As a Personal Financial Planner, Ross Pake understands that the relationships he develops with his clients are often as important as the services that he can provide to them. He notes that strong communication is often key in developing a relationship and offers the following pointers for those who are struggling.
Establish Communication Channels
When you first speak to a client you should make it clear which communications channels you will use to send them information. Many will want to be able to speak on the phone to their financial planner, so it may be worth arranging a telephone conference each week so that you can discuss any issues. You should also make use of email so that you can quickly notify the client whenever something important arises.
Be Proactive
You should not expect your client to get in touch with you every time. If there is important information that needs to be relayed to the client you must be proactive in your efforts to get in touch with them so that you can arrange a meeting or discuss how the new issue affects their current financial plan.
Reply Quickly
There will be times when your clients attempt to communicate with you and you are unavailable. This is often unavoidable and your client will understand that you are busy. However, Ross Pake points out that this does not mean you shouldn’t make every effort to contact them as quickly as possible, even if it is just to assure them that you received their message so that you can arrange a time to discuss the issue.