Introducing Lumiant to clients [Getting Started]

When clients initially contact you with their immediate need, you’ll want to convert their ‘burning issue’ into a broader advice discussion, and get a sense if they are a potential client before booking an appointment. This won’t be very different to what you currently do with enquiries, only now you’ll also assure them that you offer a values-based advice process, and explain how Lumiant can benefit them.

Dependent on how a prospect has come to your practice, they will have differing views on what to expect. The introductory call allows you to understand their initial advice need, if they’re the right client for your practice, who the right advisor in your practice might be, introduce the experience you will take them through in the upcoming initial consultation meeting and pre-position the need to complete the “Your Life” survey.

What to cover 

• Their initial reason for reaching out
• A brief introduction of yourself
• An overview of the process
• Clear articulation of next steps inclusive of your life survey & any documents required

New Clients

For new clients, you may offer an introduction to Lumiant such as:

We can certainly assist you with <whatever their burning need that prompted the enquiry>, but we don’t JUST <adjust to suit - eg consolidate super accounts/recommend investments/sell insurance policies>.

We are indeed financial advisers, but we believe the financial element, your money - is just an enabler to help you live the life you want. Money is important, but we can only provide the best advice when we understand it’s context, it’s unique purpose for you. 

Our advice process is centred around achieving a deep understanding of your values, which feed into the goals we set together. We use a values-based approach, to get to know you, and map out what your best life looks like. This approach is supported by our digital platform, Lumiant, which allows me to keep a record of all our conversations and goals we set together, and the work we're doing to achieve them. 

From there, we can set up strategies for both spending and investing, so you can get the most out of your finances. The platform we use, Lumiant, allows you to log in at any time, to look back at any of our past conversations, or track your progress over time. Each year we will look back at your previous goals, and refresh the activities you set for yourself to achieve them.

To get started we will be sending you a short survey that helps unpack what's import to you in life. This will form the basis of our conversation in our meeting. 

To set them up in Lumiant:

1. Capture necessary information for each client to set them up on Lumiant:
   • Title
   • Client name (required)
   • DOB 
   • Email (required)
   • Mobile
2. Uncover who the CFO spouse is. Eg “We find in most relationships, one partner tends to manage the finances more than the other - is that the case in your household?”
3. Book an appointment (allowing two hours) and explain what to expect, including how you charge. Position the importance of both doing the Your Life survey separately (without colluding) and the importance of both partners in a couple attending the meeting.

Existing Clients

When you’re introducing anything new to clients, whether it be software, processes or products, it’s important you answer three questions before they ask them. These questions are:

• Why are you making a change? (Phase 1)
• What is changing? (Phase 2)
• Why should I care? (Phase 2)

By answering these questions up front, your client will be much more likely to go ahead with the new process.

Before you start talking to your clients about Lumiant, you must first ask yourself what are the top three things you have achieved with them over the past five years. This helps you to frame the change positively - we’ve achieved a lot together, now it’s time to take the next step in our journey.

Then the introduction comes in 2 phases. 

Phase 1

You might say:

“We have been working with each other over (X) amount of years and over that time I think you would agree our firm has done a great job at (you need to decide on these 3 things) being responsive, being proactive and at delivering excellent performance portfolio results. But things are changing. We’ve got markets that are at record valuations, interest rates are at an all time low, we’ve got Covid and as well as we’ve done in the past, it’s the opinion of the firm that we simply must do better.”

So, the structure for Phase 1 is to say three good things about your firm, then follow with a declarative statement that no one is going to disagree with - “we must do better.”

Phase 2

You might say:

“As my best client, there’s no one I would rather get their input from than you. You’ve always been someone who has helped me evolve, been candid with me and if I wanted anyone’s perspective it’s yours.”

“We’ve done a tonne of research and we’ve trained a new process to use with our clients. As a valued client of the firm, I just want you to know upfront you don’t need to change anything. Our relationship will stay the same, but this is the way we’re going to be working with our new clients going forward. And as our best client, we wouldn’t want to withhold an option from you that we would give to someone you could refer to us tomorrow.” 

“So, I’d like to give you a test drive and you can let me know after if it makes sense for you and your family.”

For further guidance access our recent interview with Mark Ciucci :The Coach: How to position Lumiant with your clients

Preparation Cheat Sheet

• Set up a client on the Lumiant platform.

• Send out a meeting confirmation email with a sample agenda for the meeting, and include links to your FSG and Privacy Policy. Ideally, you’ll include a welcome video from the adviser.

• Send the Your Life survey via the Workbench.

• Track the reason the client wishes to see you (i.e. reason for reaching out) in your notes. This should have been gathered either from initial contact, or confirmation email, and the client will add to this in the Your Life survey.

• Ensure the client has completed the survey before meeting with them. Associate calls or texts to confirm the meeting two days ahead, ensure they’re both coming and they both have - or will do the questionnaire. *If not, reschedule meeting time.

• Customise Agenda for the meeting with client name, date and time, and pasting in the ‘Immediate events or issues they’d like to discuss with their adviser’ from their Your Life questionnaire.

• Prior to meeting, the adviser reviews Your Life responses to prepare for discussion. Note initial observations of obvious gaps that your advice will fill (e.g. not doing enough with surplus income, having non-deductible debt, paying high tax rates with no obvious tax minimisation strategies, insufficient insurance for debt and income levels etc).

Agenda Template (version to be sent with meeting confirmation)

1. Discuss what prompted you to reach out.
2. Review Your Life survey responses. Please ensure you have completed this before our meeting.
3. Uncover your core values, and how they relate to your goals in life. From here, we can adjust the financial advice given to ensure it aligns with what you wish to achieve.
4. Run through next steps in the process, and how we can get the most out of this partnership.