I started using the Values Conversation™ last year but have trouble getting my current clients to sit down with me. I would like some help with this and some suggestions to get referrals from my current clients.

Article ID: 8

Last updated: 20 Nov, 2019

It sounds like you are just barely dating Values Based Financial Planning™. Which is fine because that’s where everyone starts. However you will get much better results when you get more serious about really implementing Values Based Financial Planning™ as we teach it, versus just using bits and pieces.

The reason that I say this is because when you say that you are using the Values Conversation™ that’s an indicator to me that you are only using part of what we teach and, therefore only getting a fraction of the results, if any results at all, that you would be getting if you really implemented the entire Financial Road Map®. Instead of viewing the Financial Road Map® as a service for your clients that will help them make better choices about their money so they can achieve their goals for reasons that are important to them, it’s possible that you view the Values Conversation™ as a technique to help you sell them something. This is likely coming across in your communication style making you sound more like a salesperson than their Trusted Advisor. In the old days we used to call this commission breath. This is also evident by the fact that you seem to be more focused on getting referrals from your clients than earning the right to get referrals.

As far as getting your clients to come to see you, my best guess is that this also a symptom of them perceiving you more as a salesperson than their Trusted Advisor and this is why they are reluctant to, as you put it, “sit down with you.” The people you call clients are probably truly more like customers who have purchased a financial product from you, but they don’t really view you as their advisor. If they did, it’s extremely unlikely that they would be reluctant to come see you.

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