Half a dozen leading Financial Planners have revealed their best practice on how best to find and retain clients in the latest Financial Planning Today magazine.

Their tips appear in the latest Financial Planning Today magazine published this week. You can view the Top 10 Tips feature and the rest of the magazine here: FINANCIAL PLANNING TODAY MAGAZINE - JAN-FEB 2018.

Between them the Financial Planners who shared their best ideas on client finding and retention, have over 100 years of experience and most are highly qualified to Chartered Financial Planner or Certified Financial Planner level.

Sharing his best ideas, Craig Chapman, founder of Money Plan It wealth management, said he believe, “clients should be attracted rather than pursued.” He also said it is important to deal with new client queries as soon as they are received, “by establishing quickly whether they are suitable or not.”

Chartered Financial Planner Louise Morris said long-term goals were key when finding new clients:  “Many clients I have spoken to in the past have become clients months or years after first speaking,” she said.

Treating clients as individuals is also important said Ms Morris: “Every single clients is an individual with a unique set of circumstances and we cannot, and must not, make assumptions about a client’s personal situation.” 

As well as individuality among clients, openness is also an essential prerequisite in the Financial Planning world, according to Chartered and Certified Financial Planner and founder of Chapters Financial in Surrey Keith Churchouse. He said it was important to, “tell it like it is, as Financial Planner clients I believe seek professionalism, honesty and integrity from you at all times.”

Chartered Financial Planner Darren Cooke of Red Circle Financial Planning in Derbyshire said being, “interested in them and what they are trying to achieve in life or in business and do what you can to help them would build up trust.”

Listening to clients is also an important prerequisite, said Angela Maher, founder of Acumen Financial Partnership. She said: “Giving them time to talk about themselves, what they care about most, and what keeps them awake - and what they would love to be able to do in their lives - gives us the insight into how best we can help them make the most of their lives.” 

In addition to listening, having conversations about issues other than money is also important to develop a relation and planners could do well to help clients in any ways they could. She said: “Never be afraid to do a good turn, not everything has to be about fees,” she said.

Tamsin Caine of Accredited Financial Planning firm Smart Financial in Altrincham said networking was her priority. “Network - and by that I just mean talk to people, anyone and everyone, not with a rehearsed sales pitch but let people know about the amazing things you can do for them.”

The full feature can be found in the latest Financial Planning Today magazine.