Growing up as the youngest of eight kids in a military family, I knew how to follow orders…from everybody. Orders came from my parents, my five older sisters, my two older brothers, my coach and even my dog (“take me for a walk!”), to name a few.
Orders came from my parents, my five older sisters, my two older brothers, my coach and even my dog (“take me for a walk!”), to name a few. As the youngest, I had little chance to challenge what was asked of me and very little choice. My dad ruled the house with his own brand of civilian military efficiency (aka “CME”). Any and all work that needed to be done around the house was completed through a highly developed, tried and tested series of procedures. Everyone had a role to play. Nowhere was this more evident than dinner clean-up at the Dabrowski house.
- Clear the table
- Put away the leftovers
- Wash the dishes
- Dry the dishes
- Put away the dishes
After years of perfecting the process and achieving maximum efficiency, our parents were able to relax at the end of every meal—smiling, with a glass of Scotch in-hand—knowing that kitchen was in good hands.
Everyone has their own set of routines. However, a routine is not a process. A process is a systematic group of actions that lead to a particular goal or result. For the thousands of solo-advisor practices and 2-5 person offices in the financial services industry, time is the most important asset. It’s a use-it or lose-it resource. You can’t create more hours in a day without crossing the International dateline…but you can be more efficient with the time you have.
When you implement an efficient process into your practice, you maximize productivity, predictability and effectiveness. In turn, your end-client will experience peace of mind and reward you with their trust, creating the symbiotic relationship that every advisor desires.
There are several areas where creating a repeatable, scalable process can optimize an advisor’s practice. Our Turnkey Integrated Partnership allows your advisory firm to plug-in to tried, tested and refined processes, thereby allowing you to bypass the considerable time, expense and effort that would be required to create the same systems independently. Following are four key areas where every advisor should consider honing process into practice:
Client Experience
From the first phone call, to the planning phase, to the ongoing communication of changes in the client’s portfolio. Evaluate your practice and how you communicate with your clients. Are your clients informed? Are you sufficiently maintaining communication with them? If you are not staying in touch with your clients, you leave the door open for your competition. A consistent communication process can mean the difference in gaining and retaining your clients—and improving efficiency.
Does your firm have an efficient, high touch client experience?
Investment Experience
The Morningstar Style box is dead! To properly address your clients’ needs, you must begin with an approach—and the appropriate investment process—designed to achieve their specific goals. Our “Wealth Designed. Life Defined.” investment process is precise, personalized, repeatable and scalable. Some of the steps include:
- Collect confidential client information
- Create a true wealth plan that takes into account the client’s wealth
- Select appropriate investment strategies
- Allocate investment strategies
- Ensure that your investment team monitors the portfolio on an ongoing daily basis
Do you have a consistent, personalized, repeatable process for your delivering investment experience?
Client Service Workflows
This takes into account new accounts, correspondence, client communication, etc. Workflows are most effective when founded upon a strong technology suite. However, you must incorporate scale in this particular area or growth will be challenging. Our integrated system, the Client Experience Optimizer (CEO), has been designed and customized using the best technology partners in the space: Salesforce, Orion and Egnyte.
Are you maximizing client service workflows? Do your technology solutions help or hinder your firm?
Succession planning
Although it is overlooked by 93% of advisors, planning for the future of your firm and the future of your clients, should not be taken lightly. An effective succession plan requires much preparation, and there are clearly defined steps of which you should be aware. Having a process in place to plan your succession—and then execute when the time is right—optimizes the results for both you and your clients.
Have you started the succession planning process for your firm? If not, when will you begin?
Over the 20 years in which I have been a part of this industry, change has been the only constant. Given the evolving landscape of technology, new product development and new regulation, this will no doubt continue to hold true in the future. However, your time today is as valuable as it is tomorrow. If implementing efficient procedures can save you an hour a day, you too, will be able to relax and enjoy a glass of Scotch at the end of the evening knowing that your business is in good hands.
For advisor use only. Not intended for client distribution.
