As a financial advisor, it’s your responsibility to help your clients make the right decisions with their money. Of course, the choice is always up to the client when all is said and done. But if you want to ensure your opinion is valued as much as possible, then you should aim to be the best financial advisor you can possibly be.
Here are some tips that will help you do just that!
Have the right credentials
This one seems like an obvious step. After all, you need some form of credentials if you’re going to make it in this industry. But there’s a difference between cheap certificates you can get from brief online courses and the more reputable ones. You could look into joining up with NAPFA if you want to give your credentials an extra boost. But remember – no matter what your credentials are, they shouldn’t be seen as a barrier or replacement for everything else below.
Be nice and listen closely
I guess this is a piece of advice you can take with you throughout everything in your life! But when you’re at work, it can be hard for some people to drop a serious, professional manner. Of course, you should take things seriously and professionally. But don’t let that stop you from being warm and welcoming! Your clients should feel comfortable with you. After all, they have to share a lot of information with you. Remember: a client can tell when you only see them as a means to make money.
Find out what their goals are
Much of the time, you can find out what a client’s goals are by simply listening closely, as advised in the previous step. But you may find yourself in a situation where you’re not quite sure what your client’s goals are. Ideally, you should know what their long-term goals are and what their short-term goals are. If you know precisely what it is they want to do, then you can advise them in a much better manner. And if you know their goals both in the short-term and the long-term, then you’ll know when one course of action may be disastrous to one or the other.
Use technology to your advantage
Technology is changing how we do pretty much everything. The world of financial advice is not exempt from this truth! Using your smartphone, you can access your emails wherever you go and keep up-to-date with their requests in a more efficient manner. So let your clients know that they can email you at any time. You should also consider looking into the best financial planning software.
Prepare to be an educator
The reason clients come to you is because they’re not that confident with their own finances. Many financial advisors will use this fact to their advantage. It makes sense, right? If you keep your clients in the dark about how everything works, won’t it guarantee they’ll need your service indefinitely? But that method is a bit slimy, and isn’t exactly going to leave clients happy so much as confused. So be sure to spend some time explaining to them how these things work. Both of you should be on as equal a field of understanding as you can achieve.
