Steve Holmes
(Feedsy Co-founder)

Try seeing yourself the way your clients see you

Being a financial adviser is a position of great trust. Your clients are not only trusting you to help them get the most from their money – they are also letting you into numerous aspects of their worlds so you can get the whole picture. But are you making the most of this trusted relationship? If you’re not giving your clients reasons to trust you, they could start looking elsewhere.

Here are five ways to build trust as a financial adviser, helping you to build better relationships with your clients and potentially attract plenty more.

1. Think about how your clients see you

Financial advisers need to have self-awareness. Try putting yourself in your clients’ shoes: how do you think they see you? Your clients want to know that they are actually seen, heard and appreciated by the professional people in their lives and the companies they choose to do business with. As their financial adviser, you are no exception to this. Do you think you’re the kind of person clients feel comfortable opening up to? If you suspect you’re a bit distant and disinterested, this is something you need to work on.

2. Tailor your service

No two clients are the same, so they shouldn’t receive the same service – only the same quality of service. It is important that you recognise your clients’ different communication styles and needs, and learn to respond accordingly. For example, one client might be comfortable simply coming in, getting straight to the point and discussing nothing but investments. Another client might want to talk about personal things happening at work or home that are affecting their relationship with money. You need to respect both equally, and take the time to find out how they really feel about the quality of service you offer. This way, you will earn more respect and trust from every client, as they will feel you’re really interested and doing your best for them.

3. Let them know you can solve problems

People seek financial advice for a number of reasons, but ultimately, it all comes down to one thing – security. They trust that you know more about money than they do, and they have sought your help so they can use money more wisely. They need to feel safe with you. To achieve this, give them reassurance. Take the time to find out what their specific questions, issues or problems are, and let them know exactly how you can solve them, in terms they can understand.

4. Reach out digitally

In today’s world, digital communications are almost as important as face-to-face meetings. People are accustomed to communicating online, and they can tell a lot about you from your digital presence. This means all your digital marketing and communications need to reflect who you really are and demonstrate that they can trust you.

It isn’t enough anymore to simply promote yourself online, as this makes you look self-absorbed and doesn’t encourage trust. Instead, you need to remember that you are there to serve your clients. If they reach out digitally, give them a prompt, empathetic response that shows you understand their needs. Aim to solve their problems, just as you would in a meeting.

5. Show your clients you care

All of your clients – and prospective clients – need to know you genuinely care about them, and about what you do. This is what will set you apart from your competitors. You can offer real value by sharing advice online for free, such as through a blog or an FAQ page on your website. These could deal with different financial topics and common problems people come to you with, helping people to realise they are not alone and you are there to help them.

Find out more about building trust as a financial adviser

If you put these steps into practice, you’ll go a long way to building trusted, long-lasting relationships with your clients. You’re much more likely to get word-of-mouth recommendations and great online reviews, too! And if you would like more information and advice on this topic, please call 0423 030 190 or pencil in 15 mins with me HERE find out more.

We are always happy to help just like we did with UK Financial Adviser Lee Gardner, you can see his comments on LinkedIn below, thanks Lee.