Inside the Client’s Mind (2 of 4)

Here Is What I Need from My Adviser

I need more than someone who can explain a product. I need someone who understands my situation, tells me the truth and remains present after I decide.

1. Please understand me before recommending anything

Do not begin with the product you want to present. Begin with my life.

Ask about my family, income, obligations, existing coverage, concerns and priorities. I need to know that your recommendation came from what you learned about me—not from what you were already planning to sell.

2. Tell me the whole truth, including what may not sound attractive

Explain the benefits, but also tell me about the costs, limitations, exclusions, risks and conditions.

Do not leave important information in the fine print because it might delay my decision. I would rather hear an uncomfortable truth today than discover it during a claim or financial emergency.

3. Recommend something I can realistically sustain

Do not measure affordability only by whether I can make the first payment.

Consider my normal expenses, debts, dependents and uncertain future needs. If a smaller plan is more sustainable, recommend the smaller plan. I need protection that can stay—not an impressive proposal I may eventually have to abandon.

4. Please remain my adviser after the sale

I need help reviewing my plan, updating beneficiaries, understanding changes and navigating claims or servicing concerns.

Do not disappear after receiving the commission and return only when you have another product to offer. Your real value becomes clearest when I need assistance and there is no immediate sale involved.

I do not need an adviser who simply knows the product. 

I need one who understands my life, respects my limits and stays when service matters most.

All the best my friends!!

#acgadvice

Does the First Advisor Deserve the Client Forever?

 

The first advisor deserves recognition for beginning the relationship—but not permanent ownership of the client. 

Loyalty should be respected, yet it must also be sustained through continuing service.

1. Respect the Existing Relationship

Before pursuing someone already working with another advisor, understand the nature of that relationship. Do not immediately undermine the first advisor or encourage the client to transfer business unnecessarily.

Ask what prompted the client to seek another opinion. 

There may be an unresolved need, a service problem or simply a desire to compare options. Professional competition begins with respect for work already done.

2. Remember That Clients Are Not Property

An advisor may have introduced the client to financial planning, processed the first application and served the family for years. 

That history matters—but it does not remove the client’s freedom to choose.

Clients may seek another advisor when their needs change, service declines or trust is damaged. The relationship belongs to the client as much as it belongs to the advisor.

3. Keep Earning the Relationship Through Service

The strongest protection against losing a client is not claiming seniority. It is remaining useful.

Stay in touch after the sale. 

Review changing needs, assist with claims, explain policy updates and remain available even when there is nothing new to sell. A neglected client should not be expected to remain loyal merely because you arrived first.

4. Compete Without Destroying Trust

If another advisor’s client approaches you, focus on the client’s welfare—not on proving that the first advisor was wrong. 

Present your recommendation fairly, acknowledge existing coverage and avoid unnecessary replacement or duplication.

And if your own client chooses someone else, respond with dignity. Ask what you could have done better, preserve the relationship and allow the client to decide freely.

Being the first advisor may begin the relationship. Only continuing service can justify keeping it.

All the best my friends!!

#acgadvice