Chartered Financial Planner, author and Chartered Wealth Manager, Warren Shute, has revealed his tips on gaining and keeping clients.

Speaking exclusively to Financial Planning Today magazine, Mr Shute, founder and director of Lexington Wealth Management, on the edge of the Cotswolds, talked about his early career, his clients and his advice for maintaining long-term relationships.

Speaking about his longest client he said: “Mr A is a bachelor and owns his own business (most of my clients are business owners).

“I have worked with him building his investment and retirement portfolios from £50,000 or so to several millions today.

“He’s lost his business partner to cancer and gained a new one, so coaching him through the complexities of this was all part of our service.

“We meet several times a year now, most often discussing his business and investments.

“Although he can retire, his cashflow show’s he’ll never spend all his capital, I like that he continues to work as I know his company gives him far more than money.

“I encourage it – he has a purpose to wake in the morning, social interaction with his staff and although he’s an incredibly intelligent man, it keeps his brain active.”

Asked about how to keep long-term client relationships going he said: “I would say there are three attributes; honesty, focus of attention and ‘CANI’ – this stands for: constant and
never ending improvement.”

He added: “Be passionate and be excited about Financial Planning and life, don’t do Financial
Planning, be a Fanatical Planner.

“Make it your identity, not something you pick up when you read it’s the future.”

• The full interview with Warren Shute is exclusively in the latest edition of Financial Planning Today magazine.