Connecting with Clients
We continue this week with MaxTips for Financial Advisors – a four-part series with key insights for Financial Advisors who are looking to a CRM to build and expand their book of business. Today we explore the disciplines of effective client communication – not only with your clients but also within and across your company and teams.
Having previously covered the importance of robust data and how thoughtful profiling can increase productivity, the question now is how to fully optimize that newfound productivity for compelling and results-driven rep-client conversations.
Full Client History with Total Recall is a CRM Must-Have
In the world of financial advising, your CRM must have a place to record and store every conceivable type of client interaction. This is simply non-negotiable. From calls made, emails sent and meetings held to proposals delivered and documents signed, the history of every touch point should be available at touch of a button – not only for you, the rep, but also for your entire team.
“In my twenty-plus years experience, the single biggest motivation to move away from spreadsheets to a CRM is the desire for that company-wide, centralized memory bank of all client data and interactions,” explains Brad Hartfield, Financial Advisor Solutions Manager at Maximizer. “Once advisors are up and running, they realize just how valuable a CRM can be not only to service clients, but as a means to really grow their book of business,” he says.
World class financial advisor organizations are both customer-centric and team-driven. They leverage their CRM for central ‘source of truth’ for client data to ensure quality interactions each and every time a client connects with the firm. Not only does company wide transparency beget efficiency, but also instills an ever-increasing confidence by clients because you consistently demonstrate that you have your finger on the pulse.
Best-in-class Technology for Best-in-class Client Experience
When it comes to best-in-class technology, modern CRM’s do not try and reinvent the wheel – they hitch their wagon to the star performers. We’re talking about integrations – whereby various types of software “sub-systems” are brought together to create a single, unified system. Maximizer has long partnered with platforms familiar to and loved by financial advisors including MailChimp and Outlook. Again, no need to switch away from these amazing tools you may already be using, just bring them into the CRM fold and take your client communication game to the next level.
CRM Takes You Beyond the Connections
“As I like to point out to my clients, if you combine that full and documented history of all client data with a reputable SaaS-based home for that data, it becomes an invaluable asset if and when you want to cash out and sell your book of business,” Hartfield adds.
And finally, depending on both your corporate policy and federal regulations, the “total recall” functionality of a reputable and secure CRM platform may also serve your needs for legal compliance. (Be sure to have that conversation with your prospective CRM provider!)
Read more in our MaxTip for Financial Advisor Series:
Client profiling: How a CRM makes it easy, purposeful, and profitable
From Spreadsheets to CRM: Ensuring a smooth & successful transition
