“Clients are having fun,” the advisor wrote. “They are coming in and having engaging conversations now. No more arms folded and guarded answers. I have already been able to distinguish myself from the other advisors they are interviewing because they recognize the ROI conversation from ‘the other guys.’ They enjoy seeing the ROL results and the action steps.”
When clients are having fun, the advisor is having even more fun. How much fun is your business? How much fun can it possibly be if it’s centered on factors beyond your locus of control and subject to the annual review? Life-centered planning’s greatest promise to you as an advisor is that it unshackles you from unrealistic expectations and forces you cannot control. Life-centered planning places the emphasis on the well-being of the client, never allowing that focus to shift elsewhere. Clients soon realize that in times of up, down or level markets, their life is still what matters—and wise financial decision-making can keep them on course.
The relationship that is formed through life-centered planning is the real prize—the gift that keeps giving. When clients observe that your motivation is their well-being, there are no more “crossed arm” conversations or guarded answers because they know the questions are asked in their best interest.
The life-centered advisor gets to experience the perennial bloom. Each spring the flower appears—not because of the last year’s bloom—but because of the nature of the relationship.
Mitch Anthony is the author of the industry best seller StorySelling for Financial Advisors and the groundbreaking The New Retirementality (now in its fourth edition). A highly sought-after speaker, Mitch is widely regarded as a thought leader and pioneer in Financial Life Planning.