Improving interpersonal skills is essential to cultivating personal and professional relationships with clients. Three MDRT members from the Philippines share how to be more effective communicators.

Ask the right questions

“Whenever I have client meetings, after listening intently to their dreams, goals, and aspirations, I ask follow-up questions to help craft relevant and meaningful policies for them,” Melvin Mella, a one-year MDRT member, said.

Open-ended questions are practical, especially for those who still need clarification about what they want in a policy. “Keep probing until you get a clearer understanding of their motivations in availing insurance and their short- and long-term plans,” Mella added.

Some of the questions the asks his clients about retirement plans include, "What do you aspire to do when you’re already retired?”, “How do you support your passions?” and “What are you doing in preparation for retirement?” He says, “I plot out my clients’ marks to hit to achieve their goals. There are no shortcuts, but all the hard work will pay off when they reap the rewards of being prepared in advance.”

Be an empathetic listener

Jeffrey James Doolittle, a two-year MDRT member, says, “After a five-minute product presentation, I will spend the rest of the meeting listening to their personal stories. Our clients must feel we care about them, especially their innermost thoughts and feelings.”

Doolittle said financial advisors should be empathetic to build better client connections. “Big-case clients know when you’re not paying attention. Be laser-focused on your clients, so you don’t miss any critical details. You snooze, you lose.”

A client once declined his investment-linked insurance offer after their initial meeting. “I didn’t take it personally. I probed further and learned that she’s keener on getting plans for her children. We settled on four endowment plans for them.”

Be approachable

Approachability is one of the foundations of creating better relationships with clients. “I had a prospect who had met other financial advisors previously, but I was chosen because she found me approachable and genuinely interested in helping her,” Brylline Dhia Francisco-Concepcion, a four-year MDRT member, said.

Francisco emphasizes that “being approachable means consistency in your actions. We’ll be servicing our clients for their entire lives if we’re lucky – from assisting to create and implement their policies, conducting evaluation during quarterly and annual reviews, and facilitating living and death benefits, to name a few. As their goals change from time to time, we must create a financial roadmap, ensure they’re on track, and help achieve their goals.”

Contact: MDRTeditorial@teamlewis.com

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Interpersonal communication skills that a financial advisor must practice