How Well Does Your Firm Virtually Serve Your Clients?

Furthermore, you might prefer to meet with your clients in person, but is that their preference? Regular in-person meetings for many advisors are not as frequent as they used to be, which increases the importance of at least meeting virtually. Once you get your clients used to meeting with you virtually, think about the benefits it offers you and your clients. Now you can work anywhere and still "see" your clients when you are not in the office or even in town.

Another way advisors can improve their virtual presence is by using video. More advisors today have a video on their website that describes their firm and the services that they offer. This is a great medium that allows a prospect to quickly learn about your firm without having to click through multiple Web pages. If you are speaking at a conference, study group or other event, consider having a colleague or friend shoot a brief video of your presentation. All it takes is a few seconds of content using an iPhone, Android or other device.

Client events are another great opportunity to capture video footage. This extra content can be incorporated into other videos that drive home the message of what your firm is all about. The videos do not need to be very long; a lot can be shared in one to three minutes. If you need help building your videos, you can consider working with Building Trust Online, Inc., which was co-founded by Bill Winterberg of FPPad.com.

For some advisors, serving clients virtually may be daunting or not a high priority. However, it shouldn't strain your resources with the choices available today. With the focus on serving the next generation of wealth, we are learning that the virtual world is part of how these clients like to conduct their financial affairs. Is your firm ready?

Let Your Audience (Clients) Help You Decide Where to Start

You probably already know the clients who are most active in the virtual world. You likely see it in their behavior and the personal technology tools that they already own. You can use this information to help your firm. For example, who are the clients that prefer to communicate using virtual tools (email, text messages, social media, etc.) versus picking up the phone? Use this list of clients as your first target group for conducting a virtual meeting. You will learn very quickly what works and what doesn't. Sometimes, the hardest part is simply becoming comfortable with the situation and smoothly leading the meeting just as if the client is sitting across the table.