Thanks to the Bernie Madoffs of the financial world, your job has become more about trust than ever before. Building strong client relationships is much like finding the best workout routine. If you do not apply the correct exercises and practices, you may be doing damage to your client relationships without realizing it.

Getting started can be the hardest part; however, once you begin your routine and begin reaping the benefits, you will desire to grow your client relationship muscles more and more. If you are truly ready to commit to making a real change in your work habits to build genuine client relationships, then I invite you to read further.

Build Trust on the Very First Encounter with Your Prospect

This is the most important step since many of your prospects likely have advisors. Prospects search for a fresh perspective or a second opinion. If someone has come to you looking for advice, they lack confidence in their current advisor. Use this to your advantage. You are planting seeds. Utilize this opportunity to share your expertise. Let them know you understand their individual needs, and that you regularly send new, relevant information to your clients to keep them well-informed.

Make sure they understand that there is a fine line between inactivity and neglect when decisions need to be made in this uncertain market. Use such phrases as “use me as a resource.” This type of language is inviting and not sales-oriented. Display passion in your desire to be a go-to person. Let them know that you are the trusted advisor in your area willing to share your knowledge.

1. Pick a date to begin your routine/workout. Give yourself a reasonable amount of time on that chosen day, to sit uninterrupted and dedicate your time to scrubbing your list of clients. Send the chosen clients thank you notes, relevant articles or newsletters to let them know you are their most trusted resource.
2. Set dates for client meetings/gatherings. Be specific and commit to one or two a month, depending on your comfort level. Be sure you have an end result in mind. The more specific the goal the better the results. Example: add one $300,000+ net worth client per every 30 prospect meetings, or 5 productive referrals from every 20 clients contacted.
3. Give your business card to at least 20 people in one month and do not forget to ask for referrals; or you can hand out other marketing materials, such as brochures or information packets, your own newsletter, news articles or other helpful content relevant to their portfolio.

Follow Up

You now have more thank you cards to write for those clients who gave you their time or referrals. If you do not have thank you cards to write, send out new information that will educate them making them feel more certain in the financial decisions they want to make. This will also keep you top of mind.

Repeat Your New Process

If you are dedicated to growing your business and you stick to your routine for 3 months, then you have created habits. These habits are your new “client relationship muscles.” Muscles have memory and will carry you further in building strong client relationships. Your clients will be thankful for your consistent dedication, giving you the referral momentum you desire. When clients feel like you are a friend rather than a salesperson, they are eager to introduce you to their friends who share similar interests with you and your clients alike.

Contact the NEXT Marketing department for more information as to how to build your client relationship muscles. We look forward to being your personal trainer and developing the routine that will produce the best results while remaining the healthiest for you and your clients.