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Episode Summary
Trust forms the foundation of success in financial advice.
According to research from Vanguard, there are countless business benefits that stem from creating trust:
- Higher satisfaction with an advisor
- Higher likelihood of referring an advisor
- Higher likelihood of consolidating assets
- Higher likelihood of following advice
Other research has found that trust is the most important characteristic clients look for in a financial advisor.
However you choose to define success (impact on clients, # of clients, revenue, happiness, etc.), it requires the ability to quickly and consistently build trust with other people.
You can’t impact a client’s life if they don’t trust you.
You won’t have many clients if you can’t get prospects to trust you.
And, you certainly won’t be able to generate revenue if you can’t convert prospects into life-long clients.
At the same time, the most frustrating questions you ask in your business also boil down to trust.
The client who still hasn’t completed their action items? Trust issue.
The client who is always worried about their money, the markets, and the future? Trust issue.
The prospective client who left the office after a great meeting that you still haven’t heard from? Trust issue.
But, here’s the thing. We could easily fill an entire book simply listing all of the studies and research validating the importance of trust.
Nobody argues that trust forms the foundation of success in financial advice. The problem doesn’t lie in believing in the power of trust.
The problem lies in knowing what to do about it.
How can you quickly instill trust into the conversation with a prospective client who was nothing more than a stranger prior to your first conversation?
How can you consistently build trust throughout the relationship with a client so that they refer more, consolidate assets and follow-through on your advice?
According to Mary Schmid, “Trust is the byproduct of conversation.”
But, not just any conversation.
The kind of conversation that put clients in the right area of their brain, where they release a trust hormone, and are able to truly listen and connect.
The kind of conversation where you prepare yourself before hand to get in the right mindset.
The kind of conversation where you intentionally create an emotional flow from the very beginning.
Fortunately, Mary Schmid teaches advisors how to have better conversations that emotionally connect, how to listen deeply and ask questions about what really matters, and how to make clients/prospects feel safe, understood, and heard.
If you can nail the trust formula, your clients and your business will never be the same.
Things You’ll Learn
- Why conversations send our brains into “Connect” or “Protect” mode
- The conversational techniques that get people into “Connect” mode
- The conversational pitfalls that trigger “Protect” mode and ruin the possibility of trust
- The Three Levels of Conversation
- How to determine whether you should be talking or listening
- Why you should never talk about the weather
- A question to “prime” the conversation down an emotional path
- The trust-building power of using an agenda with clients and prospects
- The trust-eroding mistakes we make and never realize
- How to avoid building “Reverse Rapport” in a first meeting
About Mary Schmid
Mary Schmid is the author of Make Or Break Conversations: How Smart Financial Professionals Land New Clients And Keep Them For Life.
She’s also a keynote speaker and runs a consulting business focused on helping finanical professionals lead high-trust conversations and build relationships that last.
Other Episodes You’ll Like On How To Build Trust
- Enhancing Client Connection And Outcomes In Virtual Financial Planning Meetings with Dr. Sarah Asebedo
- Evidence-Based Methods To Seamlessly Convert Prospects Into Clients with Dan Solin
- Developing Emotional Intelligence (EQ) To Transform Relationships With Clients And Prospects with Beverly Flaxington
Resources
Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way To Influence And Persuade by Robert Cialdini
I Heard God Laugh: A Practical Guide To Life’s Esential Daily Habit by Matthew Kelly
Knudge: Help your clients follow through on their tasks to reach their financial goals
Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you master the human side of advice:
- HSOA Masterclass: An 8-week group program on building trust & connection, aligning money and life, and delivering frictionless advice.
- The Ultimate Discovery Meeting: A proven framework to seamlessly convert prospects into life-long clients in one meeting.
- HSOA Community (COMING SOON!): An online space to meet, collaborate, discuss, brainstorm, learn and grow with other advisors passionate about the human side of advice
If you’re interested, let me know here.