Sometimes Financial Advisers have trouble putting together a consistent story in a document for their clients. They might have a masterpiece in their head, with all the facts and figures to help their clients get to a better place, but when it comes to putting it down on paper, it just doesn’t live up to the hype.
So why does the translation from mind to paper break down?
I believe it is the misunderstanding that they have the ability to control the narrative in a big way.
Before a client walks in for the first time, things can be pretty exciting. The client is brave for taking the first step towards improving their financial situation, and the Adviser has to unpack the problems and find solutions. It’s a creative space, and maybe the only chance a financial adviser has to create art. The rest of the process is more like science.
Merriam-Webster says that art is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects
Before that first meeting with the client:
- No characters exist
- No relationships exists
- No goals exist
- No problems exist
- No story exists
And then all these things suddenly exist.
The Financial Adviser has full control to be the author of the story as soon as they meet the client. They can shape this story into a more personalised and creative narrative that starts from the file notes and goes through to the advice document.
The way the advice document reads is solely a product of the inputs provided. The scope of the advice, the objectives and how the strategies relate back to both will only be as good as what you created upfront.
Once the solutions are presented to a client the best part is already over. From here strategy and product knowledge kick in and we’re suddenly in a world of word processing and application forms. A much more formulaic place.
So don’t let your documentation be a barrier to the advice process. Take control and tell the story your way. Tell the story of your client and their journey.
