Too many advisors and businesses don’t have a marketing plan that includes what it takes to get their share of the affluent women market. Until now.
Recently, I’ve received a barrage of calls and emails from huge financial organizations wanting help capitalizing on the thriving affluent female market. Some of them sound desperate. They share with me how their financial advisors (mostly men) just don’t get it and that they see a rough road ahead. Interestingly, many financial advisory managers are focusing their financial advisor marketing and recruiting efforts on only female advisors. While I agree it is wise to learn how to effectively work with women, I personally don’t agree with focusing only on any one type of financial advisor.
More recently though I’ve received a barrage of calls and emails from huge financial organizations wanting help capitalizing on the thriving affluent female market. Some of them sound desperate. They share with me how their financial advisors (mostly men) just don’t grasp the concept of relationship marketing and they predict a rough road ahead. Interestingly, many financial advisory managers are focusing their significant resources to their financial advisor marketing and recruiting efforts on female producers.
Within the last few months, I’ve heard dozens of stories about male financial advisors losing commissions, sales and business from affluent female clients – some that were in the seven figures. Add to this the financial brokerage firms that are losing up to 98% of their business when the first spouse dies…amazing, a retention ratio of only 2%! Why is this happening? I believe that it’s because most male financial advisors and consultants don’t understand the single secret to working effectively with affluent women – relationship marketing.
Can male financial advisors work with female clients?
As an optimist by nature, my answer has consistently been yes. But changes in our world and how people do business has also formed a more thorough answer than just yes.
An Allianz “Women, Money, and Power” study recently showed that women are more than twice as likely as men to choose a female financial advisor. My own surveys confirm that, all things being equal, women prefer to work with other female advisors.
This sentiment is a recent phenomenon, possibly fueled by unprecedented power wielded by affluent females. A recent Newsweek article says it all in their title: “Working Women are Poised to Become the Biggest Economic Engine The World Has Ever Known.”
“The vast majority of new income growth will go to women,” claims the article, “due to a narrowing wage gap and rising female employment.” It goes on to share a fact that many of us already know, that women control $12 trillion – or 65.4% – of annual spending in the U.S.
Echoing these findings is a recent study by Boston Consulting Group, which explains that “female economic growth represents the biggest emerging market in the history of the planet – more than twice the size of the two hottest developing markets, India and China, combined.”
“Any company that overlooks the woman as the decision maker is making a huge mistake,” says the female CEO of Avon, who was quoted in an interview in Newsweek. She shares that 5 of her 11 board members and 6 of her 13 top-level senior leaders are female. “In the ’70s,” she goes on to say, “women were leaving the home to enter the workforce. At that time, all of our management was male and the business suffered for it.”
Show me any company that doesn’t understand the importance of including females in key decision making roles and I will bet you they are never making their desired income…ever! If by chance they are earning their desired income, they are literally leaving millions on the table.
Listening to affluent women and including them on your board will help immensely while building trust and confidence with a female audience. It will also help you to avoid being known as the ‘for males only’ company that women refuse to affiliate with!
In a similar scenario, a well-known financial advisory firm who was losing affluent market share, began a proactive approach to grow their affluent client retention and referrals. They had created a financial advisor marketing model to attract affluent women. They hired a well-known financial advisory consulting firm to help them in their efforts of retaining and marketing to affluent women but their results continued to decline. It turned out the entire team that was coaching them on how to affectively work with affluent women were comprised of all men. While there are males who can provide insight to marketing to women, it would seem logical to include women in the mix.
So what can you do?
In today’s world, women demand a new level of service and relationships. Advisor who can’t effectively communicate with women and cater to their specific needs should probably bypass the affluent female market altogether. These advisors need to plan accordingly because when their affluent male clients die before their wives do, the odds are pretty good that the wives will take matters into their own hands and fire their husbands’ financial advisors as soon as they find a new financial advisor with which they can form a relationship and effectively communicate.
An immediate marketing strategy is to include affluent females on your board of directors or in key roles. If you are a sole practitioner, and don’t have a board of directors, create an advisory board and include women. The ratio should be indicative of the number of affluent female clients you want. If you want 80% of your practice to be comprised of wealthy females, for example, then at least 50% to 80% of your board should be female. It is also a good idea to create a culturally diverse board. Including people who see things differently than you is a good thing and can help you avoid mistakes because you are not aware of an issue that could offend potential affluent clients.
In a recent meeting, an affluent woman was describing a company, in front of her peers, as “the 50-year-old white male company.” I about fell off my chair. While this was the norm twenty years ago when I began my career, in this day and age, you simply can’t afford to have that reputation unless your target really is “50-year-old white males!” Having affluent females on your board will go a long way toward building trust and confidence with a female audience and avoiding being known as the ‘for males only’ company!
Understand the differences between affluent men and women
Having female board members is a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough to satisfy most female clients- especially ones with money. Most male financial advisors will have to change their relationship styles if they want to attract and keep affluent female clients. Men think, act and see the world differently than women.
While including females on your board is a step in the right direction, it’s not enough to satisfy most female clients- especially ones with money. Most male financial advisors will have to change their relationship styles if they want to attract and keep affluent female clients. Men think, act and see the world differently than women.
In my interview for the AffluentSummit.com with Don Wilkinson of Family Office Consulting, he shared how an affluent women and her husband interviewed two different money managers. The first began talking about alpha and beta and she said, “Honey, I think I will leave you two and go shopping,” The next interview was a bit different. When they arrived the wife was greeted, by the offices personal relationship manager and taken to a separate conference room where they shared concierge services they offered, including personal shoppers, spa treatments etc. Guess which advisor they hired?
A friend of mine and her husband were flown out to meet a top financial money manager who has an excellent track record with consistent performance and a superb reputation. His style is very conducive to the driven, bottom-line personality type, dominantly male, to which he markets. Because this approach has worked well for years, he’s never taken the time to learn how to deal with the traditional affluent females these men are usually married to.
In this particular case, the wife said it took her less than 5 minutes (in reality probably 3 seconds) to decide against this manager. The money lost on this case is hard to guesstimate, but it was likely in the tens of millions of dollars if you consider the net worth and life expectancy of these clients- not to mention the lost referrals.
Why did this happen? A woman’s decision to hire a manager is not based on the best return. Her decision is based more on the financial advisor’s ability to build a relationship. Specifically, his ability to communicate with her, to listen and answer questions, and the general social chemistry. This top money manager failed miserably in all categories.
Hopefully you have gotten that a woman’s decision to hire a manager is not based on the best return. Her decision is based more on the financial advisor’s ability to build a relationship. Specifically, his ability to communicate with her, to listen and answer questions, and the general social chemistry. The two money managers who were fired before they were hired failed miserably in all categories.
To better understand, let’s take a minute and review personality profiles.
Three Types of Women
Traditional Women Occupation: Home Makers, Wives & Moms Personality: Generally Amiable (friendly) & Expressive (talkative)
Traditional Women Occupation: Home Makers, Wives & Moms Personality: Generally Amiable (friendly) & Expressive (talkative)
Non-Traditional Women Occupation: Executives & Business Owners Personality: Continuum Driver (bottom line) to an Analytic (detail oriented)
These personalities are a continuum. If a combination women is more traditional, she will act more like a traditional type woman, who is passive and amiable. Of these different types of women it is important to understand how they react. Traditional and combination affluent will often not complain or share their discontent without deep trust and you soliciting it. Instead they will complain to their friends, family and anyone who will listen. When the opportunity presents itself, she will leave. To get this affluent client to share how she feels, you have to gain their trust and create a relationship so she feels comfortable and knows that you truly care about how she feels.
These personalities are a continuum. If a combination women is more traditional, she will act more like a traditional type woman, who is passive and amiable. Of these different types of women it is important to understand how they react. Traditional and combination affluent will often not complain or share their discontent without deep trust and you soliciting it. Instead they will complain to their friends, family and anyone who will listen. When the opportunity presents itself, she will leave. To get this affluent client to share how she feels, you have to gain their trust and create a relationship so she feels comfortable and knows that you truly care about how she feels.
Last year at a conference, in the presence of well over 140 traditional and combination/traditional females I received an award. The gentleman who presented it made a statement that I must be part man because of how successful I had been in my career. After recovering from the shock of his statement I smiled and responded he meant to say powerful women not man. This kind of research (finding out the reaction to his comments) was priceless.
The responses were beyond my wildest expectation. I had tons of responses some better not shared in this article. The first shared that I needed to go and tell this man it has nothing to do with being a man, it’s about being a powerful women. Another asked me to train her on becoming powerful, as did a man who also wanted to learn how to work with powerful affluent women. Possibly the most telling were the women who met after the meeting to discuss his comments. Some came up to me crying. Initially I thought someone had died. While I didn’t agree with his statement and thought it inappropriate, I have heard far worse in the 20 years of being a top advisor. Regardless of how I felt, these women shared how women need role models and men who are sensitive.
Regardless of the type of female you’re trying to work with, you need to learn how to ask fabulous questions, listen, and then act upon the information you receive.
A success system that works with women
A success system that works with women One of the best financial advisor marketing strategies you can use to ask fabulous questions is a questionnaire process I created called the AskLearnRiches. Through this process, you find out everything you need to know about your target audience: How they feel, what they want, what is the best form of communication, what radio stations they listen to, their favorite hobbies and anything else that will give you a competitive edge and a foundation upon which to build a real relationship.
Some other questions that are good include this sample:
Question 1: What has to happen for you to be satisfied working with me? Response: I need to have a plan, be listened to and get updated on my affairs on a regular basis.
Question 2: What is your biggest financial concern? Response: Having enough money
Question3: What about money is important to you? Response: It allows me to be financially free.
Question 4: What about financial freedom is important to you? Response: It allows me to do what I want.
Question 5: Why is it important to you to do what you want? Response: I don’t want to have to rely on someone.
Question 6: Why not? Response: I relied on my husband for 52 years and don’t want my kids to have to worry about me.
Regardless of what business you’re in, this process will help you work more effectively with affluent women and men.
The hard reality of getting this or not, is reflected in a valuable lesson a coach of mine taught me. She shared that you must pay attention to the 2x2s because if you don’t they become 4x4s and the 4x4s become Mack trucks. That simple lesson has made me millions and can for you too! It can also help prevent you from losing millions by having your affluent female clients fire you or worse – never hire you. The great news is that by learning a few simple tips, you can build the kind of relationships with your female clients that will build a successful business for yourself without having to lose a huge commission or fee.
Annette Bau, CFP(r), founder of Advisor Marketing Practices and author of numerous books and products. She can be reached at Questions@MillionaireSeries.com
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