Tense, difficult moments are a natural part of human interaction. For financial advisors, whether seasoned pros or new recruits, it’s a given that even the most successful have experienced a “bad” client meeting. After all, achieving a 100% satisfaction rate with customers is unrealistic, given the inherently emotional nature of the business.
When a meeting goes sideways, no matter how much prep work or training an advisor has under their belt, it can be easy to dwell on what went wrong. But difficult client interactions can also offer valuable takeaways for advisors.
READ MORE: How to train clients for uncertainty, according to David Booth, Morningstar
Rather than staying rattled after a difficult meeting, one way to make the most of such moments is to recognize that they are part of the job — and that savvy advisors can take the lessons from challenging encounters and turn them into teachable moments with lasting, tangible takeaways. Done well, working through such rough patches can even deepen trust and strengthen the client relationship.
In this installment of Ask an Advisor, we posed the question: What did your worst client meeting teach you?
Here is what they had to say:
READ MORE: Ask an Advisor: What would you tell your younger self?
