rocky. How do you build and strengthen client relationships when the markets are bad? Here are some suggestions.
- Review your client portfolios and make sure you are prepared for a market downturn. Confirm that positions and allocations have not gotten out of whack because of market gains over the past couple years. Evaluating how those portfolios might respond if markets or interest rates changed suddenly or significantly, and make any adjustments you think appropriate.
- Be ready to describe to your clients how you have prepared for the possibility of a market change. If the markets begin moving against you, have a communications plan that includes mass e-mails or letters and the conversations you will have individually in client appointments.
- If the markets continue their slide, send out a communication to all clients. Let them know you are watching what’s going on, and are prepared to make any changes that are appropriate when the time comes. One of the more interesting things I have learned from working with client groups is that they have little understanding of all the work you do on their behalf when they are not in front of you. Let them know. You don’t necessarily have to see them more frequently when times are bad but they need to understand that you are always diligently looking out for their best interests.
- Bring your clients together. If you have put off or neglected an advisory board, or have been considering starting one, now is the time to get it on the schedule. Engage your clients to tell you what they worry about. It may not be what you think. Get there guidance on the best ways of keeping in touch with the markets turned bad again. Whatever their concerns, get them to tell you what kind of communication with most effectively addresses their worries. Would it be letters, individual reviews, or group meetings? Should you be discussing their portfolios, or showing them the impact of a downturn on their financial plans?
- Act on their advice. When you implement your communication strategy, refer to your advisory board. Let all clients know that there is a group of clients you are actively engaged with to help you understand what kind of response would most effectively address what’s on their minds.
Many of the advisors I worked with in 2001 and 2008 were drained and exhausted by those difficult markets. The ones who kept in touch with their clients most effectively were rewarded for all that additional work with larger practices. Engaging your clients when things are bad will make your existing client relationships stronger and attract new ones.
