Amy Florian

Whether clients are coping with death, divorce, retirement, empty nest, or other life transitions, what you say and do in the office has more influence on your client relationship than your financial savvy ever did. Understand how to answer the dreaded “bad news” phone call, the different levels of grief in every transition, the differences between men and women, and the best ways to communicate at appointments and on the phone. Find out how to handle a crying client and why the stages of grief don’t fit. Gain skills to bring humor into meetings and help clients make wise decisions in the midst of loss or transition. Walk away with practical, proven strategies that you can implement immediately.

(Note: also available specifically to women – “Effectively Guiding Women through Life Transitions”)

Life is so often disrupted in ways we never imagined. Currently, market volatility, unexpected weather events, inflation, and political turmoil only add to the stress, uncertainty, and loss. In these times, your clients look to you for understanding, support, and answers. You need more than financial smarts! You need education to understand your clients’ emotional experience and skills for how to communicate effectively through crisis. You also need to know how to help yourself and others cope with the pervasive stress and uncertainty. This session addresses precisely those needs. Use these strategies for communicating and coping now and into the future, since they apply to all times of tragedy, crisis, loss, and grief. Gain life skills that make a difference for everyone you work with, serve, or care about in this enlightening, educational, and universally practical session.

Client’s family members report that when they are treated compassionately after a death, they are more likely to do business with that firm even if they’ve never worked with them before. But if you’re like most advisors, your pen hovers over the condolence card as you agonize about what to write. The services are uncomfortable because you don’t know what to say. When you see the client a month later, you hesitate to bring it up or say the name. Turn your awkwardness into grace and true comfort. Learn from a grief expert what common phrases to avoid and what to say instead, how to write cards both initially and in the following year, and how to talk with grieving clients in ways that make a memorable difference. Equip yourself to do the right thing, while building long-term loyalty, connections to the next generation, and heartfelt referrals.

Aging, illness, death...all are inevitable so you need to prepare your clients. How? And wouldn’t it be nice if you could use those preparations to connect to the client’s trusted circle and adult children? Learn to help clients stay in control of their lives and leave a legacy behind while increasing the chances of keeping their assets under your management. Protect your firm and your clients with a complete array of financial and non-financial documents (including several that few people know exist). Gain techniques to connect deeply to the next generation and position yourself as the go-to advisor for the entire family. Take away procedures you can implement immediately that set you apart from the very first meeting with prospects. Be proactive. Be protected. Prepare now.

In these times when 1 in 18 cognitively intact adults become victims of scams or fraud and the risk increases with cognitive decline, you can’t afford to be uninformed. Learn the nature and causes of diminished capacity and signs to watch for, knowing that 1 in 8 seniors over the age of 65 are living with some form of dementia, and signs can start occurring a decade earlier. Gain tools to educate clients about exploitation and fraud and to alert them to scams in their area. Know your legal responsibilities. Develop protocols to implement when you suspect diminished capacity, exploitation, scams, or all of the above, including how to talk with clients when there is suspicion. Become an informed, prepared, and trusted resource for your clients and their families as they age.

(Note: also available on dementia only – “What Every Advisor Needs to Know About Dementia”)