Dear Abby,
I am an advisor with two locations. I have an office in New Jersey, but I also have an office in Florida. My primary residence is in Florida now and I am finding it more challenging to communicate with my New Jersey clients as much as I would like to. Any suggestions on how I can make sure I am touching them as much as I am supposed to without flying every other week to New Jersey?
Andrew, Parkland, FL
Dear Andrew,
There are many ways you can continue to engage with your clients on a regular basis without physically being there. Here are a few suggestions that I hope will eliminate the need to constantly get on a plane- although I can imagine all the frequent flier miles you are probably accumulating!
1. Skype! Using Skype or some other video conferencing service (Link to article on video conferencing) is being well received by advisors and clients alike. These meetings are easy to execute and give you that “face to face” feel without having to physically be there. One of our advisors actually sent cameras to his clients that were far away so they had one to use when they needed to do meetings. It was a well received gift and eliminated the need to be in person for meetings.
2. Regular communications. As long as you are sending your clients regular communications; a monthly or quarterly newsletter coupled with an email anytime there’s market volatility and following it up with phone calls, they should be feeling well connected. Of course, there will always be those clients that need a bit extra handholding, but for the large majority, the newsletters, emails and phone calls should make them feel well taken care of.
I hope these ideas help you think about other ways you can connect with your clients.
Abby