Understanding the motivation driving your clients’ goals can uncover growth opportunities for both them and you. If you’ve been meeting with clients the same way for a while now, maybe it’s time to change things up.

A good way to reframe how you work with clients is to ask yourself: Am I adapting my financial planning model to meet my clients’ needs while growing my business? Or am I following an established planning process that no longer motivates my clients?

Proactive advisors identify additional ways they can serve clients. For example, you can identify potential gaps in clients’ current plans such as inadequate insurance coverage. Here are two examples of client challenges that go beyond conventional planning and offer room for genuine innovation:

1. Overcoming Unhelpful Patterns and Decision-Making Barriers

When you see a client having a disconnect between knowing what they should do and a willingness to put that knowledge into practice, take time to delve into their underlying motivations and the emotions behind their financial choices. By exploring their fears or feelings of being overwhelmed, you can help them reframe their goals and address the emotional factors influencing their decision-making process.

2. Finding Fulfillment Beyond Financial Success

While affluent clients may have achieved financial success, they can still experience restlessness, anxiety and a lack of fulfillment. Merely possessing wealth does not guarantee happiness. Many affluent individuals struggle to connect with their wealth, leading to challenges in expanding their financial goals.

By helping clients identify their core values and aligning their wealth with meaningful endeavors such as charitable giving, you can help bridge the gap between affluence and impact to give clients a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment.

According to one study,¹ financial knowledge and sound financial decision-making are broadly recognized as key determining factors for both personal and societal prosperity. The study explains that while being exposed to sound financial concepts is important, understanding the emotional connection and motivation behind them is crucial to helping clients push past barriers.

When you have a client who knows, intellectually, what they need to be doing but are still missing the mark, this reveals a need to delve into the true motivators—the “why” underneath financial decision-making—to help them move forward.

Empathy With Purpose

Whether your client is struggling to meet their goals or feels disconnected from their wealth, listening goes a long way. Step back from your structured plan and step into your clients’ shoes to discover the next level of unmet need.

Source:
¹“Motivations for Personal Financial Management”

This material is intended for informational and educational purposes only. No representations or warranties, either express or implied, are made regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein. Reliance upon information in this material is at the reader’s sole discretion.

Mariner Advisor Network is a brand utilized by Mariner Independent Advisor Network (“MIAN”) and Mariner Platform Solutions (“MPS”). Investment advisory services are offered through Investment Adviser Representatives registered with MIAN or MPS, each an SEC registered investment adviser. For additional information about MIAN or MPS, including fees and services, please contact MIAN /MPS or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov).

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