The ongoing impact of the 2008 financial crisis, along with expanded federal regulations and compliance requirements are shaking up Wall Street and the financial advisory market.
While many financial advisors are unhappy with strictures associated with the new Department of Labor fiduciary rule, one New York-based firm, Client Focused Advisors sees the change as an opportunity to differentiate his practice and grow its client base.
Client Focused Financial Advice
As the name of his firm suggests, Jason Hill, CEO of Client Focused Advisors has always put his clients’ best interests first.
Visitors to the Client Focused Advisors website see the words “It’s about you. Discover the difference,” which Hill points out is not just an empty marketing slogan, but the essence of what sets his company apart.
“We’ve always believed that a high fiduciary standard is a win-win for both our firm and our clients. To put that into practice, we consult with clients to maximize their full financial picture, addressing their needs with recommendations that build security, as well as wealth, said Hill.
Meetings = The Best Way to Determine Client Need
Hill describes in-person client meetings as “the best way for us to determine the individual financial need of each client.” According to Hill: “Appointments with clients enable highly revealing and productive conversations and an ideal setting to discuss family, priorities, goals and a timeline for achieving them.”
Each appointment is tailored to individual needs, via specific materials and educational tools. The real benefit for clients is the end result: what Jason Hill describes as “peace of mind in knowing that the work we have done will help protect and preserve their lifestyle, assets and most important, their families and valued relationships.”
For more, see Jason Hill’s “10 Tips for Financial Advisors for Client Loyalty.”
A Better Way to Meet
“The old way of scheduling a client by trying to reach them by phone or email was inefficient,” said Hill. “The traditional back-and-forth email Ping-Pong or telephone tag to propose a day and time for an annual review was painful for both clients and our advisors alike.”
Since Client Focused Advisors began using online appointment scheduling, Hill and his colleagues can easily book a steady roster of meetings with both prospects and clients. From “Click! to SCHEDULE” buttons on the firm’s website, to hyperlinks to his appointment calendar from his LinkedIn profile and email signature, Jason Hill offers an assortment of ways for others to book his time.
New technologies now simplify important components of the business: “Our CRM system tracks all clients with whom we need to do quarterly investment reviews. Within minutes I can send a personal email to all of them requesting that they schedule a meeting through Engageware’s online scheduler. I did that just recently, and 50% of those clients had scheduled within three days.”
Client Focused Advisors’ Proven 6-Step Process for Client Success
The Client Focused Advisors recipe for client satisfaction and results is based on educating, communicating and engaging with them through a proven Six-Step Process:
- Project goals
- Appraise assets
- Gap analysis
- Provide options
- Implement
- Monitor & adjust
Through this process, Hill says that he helps clients through a profitable sequence to organize, formalize, execute, track and tweak the their financial strategies and holdings.
Praise for Client Focused Advisors
Beyond consistently strong recommendations from satisfied clients, Client Focused Advisors has also won more than its fair share of recognition from industry experts. In December 2015, the firm was named “Practice of the Year” finalist by Signator Investors — a dual-registered broker dealer/investment adviser with a national network of independent firms and approximately 1,500 financial professionals across the U.S. In an announcement of that recognition, Signator called out the firm excellence in key areas of practice management, client service, and overall practice performance.
About Client Focused Advisors
With more than 1,200 clients in the NY/NJ/CT Tri-State area, Client Focused Advisors focuses on building and preserving wealth for business owners and senior executives. Founded in 2013 this innovative financial advisory firm aims to help clients achieve their goals of enjoying a secure retirement, leaving a legacy, and providing a college education for children or grandchildren through full-service offerings including insurance, investments, retirement savings, financial planning and asset management.