Your Clients Don’t Care About You

Your Clients Don’t Care About You

September 2, 2014

by Megan Elliott

Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.

Conversations with clients should be about them, not you.

Your clients don’t care about you. That may sound harsh, but it’s true.

That’s not to say that they aren’t interested in the services you provide. They must be – after all, they hired you) And it doesn’t mean that your credentials and experience are irrelevant. Clients do want to work with a financial advisor who has demonstrated expertise.

But when it comes to your marketing message, they don’t want to listen to you drone on about how great you are, like a boring party guest.

They want to know how you can help them.

What’s in it for me?

When a prospective client asks you about your firm, do you immediately respond with any sentences like the ones below?

• We have more than XX years of experience.
• We are fee-only, fiduciary advisors.
• We have won [insert name of award here].
• We deliver customized service.

What’s the problem with these statements? They are all focused on you rather than your client. Some advisors tout characteristics and accomplishments that are meaningful to those in the financial industry but mean little to most clients. You can’t be confident that the average person knows what “fiduciary” means, for example.

Instead, try thinking about your business from a client’s perspective. Whether they are considering hiring you or thinking about taking their business elsewhere, your clients are asking one simple question: “What’s in it for me?”

Your job is to answer that question as clearly as possible.