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Each of us has a laundry list of challenges that have been brought on by the pandemic. Add another one to your list: engaging clients virtually. Since virtual meetings and presentations have become the norm, financial advisors have been expected to adapt accordingly, but doing so is frustratingly difficult. According to a recent survey, 45% of presenters said they have had trouble creating a unique layout for their presentations, while 41% haven’t been able to use or find solid visual aids. Roughly 47% of presenters reported that it requires over eight hours to put together a finished presentation.
With so many new challenges to take on and the same number of hours in the workday, how can financial advisors efficiently and effectively master the art of presenting virtually? Here are my four top tips.
- Think through your aesthetics
Your aesthetic matters. Pre-pandemic, you welcomed many of your clients into an office, offered them water or coffee, and then met face-to-face. In the virtual age, however, the visual aspect of your meeting or presentation has taken center stage.
While we are still able to have that human-to-human conversations thanks to websites like Zoom, engaging through a screen requires more visual stimulation to hold interest. Many financial advisors have found themselves turning to PowerPoint presentations or slide decks to convey information and hold interest.
Based on 2021 data, audiences are not keen on presentations that are too short or long. It’s about finding the sweet spot that is both long enough to provide the desired information, but also short enough to maintain attention and engagement.
The optimal length is between 10 and 14 slides.
As slide deck presentations are visual, keep them uniform and consistent. Choose a palette of three to four colors and keep slides minimalistic and uncluttered. Don’t overwhelm your audience with text-heavy slides – instead, utilize bullet note lists to convey main points. Incorporate a mix of photographs and relevant charts or graphs, as around 60% of people would like to see some visuals, with the remaining 40% saying that visuals were an absolute must.
- Evaluate the content and plan the delivery
Most of us are now on our devices an astonishing amount of time. The last thing your clients want to do is spend their free time staring at a screen. Therefore, use their (and your) time wisely by sharing only important and reliable information that is straightforward and to the point.
How can financial advisors efficiently and effectively communicate with clients and prospects? Like a good novel, you need a hook or opening sentence designed to capture the audience's attention. It could be a surprising statistic, a rhetorical question, or a historical reference...the only requirements are that it’s honest, relevant, and attention-grabbing.
Tell a story. According to a study, an audience is 22 times more likely to remember something that was part of a story, and for 55% of respondents a story is what maintains their focus for the duration of a presentation. Financial advisors should use these statistics to their advantage by incorporating analogies or anecdotes that merge well with the topic.
Your virtual encounter should guide the client or prospect step-by-step to a goal. While the delivery of the information should be well thought out and entertaining, the most important part is the information itself. Plan and know what points you want to make, be authentic and transparent, and keep the end goal in mind.
- Familiarize yourself with the digital tools you use
Every technical setup takes some getting used to. We’re allowed a learning curve, but it’s imperative to have a basic understanding of the tech tools in your toolkit. Virtual presentations and other such projects are prone to technical mishaps, so practice your technology set-up in advance.
If your internet goes out, do you have a backup hotspot? Does your client know how to join the virtual meeting? Is your PowerPoint presentation ready to go? If your video platform crashes, do you know how to open a ticket and get it back up and running? It never hurts to be overprepared; it can cost you dearly if you’re underprepared, as you will appear unprofessional to valued clients.
- Adopt tactics to tackle distractions
We are living in an age of hyper-connectivity, making it downright impossible to resist distractions. A study showed that the constant access to practical entertainment is affecting our cognitive capacity by diverting our attention and undercutting mental performance.
This is such a predominant problem that four of five business professionals have admitted to shifting their focus away from a speaker when they are presenting. During a virtual meeting or conference, it’s more likely that clients or prospects will be distracted, as they will likely be joining from their homes or offices where distractions are more plentiful.
Financial advisors can address this hurdle with a few practical tips:
Start the presentation with an element of surprise
Back to the concept of incorporating a “hook,” when you introduce content that everyone finds amusing, you minimize the risk of distractions and help the audience stay on track.
Create engagement by inspiring the audience to take an active role
Interactivity has a profound impact on maintaining attention, and financial advisors can use a wide range of options to engage clients and prospects. For example, conduct a poll relevant to your topic and incorporate results into your presentation.
Make dynamic animations that highlight the content in real time
GIFs and videos bring attentiveness to a whole new level while helping the presenter maintain absolute control of their pace. If you decide to utilize animated aids, use a pointer (virtual cursor) to help guide audience members through the presentation and drive points home.
Use visual, written and verbal communication
Your presentation should be a harmony of visual, written, and verbal content expressed to jointly covey a specific message. When you express the same message via multiple forms of communication, it’s more likely that your client or prospect will absorb it, without feeling like you’re being redundant.
Focus on your delivery
Practice, practice, practice! Rehearse with friends or family and ask for feedback, or record yourself presenting and make notes on what you think you need to work on. Incorporate hand gestures, as they display a level of confidence, reassurance, and comfortability.
Evaluate your physical setting and ensure that your background is prepared. If there is a glare from a window, have that figured out ahead of time. You don’t need to invest in a fancy lighting system that makes you look like a supermodel, but if the window behind you is making you look like you’re in witness protection, it is unprofessional. The same goes for sound. Make sure your computer microphone is functioning properly and that there isn’t background noise. Turn your computer alerts to silent, and make sure your phone is off or on vibrate.
Final thoughts
There is no proven approach to virtually engaging clients. However, with new trial and error comes new opportunities for creative solutions. Take advantage of this unprecedented time by brainstorming new and exciting ways to engage clients and prospects.
At Beyond AUM, creativity is in our DNA. If you’re having a difficult time attracting or communicating with clients virtually, we can help. Just ask!
Gretchen Halpin is the co-founder of Beyond AUM, an agency that provides field-tested, data-driven marketing, growth, digital alignment, and experience solutions to financial services firms across the nation, including wealth managers, financial planning firms, and RIAs & BDs. We work with firms to achieve world-class outcomes for their brands and professionals and drive success in the business beyond the AUM number. Gretchen is a regular contributor to media outlets such as Forbes and a speaker at industry conferences including eMoney and Invest in Women.
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
