I’ll share with you an intellectual shortcut we provide our clients, all of whom are high-end Financial Advisors. However this shortcut will work if you’re in any sort of professional services business. Most professionals are unclear about the ultimate long-term impact they have on their clients. Yes, we have a number of anecdotal stories about the outcomes of our work together, but most of our clients have no controlled process for uncovering & tracking the long-term impact clients are experiencing. So, the shortcut we always recommend as a “first step” in identifying the impact, is surprisingly simple, and will seem obvious in retrospect. Simply ask them. Focus first on your Ideal Clients. Identify the 20% of your clients who are responsible for 80% of your revenue (the percentages may be off, but identify the small number of clients generating the lion-share of your revenues.) Focus exclusively on that group. As a first step, we recommend you have a 2-part question at the end of every client progress meeting, or major meetings scheduled with your Ideal Clients. First step, let them know that it’s your goal to consistently exceed their expectations, and with that in mind, would they please describe their expectations from this relationship with you? In our business, a “client” is often a married couple, so be sure to ask both spouses what they expect from this relationship with you. Keep asking clarifying questions until you’re crystal clear about what they both expect. Then ask them, “If we were sitting here a year from now, conducting The Annual Review, and we’ve exceeded your expectations, help me understand the things we did that made you feel that way?” Understand that the number of high-end Financial Advisors who ask these questions, and then document the responses for everyone on the team, is statistically zero. Almost nobody asks questions like these, and then documents the responses for the files, to gain clarity regarding what’s expected. That’s a big miss if you serve successful affluent clients. Second step, after asking both spouses, then ask how you’re currently doing. Ask for a report card for the last 12-months. Against those expectations they’ve just shared, ask them to rate you currently on a scale from 1 to 10, with ten meaning that you’re consistently “knocking their socks off” by impressing them with positively outrageous client service. Finally, ask them specifically what you’d need to do differently to move to a “perfect 10,” from whatever score they just provided you. Repeat this process briefly at every future client progress meeting, and always document the conversation highlights for your team. That’s what we call The Expectations Conversation. Your clients will appreciate your efforts in ways that will be obvious, and assuming your services are also effective, you’ll also notice a measurable increase in Client Referrals.
Are you playing half-court tennis?

About Mark McKenna Little
Mark Little is the ‘regular guy’ Financial Advisor whose unconventional approach to financial services acquired 1,242 clients.
Then in just 34 months he rebuilt his business from the ground up, shattering international records and boosting revenue by 412%
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