We all know referrals are the best way to bring on new clients… but getting clients to give them to us has been pretty elusive for most advisors. This might be because, if you are like me, you find asking for referrals to be uncomfortable.
I solved this problem by changing my approach and it has worked fabulously well. My buddies have had fantastic success with it as well. What’s my approach? I ask my best clients to be part of my Client Advisory Board.
I put together a step-by-step manual that my staff and I use 3 times a year. I rotate a group of 8 of my clients through a Client Advisor Board in Spring, Summer and Fall. I run them the exact same way each time so it has become a no-brainer to carry them out.
What I’ve found is that my clients love to tell me how to run my business! And rather than be upset by this… I embrace it! I have been able to implement so many great, and cheap ideas they’ve brought to my attention.
But more importantly, by giving me all of their “advice” their whole attitude about my practice changes. My clients now feel like they have ownership in my practice. Their pride is attached to my success. If I become more successful, they think it is directly attributable to them. And that’s fine by me!
So when I run my Client Advisory Boards, one of the main topics we cover is how to grow my business. What is the best way to get my message out? Past Client Advisory Boards have come up with some great (and profitable) ideas for me. But here’s the thing, almost every Board has also told me that I need to concentrate on referrals… they tell me, I don’t tell them. Then we simply explore the best way to get referrals… and want to take a guess at what magically happens?
I have to tell you, I got more referrals from my first Client Advisory Board than I got from my whole first 10 years in the business! And every following Client Advisory Board has been just as productive. The good thing is, I never run out of clients for my Boards because I just use the clients that have been recently referred in!
Don’t miss out on this no-cost way of bringing on great clients!
