How to Create a Green Bay Packer-Like Fan Appreciation

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:08:50 -0600

By Steve Sanduski, CFP^®
The Green Bay Packers are famous for their devoted fans. In fact, more than 268,000 of them just paid $250 for a share of stock in the Packers that is—in financial terms—essentially worthless. There’s no dividend, no capital gain, and you cannot sell the shares. All you can do is transfer them to an immediate family member.

So, what do you get for $250? You receive admission to the annual stockholder meeting expected to be held at Lambeau Field. Of course, the actual benefit of owning a piece of the Packers is not financial. It’s the connection you have with one of the most storied teams in professional football.

Can you imagine creating a financial planning practice and having 150 clients who are as devoted to you as these 268,000 fans are to the Packers?

Here are three things you can do to create this Packer-like fan appreciation:

1. Really understand your clients. This goes way beyond the numbers. Sure, they have a “number” they’re shooting for in retirement, but numbers are cold. You need to know, understand, and appreciate what your clients want to do with the financial security you are helping them achieve. Help them see their vision. Help them make the second half of their life even more meaningful than the first half. Inspire them to “live the music in them” while they still have time.

2. Be uplifting. We live in an entertainment-obsessed world. Maybe it’s because with all the bad stuff that goes on, we need the distraction of entertainment. Regardless, make working with you something your clients look forward to. Make your office an upbeat, positive (yet professional) environment. Even if the markets are down, your clients should feel uplifted after meeting with you. Life is so much bigger than the number on the statement and you should model that by being grateful, positive (but not Pollyanna-ish), and in the moment.

3. Solve their problems and do it with extraordinary service. The first two items above are the “softer” side of the business and that will only get you so far. Clearly, if the Packers weren’t winning Super Bowls and pounding on the Bears (sorry Bears fans), they would have a lot fewer raving fans. Likewise, you have to do a great job with the nuts and bolts of being a financial advisor. This doesn’t mean you have to “beat” the market, but you better at least be close. You don’t have to be an expert in everything, but you better surround yourself with subject matter experts. You don’t have to be all things to all people, but you better be all things to a select group of people. And service, well, you better be obsessive about it.

I’m essentially describing a one-two punch here. You connect with your clients emotionally through understanding them and being uplifting. Then you cement that relationship by delivering on their goals and doing it with extraordinary service. You’re fusing each half of the brain so you fully connect with your clients. Follow this plan and you’ll not only have clients for life, but you’ll get referrals for life.

Turning a Lemon into Lemonade

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:06:53 -0500

No company’s customer service experience is perfect. But how can you turn one of those lemons into something positive? Read this article for some ideas.

The Best Customer Service Advice…Ever

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 08:56:00 -0500

Most companies look at an organization like Zappos and think how can we be more like them? What ideas from this company can we apply to our own organization? In this post, the author has one of her best customer service experiences after attending a conference where the head of Zappos is a keynote speaker. Her experience had nothing to do with shoes or delivering happiness. It was all about taking responsibility.

Peak Advisor Alliance - Blog (Entries tagged as customer service)

How to Create a Green Bay Packer-Like Fan Appreciation

Turning a Lemon into Lemonade

The Best Customer Service Advice…Ever