Why financial advisors should keep an open heart

 Stephen Kagawa, FSS, LUTCF, the CEO of The Pacific Bridge Companies, on the importance of truly hearing clients.

The phrase I always share, especially with financial advisors who are working with me, is, “Keep a quiet mind and an open heart.” It’s how we learn from others.

We all can be judgmental. Our brains rush to say it’s good or bad, it’s right or wrong. When we’re talking to somebody for the first time, however, focus on learning what’s important to them. We’re here to counsel our clients. The selling of a product should be a natural result of doing the right things for them.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in selling the bells and whistles of products and services because we’re so excited about what they can do. And yes, the products have value, but is it of value to the person you’re trying to help? It’s especially vital to keep in mind the end result — not the product — if you’re dealing with multicultural, multinational situations.

If you’re doing your job right, which is to help people, you’ll do well to open your heart and quiet your mind to pay attention to what’s important to them. If you deliver that, you’ll make money. That connection of focusing on what’s important to them and making money because of it — that’s the coolest part of our business.

Written by 23-year MDRT member Stephen Kagawa, FSS, LUTCF, of Monrovia, California, who has 15 Top of the Table qualifications.

More from Kagawa:

• See the five-minute video from his interview in an exclusive MDRT video series, in “How to make money without selling: Inside high-performing offices.” 
• Listen to the MDRT Podcast, “Positioning fair compensation with clients.”
• Learn more about his practice, The Pacific Bridge Company, which serves first-generation clients migrating from Asia to the United States, in “Advice without borders,” from the May/June 2016 Round the Table.