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Jeff Bezos’ Advice to Financial Advisors: Talk to the Chair

By ClientWise | July 23, 2013


Jeff Bezos
is, arguably, the #1 CEO in America. Investors would seem to agree. Since they went public in 1996, AMZN has appreciated more than 17,000 percent.

Among his many other leading behaviors, Bezos is known for his slavish devotion to the 150 million or so Amazon customers. This commitment to the client can be seen in Amazon’s mission statement: We seek to be Earth’s most customer-centric company…

Bezos’ dedication to customers can also be seen in his use of the Empty Chair.

At many of the important meetings that occur at Amazon, alongside the chairs of the other C-level executives, board members, marketing hotshots, etc., Bezos includes a seat that always remains empty. It is there to remind all those assembled who is really the most important person in the room.

The Empty Chair is there as a metaphorical reminder to the meeting attendees to consider the perspective of the unseen, yet essential, stakeholder: The Client. 

For successful financial advisors, this might be an equally powerful device:

 

  • When strategizing with your team, on how you might better serve your Ideal Clients, the empty chair could represent the needs and concerns of who you best serve, and how you could serve them even more effectively.
  • When creating a presentation for the #1 prospective client in your pipeline, the empty chair could symbolize their possible objections, questions or inertia that stands in their way of working with you and your team.

 

For financial advisors, the use of the Empty Chair is a powerful device that allows you to leave exit your own perspective behind and assume the perspective of your client(s).

Coaching Questions: 

How could you (and your team) use the Empty Chair to dial up your Client Engagement, and make your client service second-to-none?

How could you use the Empty Chair to build a Client Acquisition process that that is replicable, scalable, and more readily connects with the clients who you really want to connect with?

How might you use the Empty Chair to more clearly identify those of your clients who provide the bulk of your referrals, i.e. the Loyal Client Advocates who are devoted to seeing you succeed?

 

We trust this helps.

 

Want to brainstorm on some different ideas to find new clients? Download the complimentary ClientWise Learning Tool below:

 

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Topics: Client Engagement

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