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Insights and best practices for successful financial planning engagement
• eMoney Communications Team • March 28, 2016
No two clients are the same.
You know it from experience. You’ve spent years talking to clients, learning as much as you can about them. Their motivations. Their fears. The reasons why they need financial advice.
From these conversations, you’ve built your client relationships, helping you serve each client on a personal level. But after a while, I’m willing to bet that you notice similar personality traits. Recognizing how each client personality behaves allows you to anticipate their needs.
So how are you applying that knowledge to the technology you offer? Did you know that different client-facing digital experiences help to serve different client personalities?
Take, for example, a client-facing personal financial management website. In the sections that follow, you’ll find 5 tech-driven client personalities and how a client website can serve them best.
The most optimistic of client personalities, Goal Trackers have a vision of the financial life they hope to achieve. These clients can conceptualize goals, but they need your help formulating a plan.
Goal Trackers know that hard work, dedication, and discipline pay off. But as you can imagine, they require sustained enthusiasm to cross the finish line. As you build a financial plan with Goal Trackers, give them an outlet to see their progress.
A client website gives your Goal Trackers on-demand access to their financial plans. This tech solution also features budgeting tools or high-level financial workshops that allow Goal Trackers to review specific milestones. Seeing how their finances move in real-time will help them make better financial decisions day after day.
Clutter is the enemy of Perfectionists. These clients excel at staying organized – which can make them seem high-maintenance. However, Perfectionists simply want the best way to keep their lives in order. Managing their money is no exception.
Perfectionists believe that disorganization leads to costly and avoidable financial mistakes. Because of that, they seek out technology that gives them a complete view of their entire financial picture.
A client website gives Perfectionists a digital outlet to organize their financial accounts, transactions, important documents, and professional contacts in one place. Here, they can meticulously review their financial plans online – instead of a spreadsheet – to calm their nerves and make informed decisions.
Wherever they are, Mobile Addicts stay glued to their smartphone, tablet, or wearable tech. This client personality is always on the hunt for the latest and greatest app – and why not? Mobile technology is both convenient and functional.
Functionality keeps the Mobile Addict’s attention. The apps they use over and over again serve a clear purpose. One app for the weather, another to find transportation, and another to watch videos. It’s not hard to believe they would want an app to manage their finances.
Fortunately, certain client websites double as a mobile app. Mobile Addicts want the convenience of accessing their complete financial picture on-the-go. Each time a Mobile Addict checks their client website app, they receive a consultation directly from their advisor whenever and wherever they are.
A Digital Media Junkie’s lifeline connects directly to the cloud. Cloud-based tech provides on-demand access to a library of personal data. And not just pictures or audio files. In the cloud, Digital Media Junkies can access important documents like medical records, tax returns, or financial statements. In an emergency, Digital Media Junkies have all they need right at their fingertips.
But because the information is so sensitive, these clients care a great deal about security. The convenience of storing media in the cloud means nothing if those files are vulnerable to threats. As such, this client personality will choose the cloud-based system that offers the most secure online environment.
Client websites feature uncompromising security the Digital Media Junkie craves. Often, these sites use the same advanced security that protects their banking and investment accounts. Behind layers of high-standard encryptions, passwords, and pins, their data and information remains safe.
The ultimate client personality for client websites. Do-It-Yourselfers actively seek out tools that will help them manage all aspects of their financial lives. These are the clients that would most likely ask for a client website by name.
Do-It-Yourselfers are hands-on. But at times, they need help from an expert. That’s where you come in.
These clients will go to their advisor for coaching. And by offering them a client website, you can track how committed Do-It-Yourselfers are to their financial plans. If your client website syncs to your advisor-facing technology, you can see how often your client logs into their website and the accounts they’ve added.
Your clients all view technology through different lenses. What may intrigue one person to adopt a client website may not entice another. So take the time to get to know what your clients want from their digital experiences. And use the information from this post to emphasize the value of technology for each client personality.
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