It’s no secret that advisors/agents want to have a client-base made up of loyal clients. However, most advisors/agents don’t take the time to fully understand “why” some clients are “one-time customers” while others are “life-time advocates”.
Let’s take a brief look at what I call “The Client’s Evolution”, an evolution that we all have with our clients to some degree, so that you can better comprehend how you can build client relationships that last a life time.
The Customer
Over twenty years ago, I began building my business by following some simple advice from my branch manager, “Find a good double tax free municipal bond and tell everyone you can about it.” As an eager rookie I did just that and soon I was opening up new accounts with what I thought would be “forever” clients. Unfortunately, I soon realized that many of those clients were simply “one-time customers’, people who had decided to buy a product. They were trying to find the best yielding bonds and it didn’t matter who they were buying it from. Some of those individual bought additional bonds but for the most part I was one of several advisors they were working with and my value was merely a function of how well my product was doing at the time.
If you have several “customers” working with you and you would like to forge stronger relationships with them, you must find a way to show your value to them. One of the best ways to do this is to stop being a product pusher and start being a problem solver by getting to know them. Once you do, you can find their needs and fill them.
The Client
As my practice grew, I decided to take a different approach and offer prospects a complete plan to help them achieve their financial goals. This opened the door to creating solid connections from the start because I was able to identify specific needs that the prospect had and share with them how my products and services could be their solutions. I was no longer pushing any specific product but rather solving their financial concerns. As a result, these types of people became “clients”.
If you have “clients” you would like to get to know even better, it’s time to get to know them on a more personal level.
The Friend
After a number of years, I noticed that some of my clients had turned into close friends. Just as any friendship evolves with communication and respect so can an advisor/agent/client relationship. Ironically, I never started out to form friendships with my clients but our friendships occurred naturally over time when I showed genuine interest in their lives. They were no longer just clients to me but friends that I wanted to help, not only with their financial goals but in any way that I could.
The Advocate
At some point in my career, I realized that a select group of clients whom I had formed friendships with had an interest in my success. I had developed a level of professional and personal trust with them and they were absolutely convinced that I not only was capable of helping with their financial advisory needs but also that I truly had their best interests at heart.
That’s when I realized that I had what I now called “advocates” or clients who willingly wanted to help me succeed by introducing me to their friends and family. In addition, some of these people shared their own experiences in business and suggested marketing, staffing and even branding strategies to help me with mine.
Why Client’s Evolve
I’m sure by now you might relate to having clients of every stage that I mentioned. The secret to evolve your client-base is to evolve as an advisor yourself and be involved with your prospects and clients from the very start.