It’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, besides some extra hand-washing, it was mostly business as usual. But now, offices across the country have had to start working remotely. Remote working poses a unique challenge for financial advisors. The way they communicate has been completely changed by COVID-19. The best and safest way to stay in contact with your network is to host meetings and check-ins online. You need to become a virtual advisor.

If you’re an advisor who hasn’t gone the virtual road yet, we understand why. It’s daunting! Follow these tips on how to become a virtual advisor by hosting client and prospect meetings online, setting up webinars, and maintaining communication during COVID-19.

Keep Clients & Prospects Updated

The number one thing you must do during this time is to keep your network informed with regular communications via email, social media, and phone calls. We have heard from a number of advisors that prospects in their network are leaving their old advisor and moving to them because of the quality and consistency of their communication during the crisis.

If you aren’t sure what content to share, we have created a new section in the FMG Suite content library entitled “Timely Content.” It will provide you with a stream of new articles, handy pre-written emails, and social sequences to address your financial advisory clients about COVID-19.

It’s important to be in consistent contact with your clients, employees, and prospects. We suggest:

  • Weekly email updates
      • Plus additional emails as necessary
  • Regular social media posts 
      • At least 2x per week addressing COVID-19 and your availability to clients
  • Phone check-ins
      • With clients, employees, and prospects

This downloadable checklist provides our recommendations on staying in touch. 

DOWNLOAD CHECKLIST

Host Virtual Meetings with Clients & Prospects

While a virtual meeting with a prospect may seem less than ideal, it is necessary right now. You might prefer to meet in person, but a prospect will likely both respect and appreciate your choice to move things virtually right now.

While it may take some getting used to, you’re still able to see and hear your clients. Soon, you’ll forget you’re meeting over video. Just make sure your guests turn on their video/webcam so you can see each other. Plus, with virtual meetings, you can easily share your screen to share documents or any planning software reports. 

Many advisors have chosen to adopt Zoom for their business meetings. If you are only using it occasionally, it is free to host unlimited one-on-one meetings and 40 minute group meetings with unlimited guests. If you’d like to upgrade, their pro subscription is $14.99/month. It has an easy-to-use interface for even your most technology-challenged clients. Zoom also has an additional webinar platform.

Another solution is GoToMeeting, which offers an add-on webinar platform as well. GoToMeeting starts at $12/month for unlimited meetings.

Other solutions for virtual meetings include: 

Check-in with Webinars

We have seen a number of advisors begin to host regular check-in webinars with their clients and prospects. This is a great way to keep your network informed without needing to call each of them individually. You can do a short presentation on the latest news, provide an update on the health and safety of your team, and any business process changes. You can also hold a Q&A portion to address client needs directly.

For example, Conscious Capital Wealth Management, a Connecticut-based firm, has been hosting weekly webinars with relevant guests to discuss topics such as the market, health advice, and more. They promote these webinars via email and social media and host them on Zoom.

FMG Suite does not have a webinar tool. However, we encourage you to use a third-party system for the webinar, then create an “Event” from your FMG Suite dashboard. You can promote the event and provide a link to the webinar through social-posts, blogs, and any other communications you put out. Learn how to use FMG Suite to promote your webinars here.

GoToWebinar and Zoom are both great webinar tools because they allow guests to register ahead of time to receive reminder emails and their own link to join the webinar. It’s also easy for guests to submit questions. You can upload handouts and other documents for everyone to access. These platforms also serve as lead generation tools, as new contacts must provide their personal information to join the webinar.

For a more social check-in, you could also use Facebook Live, LinkedIn Live, or Skype for a conversation. You would provide the link and let people know when to join in for your presentation. Also, if you’re looking to avoid costs, these tools are all free.

To get started with webinars, follow these steps:

1. Set up your webinar platform 

  • GoToWebinar & Zoom for lead capture 
  • Facebook Live, Google Hangouts, or Skype for a simple solution

2. Select the topic for your webinar 

  • Line up any guests if applicable

3. Set up the registration page for the webinar 

  • Use your FMG Suite Event page to promote your webinar

4. Promote the webinar via email and social media

  • Provide a link for registration

5. Send reminder emails to registrants

  • Schedule them through your FMG Suite email portal

6. Host the webinar

  • Connect with your audience and acknowledge the situation

7. Send out the replay and slides 

  • Answer any questions via individual follow-ups

 

Create Personal Video

 If you aren’t able to host a webinar, another way to stay connected with your clients is to create short videos. We suggest addressing topics like market and legislative updates, market news, and personal check-ins on the health and safety of your team. 

You should write the script ahead of time and submit to compliance. Use the FMG Suite compliance engine for the quickest results. Filming can be as simple as turning on your webcam and recording with your built-in system on your computer. At a time like this, high production value takes a back-seat to quick and clear communication.

Upload the video to YouTube or Vimeo, then take the embed code and place it on your FMG Suite website. You can then share the link with your network via email and social media. 

 

Becoming a virtual advisor is easier than you think. It will help you stay connected with your clients and stay ahead of the competition. Remember, we’re all human, so you don’t have to strive for perfection here. Remember to be yourself – your clients will greatly appreciate it.

As always, the FMG Suite team is available to help. For overall marketing questions, you can always email [email protected]. To get help with your FMG Suite dashboard contact customer service at [email protected].

covid19 virtual advisor