Secrets of Successful Advisors℠ with Ken Haman

Many advisors are inhibited about their new business acquisition efforts because of a fear of rejection. All sales professionals experience rejection as part of their work. Every conversation with a client or prospect has the possibility of ending with refusal, either of the idea that the advisor is recommending or of the value of the advisor as a professional. In this podcast, Scott and Ken share...

In a holistic wealth-management business model, the quality of the advisor-client relationship increases. Additionally, the relationship's focus shifts away from asset management toward wealth-management challenges. For the financial advisor who wants to improve the client experience, this research represents rich areas of possibilities. Here, Scott and Ken explain how to design client experiences...

As advisors transition from asset managers to holistic wealth advisors, their assumptions about client reviews must change to reflect a different business model. In any advisory practice, there are only a few times a year when advisors can meaningfully impact the relationship they have with a client. Typically, after the intake interview process is completed and the client is onboarded, the client...

Meeting with CPAs, attorneys and other professional centers of influence (COIs) is an efficient method of building a pipeline of prospective clients. Successful financial advisors spend much of their productive time conducting meetings with clients and prospects. A small percentage of those advisors also meet with professionals who are in a position to refer clients. These centers of influence (CO...

Many advisors are reluctant to think about retiring; some are deeply resistant. Observations of financial advisor decision-making and behavior have revealed an interesting pattern: as advisors get closer to retirement, their desire to retire decreases. This can have major negative consequences for teams, especially those that were created to facilitate the transition of clients from the retiring a...

Most advisors know that when markets are volatile they will be having challenging conversations with emotional clients.  Very few advisors know how  important it is to initiate conversations and engage clients about possible volatility before they get upset. Note to All Readers: The information contained here reflects the views of AllianceBernstein L.P. or its affiliates and sources it believes ar...

Research from behavioral finance has revealed a stunning number of decision-making vulnerabilities that make it challenging for investors to successfully navigate capital markets. Hundreds of these heuristics have been discovered over the past few decades, and many are common behaviors that advisors see in clients every day. But advisors are people, too, and they are just as vulnerable to decision...

As the saying goes, "Failure to plan is a plan to fail." And with global markets down significantly, many financial advisors are unprepared for the declining revenues that come from a reduced asset base or unexpected client attrition. However, an advisor "Go Bag"—specific, tangible resources to help your practice and clients—can make a big difference in this environment. AllianceBernstein Advisor...

The first six months of 2022 have served as a stark reminder that market outlooks can quickly shift. Advisors who want to retain business must now prepare clients for the possibility of greater volatility, abiding inflation and muted returns. Clients have many reasons to be skeptical of change and financial advisors (FAs) who don't have these conversations now risk having painful discussions with...

Market headlines in 2022 have been dominated by inflation, tightening monetary policy, ongoing volatility and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. To get ahead of client concerns, financial advisors need to develop creative ways to turn difficult conversations into opportunities to build confidence. A clear and concise presentation on the capital markets can help solidify and restore lost credibility—and...