Eyes on the prize, always have the client in sight

It’s been a busy few months here, the team is growing and with growth comes additional challenges. We’re managing a growing case load and all that comes with it, from onboarding of new clients to ensuring our processes are robust enough to withstand the changes.

To be frank, it’s taken us years to get to where we’re at now, and we’re still refining and shaping the finer points.

Despite all the busy-ness going on behind the scenes, we continue to remind ourselves (and those joining our team) what this is all about – the client. Blinded by the numbers as we’re working through a wave of new cases that have just arrived in our inbox, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.

I wanted to share with you some of the key points and ideas we’ve been discussing over the past few weeks with those who have just joined our team. Some may seem obvious, but sometimes they’re the ones that get missed.

Paraplanners are already one step removed from the client

It’s no revelation that there is a degree of separation from the person at the heart of our work – the client. With the IFA sitting as the gatekeeper to the information, it can be easy to see the new case that lands on our desk as ‘case 726’ or ‘Vanessa Keswick’. We’ve never met, but we know a fair bit about her.

It can be easy to lose sight of the impact of advice

One step removed, it’s so easy to see case 726, but it’s more than that – it’s someone’s early retirement, it’s the growth of the inheritance they had when their father passed away, it’s the legacy they can leave to their grandchildren or the house move they’ve been looking to make that they’ve worked tirelessly to achieve.

Behind the numbers and the recommendations we make are people, couples and families working for their financial future.

Nobody wants to be just a number. Building the ‘richer picture’ adds detail to the story, which moves the numbers on the spreadsheet into full colour, it gives meaning behind the figures.

The profile of the client is key – understanding the person behind the figures

It’s therefore vital that the backdrop is set, that the client story is told, in order for paraplanners to produce their best work – both for the IFA and ultimately the end client. Onboarding of clients, capturing the richer picture and sharing it with the paraplanner is a vital step.

If we don’t have a clear picture – we ask the questions

Understanding the importance of this, we’ve spent time and energy designing and redesigning our case process, to ensure we’ve captured all the good, ‘human’ things aside from the financials that enable us to achieve this. Simple questions at the outset are vital to steer recommendations in the right direction.

Numbers on spreadsheets = important life choices

After all, it’s our research, calculations and forecasting that provide the basis of people’s decision making, whether they move house, downsize, buy that fancy car or just take it that little bit easier now they’ve reached their 60’s. Real, quality human advice that makes a difference to people’s lives.

As paraplanners, we play such an important role in shaping people’s future direction, we really must have eyes on the [clients] prize, with them in mind at every step we take.