Elder financial abuse: Are you free to discuss it?
In a situation where a client’s family member allegedly takes advantage of them, advisors might not necessarily be able to take action. Gregory B. Gagne, ChFC When a client’s son allegedly took...
Tag Archives: advising clients
Persevering with skeptical referrals
A client was referred to me for help with getting her cancer claim fulfilled. Her agent was no longer servicing her, and the claim was stuck for more than six...
What virtues do clients seek in financial advisors?
Whether prospects say it or not, there are virtues they’re looking for in financial advisors to be able to trust them and then build a long-lasting relationship. Here are seven...
Don’t let clients fall victim to opportunity cost vampires
A few years ago, Thomas W. Young, CLU, ChFC, saw a movie that reminded him of a situation he experiences as a financial advisor. In the movie, vampires took over a...
3 questions you should ask your clients
Toward the beginning of his 2015 MDRT Annual Meeting ConneXion Zone presentation, Seth Groff of Assurity Life cited Voltaire’s quote about judging people by their questions, not their answers. If clients...
How to stand out and attract more business
Many advisors come to me after trying everything they can to get their stagnant business growing again. Often, they’ve already spent a lot of money on advertising, local sponsorships, expensive...
Communicating two goals for your initial meeting with a prospect
When looking to build relationships with new clients, most advisers make a fundamental mistake: They inadvertently put their prospect in control of the process by adopting an approach that suggests...
How to discuss disability policy ratings with clients
There are always plenty of variables when it comes to insurance, and disability policies are no exception. Ratings, in particular, can add complexity. Without experience, explaining the complicated nature of...
Scenarios when advisors should be aware of possible elder financial abuse
It is generally easy to tell when something criminal is taking place or when someone is taking advantage of an individual who is mentally impaired, said Dr. Bennett Blum, a...
Help your clients not just consider their goals but jump toward them
Your clients may know what they want to achieve, but how strongly do they go after it? In his 2012 Top of the Table presentation “Life’s lessons lead to life’s questions,”...
Finding a way to appropriately discuss a prospect’s finances
When we go into an appointment, we say, “The quality of my advice depends on the quality of the information you give me. If I’m going to do a global...
Working to make clients feel more comfortable
I was working with some clients where English was the second language. They were from Greece, and they’d moved to the U.K. not long ago. Although their command of the...
3 ways to close the sale
Prospects never breeze into your office and say, “Where do I sign?” As a financial advisor or insurance agent, you must do the work and close the sale. Are you...
Seeing family members as separate clients rather than one unit
You spend years developing a relationship with a client, and eventually they are going to pass away. If you have made sure that you’ve involved the next generation, the money...
Listen to close
More than colorful illustrations and complicated charts, sometimes the best way to help a prospect is to listen and be patient. In fact, I’ve closed cases by simply proactive listening....
