Stephen Rhodes On His Champion Client Strategy

4 MIN READ

Last Updated on July 20, 2020 by Phil Rogers

Stephen Rhodes Strategic Partners Wealth Management

You want to help your clients feel like champions, right? Of course! Coaching and advising your clients so that they are financial superstars? Definitely, yes. And when those clients recommend you to their friends … You can all be champions, and create some serious growth for your business as well.

Stephen Rhodes, successful advisor and founder of Signify Wealth in Missouri, knows this first hand because his clients, which include professional football and baseball players, are actually world champions themselves.

So how does Rhodes make them feel just as successful off the field?

Oh how we love technology, more time is a beautiful thing.

Rhodes estimates technology has cut his preparation time for client phone calls and meetings in half. “We save so much time now we’ve actually become better advisors,” Rhodes says.

It takes time and money to provide the type of client service that truly differentiates you from competitors.

Interested in acquiring more of both?

Before streamlining operations, Rhodes spent a whole lot more time and money than he liked doing mundane and time consuming chores like, manually producing quarterly performance reports, preparing for client meetings, and answering client inquiries. With Rhodes innovative new platform, the bulk of his energy (and all that extra time) is spent devoted to his clients and to ensuring they have a consistently great experience.

“We save so much time now we’ve actually become better advisors,” Rhodes says.

For Rhodes now, no more creating or uploading quarterly performance reports. Instead clients log into their client portal and are treated to real time portfolio snapshots any time they desire. Think about all that extra time, as Rhodes says “We now divert the time we used to spend on quarterly reports to improving our service and supporting clients in unique ways.”

Cool.

Additionally, the account aggregation that allows Rhodes’ clients to see all of their accounts on one dashboard has resulted in a dramatic decline in client inquiries. It means clients are better informed, more educated, and ready to discuss their portfolios on a more granular level during scheduled calls.

“It has really increased the depth of the conversations I have with clients,” Rhodes says. “Now we talk about strategy and bigger picture items that are much more important to my clients’ futures.”

Need some time to be remarkable? I guess we all do. An investment in technology not only gives a financial return, but gives you that time to be remarkable. And advisors with time give their clients an exceptional experience and as a result are rewarded with more business. Technology can help us to be great, even, remarkable, grab it and run with it. Your clients will love you for it.

Provide Tailored Experience with On Demand Service.

In a world where one size no longer fits all clients expect you not only to keep the promises you make but also to deliver on them in sophisticated ways.

But how do you achieve this when you have a large number of clients?

Simple. Organize client data. Make it easy to access. Empower busy clients to gauge portfolio performance when it’s convenient for them.

Rhodes credits the Blueleaf Advisor platform, a cloud-­based software solution that helps financial advisors scale their businesses and delight clients. Blueleaf gives him the edge his clients deserve. “Blueleaf is our behind the scenes partner that helps us look even better than we already do,” Rhodes says.

So what does Blueleaf do then? Well. The platform allows Rhodes to provide real time alerts to all of his clients, regardless of whether they have a Super Bowl ring. The alerts are automated and customized based on a client’s financial goals and may include real time notifications regarding money flows or specific brokerage account positions that may need to be rebalanced.

“We fulfill the promises we make to clients by providing proactive, customized, and on demand service thanks to technology that streamlines our approach,” Rhodes says.

Make it simple and earn trust.

Its complicated. Your client has more investment alternatives than ever and less time to make intelligent decisions. Having a sane, trustworthy advisor is worth gold to your client. Let them relax while you navigate all that complexity and choice.

The professional athletes who turn to Rhodes for guidance are no different.

One way Rhodes combats these issues is by simplifying the means by which clients perceive their financial lives. “Clients log in and love the simple interface,” Rhodes says. “It’s intuitive and enables them to see their bank balances, portfolios, and retirement accounts all in one place.”

Organizing the firm in ways that remove obstacles to financial literacy, Rhodes insists, allows him to add value that is noticed immediately. For instance, Rhodes says clients routinely recognize how proactive he has become in regard to managing accounts, alerting them to opportunities, and delivering timely insight. A vital part of Rhodes success as an advisor.

“Every advisor is trying to deliver the service we deliver and become the trusted advisor we are to our clients,” Rhodes says.

It’s the type of game plan advisors anywhere can use to make clients feel like champions off the field, even if they’re not as accomplished on it.

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