Getting Clients, Keeping Clients: The Essential Guide for Tomorrow's Financial Adviser (A Marketplace Book)
"It is easy in the tumult of our everyday lives to ignore the client's words and needs as we struggle to promote our own interests. Easy, but dangerous.. Operating our business in the client's interest is the pivotal element in a successful marketing strategy. Marketing, in turn, is a mandatory investment in your business. It pays dividends immediately and in the long term. It will carry you to liftoff." -Dan Richards Achieving success as a financial adviser is no longer just a matter of aggressive salesmanship backed, hopefully, by a good track record. Today's clients are highly knowledgeable about their investment options, and they aren't shy about letting you know it. They expect you to be extremely attentive to their unique financial concerns, and they are much more likely to switch advisers if they sense they are not getting the sincere commitment they feel they deserve. That's why, in today's competitive marketplace, building a successful financial services practice is all about forging long-term relationships with clients built on attentiveness, empathy, and trust. And, as expert Dan Richards explains in this ground-breaking guide to finding and keeping clients, the key to cultivating such relationships is marketing-the art and science of defining what clients really need, and then letting them know that you can satisfy those needs, now and in the future. Drawing on his extensive experience as a consultant to many of North America's most successful financial service providers, Richards arms you with proven tools and techniques for building a steady and devoted client base. From using print, broadcast, and other media to market your services, to making the initial contact, from automating the prospecting process, to performing target marketing, he outlines an array of surefire client-getting techniques. With the help of scenarios and sample dialogues, he helps you to develop and sharpen the skills needed to build lasting relationships with clients once you've gotten them. For instance, you'll learn how to become a better listener and interpreter of client concerns, as well as simple methods for systematically gathering and effectively responding to client feedback. Dan Richards also provides a complete program for seamlessly integrating the tools and techniques described into a successful clientcentered practice tailored to your unique style and professional goals. Getting Clients, Keeping Clients is a complete guide to surviving and thriving in today's increasingly competitive financial services market.