How should a Trusted Advisor respond when a client rejects a recommendation made during the Implementation Meeting or Progress Meeting, and this decision goes against one of their values?

Article ID: 46

Last updated: 20 Nov, 2019

First of all, follow the process and script for the Commitment to Implement Conversation™ during the Financial Road Map Interview™. Listen to your recordings of the Financial Road Map Interview™ and I’ll bet you’ll find that you could do a better job with the Commitment to Hire™ and the Commitment to Implement Conversation™.

If you follow Commitment to Implement Conversation™ as we teach it then they are prepared to come to the Implementation Meeting to implement. Many advisors find that they lack conviction during the Commitment to Implement Conversation™ and prepare their clients for a plan presentation versus and implementation. When you prepare your clients for the plan presentation the presumption is that they are supposed to decide what to implement and what not to implement. When you prepare them for an Implementation Meeting, the presumption is that they are going to follow your advice and implement.

I’ve heard this responded to many effective ways. One, is to simply remind them that it’s their money and they can decide who they work with, but if they choose to work with you and your Deliverables Team, collective wisdom and experience of hundreds of years, then the expectation is that they will follow your advice and implement all of your recommendations. The choice is an “in or out” choice, not a partial in or partial out.

A top advisor shared with me how he handles this when a client gets amnesia. He says, “I just need a little clarification. One of us is the advisor and the other is the client. Tell me again which one you want to be?” Do this with a smile and your clients will usually respond positively.

You’ve heard me describe this as giving advice with conviction. On the Mastery Series™ DVD you will see me demonstrate communicating with conviction during the Commitment to Implement Conversation™ when my prospective clients have questions about what happens during the Implementation Meeting. You can see how there is no possible way they could show up at the Implementation Meeting thinking that it’s a plan presentation where they could to pick and choose what to implement. The “in or out” decision is made during Commitment to Implement Conversation™, before you have done all the work, not at the Implementation Meeting.

I’ll say again that most problems during the Implementation Meeting are creating by poorly setting expectations during Commitment to Implement Conversation™. Do what we teach. You might be surprised how well it works.

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