Client Engagement Series #3
It might seem logical that the more contact you have with your clients, the happier they will be with you. But too-frequent contact can be overwhelming, especially if it is not meaningful or relevant.
The quality of anything you send to your clients is far more important than quantity. The old adage that you can never over-communicate with your clients doesn't really hold up anymore. You have to ask clients how they want to be contacted and engage them on their terms.
Here are some tips on engaging your clients in the ways they prefer:
1. Use Right Medium
There are so many mediums through which to engage your clients — from face-to-face meetings to e-mail and various forms of social media — that you must be specific when contacting them.
You have to be mindful of what's important to them. It's a noisy world out there and clients have to deal with many other issues.
You may wish to review your client engagement strategy by asking yourself a few questions:
Are all of your clients receiving the same message?
Are you using the same forms of media to reach all your clients?
Is your message relevant to all clients, or are you simply sending them a third-party article, for example, because you believe it's a good read?
You must be able to communicate with clients through different channels and mediums. Older clients, for instance, may prefer face-to-face contact and hard-copy, printed communication whereas younger clients might have a preference for digital communication.
Related: Six Ways to keep Clients Engaged
2. Ask Your Clients
Clients expect that you will meet them at least once a year for a portfolio review. Use this opportunity to make them aware of the various ways you engage your clients and ask them how they prefer to stay in touch. Ask them what type of content they want to receive from you.
Remember, we tend to communicate less and less in person and often forget the good, old-fashioned phone call.
3. Segment Engagement Strategies
Organize your list of clients based on their preferred methods of communication. This way, you can engage them through the methods they prefer. For example, some clients might not want to receive news stories or content that is not directly relevant to their needs.
If you are not sure whether a client would be interested in reading an article such as an opinion piece, provide them with a summary first.
4. Focus on Quality
Many advisors believe that the greater the number of messages or quantity of content they send to clients, the better their chances of engaging them.
But rather than focusing on the frequency of contact, you should pay more attention to the quality of contact. Clients will pay attention only if you provide them with material that is aligned with their needs or concerns.
5. Be Aware of Inter-Generational Differences
Most likely your clients belong to different age groups and generations. Some are old, some are young. Although you might use different communication methods, you must be aware that your communication style, the words you use, and the way you address clients can convey either a negative or positive impression of you. It would be preferable to stick to formal methods of communication which will most likely be acceptable by most people.
6. Leverage Available Technology
Find a good CRM tool that will manage the administrative tasks and free up time for you to devote to engage your clients. One such CRM tool that is revolutionizing the way advisors do business is BlueMind. It uses the power of Artificial Intelligence to create a digital office for you. It clears the clutter by managing most of the administrative tasks that usually bog you down, giving advisors you more time to spend with clients.
