January 19, 2010
Strategy Eight: Remember little things
A while back, I interviewed a woman in her sixties who went on about the fact that every time she went to her advisor’s office for a meeting, her advisor remembered how she took her tea and had her favorite cookies on hand.
I subsequently talked to this advisor – it turns out that her assistant made a point of recording these kinds of details in their database and made a special trip to the store if an important client was coming into the office.
It really makes a difference if you remember small details about clients – whether it be how they like their coffee and tea, where they went to university or the names and ages of their kids.
The key is to capture this info in your database and then make a point of referring to this before meetings, incorporating it into conversations in an appropriate fashion.
Again, you can go over the top and come across as phony – if I say the last time we talked you had just shot 93 and had a quadruple bogey on the last hole, how have you done recently, that’s fine. But if I start reeling off your scores the last time you played before each of our past ten meetings, you’ve crossed the line.
Strategy Nine: Follow up and surprise clients.
In an interview a couple of years back, an investor told me about an experience that made a big impression.
While meeting with his advisor, he made an offhand mention that his 85-year-old mother was going on a tour to Egypt.
A couple of days later he got a package with a memoir written by someone who had traveled to Egypt, with a personal note from his advisor wishing his mother a great trip.
This investor went on to say “How could I not like my advisor when she is that thoughtful?”
The key is to focus on the little things.
In a recent post on making client gifts count, I talked about an advisor who had a stock of guidebooks to Disneyworld in his office to send to clients who were taking their children or grandchildren for the first time.
Or in the case of that client whose son lost his job, you could follow up with an article or a book on job hunting.
What’s important is to look for opportunities in every conversation to follow up with something that really demonstrates your interest and goodwill – and how much you value the relationship.
Strategy Ten: Let clients know it’s not all about you.
None of us like people who are self-centered and wrapped up in themselves.
One way to build likeability is to subtly let clients know what you’re doing to give back to the community.
This doesn’t apply to every client of course, but for many successful people sharing part of their wealth with those who are less fortunate is a priority – and given the choice want to work with people who share their values.
The key is to do this in a low key fashion, without tooting your own horn.
One way is to use holiday and Thanksgiving greetings as a way to let clients know that you’ve made a charitable contribution on their behalf – and to talk about what you and your team are doing to give back to the community.
If you’re received awards from a local charity, you can hang them in your office or mention them in your newsletter.
Or you can do what I did and host a fundraising event – and invite clients to attend as paying guests.
For the last two years, I’ve co-chaired a fundraising dinner and online auction in Toronto for Amani Childrens Home in Tanzania, a terrific organization I came across on a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro that helps house, feed and educate over 300 orphans and homeless children.
Over the two years, we’ve raised $150,000 – which was incredibly gratifying.
An unexpected benefit was a tremendous outpouring of goodwill from friends and clients who bought tickets to the dinner, despite writing a check to be there. The key was that the moving force behind Amani is a terrific young American woman named Valerie Todd who tells a remarkable story and really touches people.
You don’t have to co host a big fund raising event to let clients know that your values go beyond a bigger house, faster car or more elaborate vacation. But by finding ways to let people you work with know about your commitment back to the community, in many cases you make yourself more likeable as a result.
As you think about your plans for 2010, there are likely many candidates for your list of new initiatives.
Chances are that you’re already reasonably likeable – it’s hard to be successful otherwise.
That said, few of us can’t improve on this dimension. Consider going through this list of ten strategies and adding one or two to your New Year’s resolutions – ramping up your likeability may be one of the more important things you do in 2010.
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