How to captivate clients

If you don’t connect effectively with every client, you’ll miss out on major business opportunities.

So says Grant Shorten, director of strategic insights with Renaissance Investments, who says advisors can become too dependent on their “preferred ways of communicating.”

This often means they aren’t considering how each client processes information, despite the fact that “we’re all wired differently; some people are…visual learners, [while others] are auditory learners.”

Read: The psychology of investing

Shorten asks, “Have you ever had a [bad] meeting with a client…and [then] wondered what went wrong?” It may have seemed like you were delivering a powerful message when, in reality, you weren’t getting through to your audience.

Read:

• Speak plainly, candidly to clients

• Advisor Audio: Clients crave simplicity

This is frustrating. But Shorten says there are steps you can take to create messages that will appeal to all clients.

First, identify your own dominant learning style, he says. This will help you “determine [whether] your own preferences are limiting your effectiveness.”

For example, Shorten says advisors geared toward auditory learning might be doing too much talking—to help visual learners, they have to incorporate more graphs and presentations so those clients can “comprehend [and] retain information.”

Read: How to make smarter financial decisions

He adds you need to “construct and deliver all messages in three dimensions.” So, when crafting client presentations, you can “start by incorporating…attention-grabbing visual aids. [Then], create the auditory scripts that will explain…and expand upon those visuals.”

Most importantly, Shorten says you should have clients actively participate in your meetings. You can do this by “incorporating an interactive demonstration on your computer, or by handing out materials” they can fill out.

Read: Use tablets in client meetings

Tweaking the way you communicate with clients and prospects can “create a richer and more captivating experience for them,” he adds.

Read:

Do clients know your value?

Manipulate psychology to increase savings

Do your clients make these mistakes?

Failure paralyzes clients

First impressions are often wrong