What’s your true value to clients?

What is the value you provide, and what differentiates you from another advisor? Is it your time and success in your career? Is it the company you are with? Or is it the licenses you hold?

Those all contribute, but the real value, the real differentiation you provide, is you. It’s your values. It’s the actions you take. It’s the way you make people feel.

How much do products and price matter to clients?

Like most advisors, I began my career by focusing on products and price as my differentiators. Then by participating in MDRT meetings, I met and learned from some of the best advisors in the world. These advisors were able to create and sustain high levels of production, while also enjoying their personal lives. And they weren’t focusing on products and price.

One of those advisors I learned from was Louis J. Cassara, CLU, ChFC, of Downers Grove, Illinois, USA. He shared that real value and differentiation comes from you, not your company, product or price. He believes that the greatest sale you make is the one you make to yourself. Cassara, an MDRT member since 1984 and a Top of the Table member, spoke on the importance of a personal value statement in communicating your value. The personal value statement allows you to explain who you are, what you do, and how you serve, quickly and effectively, and with purpose.

Define your real value

Here is my personal value statement: I am a financial coach. I will prepare a financial organizer for each of my clients. I will put your financial goals, the plans to achieve your goals, and all the financial information into the organizer and make sure all the information is updated. The benefit of my service is that you can have clarity on your personal finance and focus all your resources to achieve your goals.

I would encourage you to create your own personal value statement and recognize that you make the difference!

Chan Mou Hon Terence, from Hong Kong, China, has been an MDRT member since 2001. This was excerpted from his 2017 MDRT Annual Meeting presentation “Personal value statement,” or watch the video. (MDRT member exclusive)

For more MDRT-member exclusive ideas about how successful financial advisors work with clients:

• A client’s perception of our engagement 
• What the world’s most successful financial advisors do differently (For Court of the Table and Top of the Table members only)
• The importance of communicating inside out