Advisors Should Practice What They Preach To Engage Clients

How much do you know about your financial advisor? How well are they managing their own life plans? Could the phrase do as I say not as I do apply to the way they conduct their financial dealings with you?

Trust is the key to any relationship where one party seeks to obtain advice from another. I wonder how many of us would take critical medical advice from a doctor only to discover the doctor is overweight and a smoker. How many would hand their expensive car over to be serviced only to find the mechanic drives a broken down wreck in need of attention? Why then do we receive, act upon, and rely on advice provided by a financial advisor who applies none of their advice to their own lives.

How much more would we connect with an advisor if they were behaviorally smart and understood the power of showcasing their own approach to managing their finances. Open discussions with clients should include genuine sharing by the advisor even before asking questions of the client. It doesnt need to be a lengthy monologue, but it does need to be genuine.

John Napolitano ends his article 4 Ways Advisors Should Take Their Own Advice published in Financial Planning Magazine like this:

For advisors, the stakes otherwise are too high -- for themselves, their businesses and their clients.

Financial advisors and professionals need to understand the importance to their businesses and the power that exists in understanding how to “Know, Engage and Grow” their clients to provide customized lifelong financial planning experiences that enhance relationships, build a Quality Life and navigate all dimensions of financial personality risks and biases. And this can be greatly enhanced by advisors beginning the engagement process with their clients through demonstrating their own wealth planning achievements.

Visit the Financial DNA website to learn more about building client engagement in the financial planning process.

• About the Author

Carol Pocklington

Carol Pocklington - Chief Insights Accelerator

Carol is a member of our research and development team assisting in the development of our behavioral products, blogger and author. She has worked with Hugh Massie since 2001 since the Financial DNA understanding concept was conceived.

Carol's DNA Natural Behavior Style is - Facilitator

Carol is a Facilitator. Facilitators are persistent, goal-oriented people who promote team effort in order to complete tasks. Facilitators lead by setting examples and by achieving goals. Their strong work ethic encourages others to excel and they have an excellent ability to deal calmly yet firmly with people using a facilitative style.