Professional Financial Management Planning, Coaching and Consulting, Sales Marketing and Performance Plans

Controlling your emotional work environment is one of the most important things you can do. If done properly it will give you a wonderful feeling of confidence and control. If you control your emotional environment it will set the stage of how you feel about yourself and how others feel about you. The work environment I’m talking about isn’t about having a great office in a nice location. This all-important environment I refer to is the one that you take with you wherever you go: By controlling this critical environment you will gain confidence and become more focused and have more energy. In addition, your clients will begin to see you in a whole new light.

If your emotional work environment is not good it is frequently caused by clients attempting to dictate the terms of the business relationship. Attempting to tell you what type of business model you will run. Have you ever had a client or prospect say one of the following?

“I only meet my financial advisors in the evening.”
“I’d like a quote on some cheap term insurance.”
“I meet my advisors in my office.”
“I already know what I want.”
“I’m expecting a few calls during our meeting, will that be alright?”
“ I know our appointment was for 10 AM, but a couple of things have come up, can you wait 30 min for me?”
“Gee I’m sorry I forgot to bring that information.”
“ My partner is not here, as I had hoped, but let’s start without him/her.”
“Oh no! I forgot that I have a dental appointment now, can we reschedule?”
“Just give me the options over the phone.”……………

When the client says those types of things to you what is the real meaning of the comments? I contend that they are telling you that, in their mind, you are not as important to them as are their other advisors. In fact, they may not even see you as an advisor, but instead see you as a vendor. If you permit prospects/clients to deal with you in that manner, you will have permitted this shift in the relationship. If you permit a client to force you to deal on his/her terms, then the client is controlling how you will run your business. The client may not even consciously understand what they have done, but you can be sure that is how he is feeling. He’s thinking, “If he wants to do business with me I’ll dictate the terms”. The prospect/client does not think in those terms about his, doctor, lawyer, dentist, CPA, banker, or even his shoe repair professional. They see those people as professionals who are providing a needed service. If they want the service then have to deal with them on the terms of the provider. Why should we be treated any differently?

Czaba Sziklai, the inventor of “The Advocacy Method” of selling would say that if you permit such conduct it is the beginning of, “The Sucking Sound”. There are two sucking sounds to be made. The first is the sound the vendor makes when “sucking up” to the prospect/client in a feeble attempt to get them to like them and to do business with them. The second sucking sound is made when the emotional wind and self-confidence is sucked out of the entrepreneur when they cave in and permit the client to dictate the terms of the relationship. Both events make us look into the mirror and not be happy with what we see. Why do we permit such a relationship to form?

We may not truly believe that what we have to provide for the prospect/client has any real value. You must believe in what you are doing. If you cannot believe in what you are doing then consider finding another business in which to engage. The vendor frequently looks out for their benefit first, the advisor always puts the clients interests first.

We may not have enough self-confidence to attempt to control the environment. Remember that you already know more about the subject than the client will ever know. If you’re still unsure, bring an expert with you. Remember that you are performing a function the client cannot do for themselves. If the client won’t listen he/she doesn’t see you in a very good light and you’ll never have a good relationship: Its time to move on.

We are afraid of losing a client. The reality is that you didn’t have one to begin with. Yes, you may have a customer, but you won’t have a client. Even if he/she does purchase something from you the customer will constantly jerk your emotional chain.

We have been told that the customer is always right.
That may be true at Wal-Mart, but it is not true in an advisory relationship.

How can you overcome these issues, feel better about yourself and have your clients feel better about you? You can do so by doing those things that will help you be in charge of your own emotional environment.

Set the hours you choose to work and then find clients who will see you during those hours. Remember, you are an entrepreneur and can work any hours you choose, but they are the hours you set, not the hours that the client/prospect sets for you.
Don’t conduct the meeting while the client is distracted. Politely state that perhaps some other time would be better. Stick to your guns and re-schedule.
Don’t begin a meeting until all the parties that should be present are present.
Have the client come to your office if that is what you choose.
If you have a scheduled meeting then make the client stick to the time. Don’t sit in the waiting room of a client’s office for more than a few minutes past the scheduled appointment. Politely tell the secretary that you have another appointment and ask her to call to re-schedule.
Don’t take orders for quotes on “cheap term insurance”, or RFP’s, [Request For Proposals]. Most of the time the specifications for the request are not clear.
Decide upon your business model and stick to it.
Always have the attitude that the client will benefit significantly by doing business with you.

It is important for you to properly qualify new clients. When you consider bringing on a new client you look at many factors, some of them are:

Those are all very good considerations. Use them and have those criteria grow as you grow. But try adding a few other considerations that will significantly enhance your self- image and your image with the client.

You add whatever you feel is necessary. It’s your business and it’s your business model. State the terms of how you’re going to run your business life and stick to those terms.

At Disney World each ride has a minimum height limit. The rides have a device which looks like a Disney character that you must not be able to pass under if you want to get on that ride. You can go on some other rides but not that ride. Be like Disney- set your bar so that if the client doesn’t measure up they cannot work with you. If you prospects don’t measure up in the subjective criteria you’ve set and are able to walk under the bar then don’t take them on as clients.

Having a vision of how you would like your practice to operate is critical to how you actually operate the business. Know what you want to do and how you would like to do it and then make it happen by controlling your emotional environment.

Roger Tuttle is a nationally recognized expert in helping financial service entrepreneurs hit high levels of productivity. You may contact Roger by linking to his website at www.tuttlefinancialadvisors.com.