You wish friends asked to be clients, but they have little or noidea where your clients come from, especially if you are on a team.Here's how to let them know they could be your client. (Photo:Shutterstock)

Do your friends think you have all the business you can handle,that your plate is overflowing?  That might soundridiculous, but they may truly think that. You need to let themknow you are adding new clients, with the unspoken message theycould be one of them.

Where did you get an idea like that?

You work hard. You prospect. Still, you wish friends asked to beclients. So what's the deal?  Your friends have little orno idea where your clients come from, especially if you are on ateam.

If any of your friends work for law firms, they knowthat work for smaller clients often gets dispersed bypartners to junior people at the firm.  They might thinkyour team works the same way – clients are handed toyou.

There's more to come. Suppose your friends say: “It's going to be a sunny day on Saturday.  Let'splay golf.”

You say: “I wish I could, but I've got all these portfolioreviews to prepare for over the weekend. You see, every client getsan annual review during the first quarter.  I won't see agolf course until after Easter.”

You might think you are communicating, “If you become my client,you'll get an annual review too.”

But they see you as overworked. They feel it would be animposition if they asked you to help with their insurance orinvestments. Since they are friends, they don't want to impose.They think:  “OK, I'll just find someone else…”

How do you communicate “Yes, I'm adding clients”?

Drive by a nail salon and you might see a sign: “Now acceptingnew clients.” You are not a nail salon. You don't want to comeacross as desperate either. You would like at least someexclusivity.

Strategy #1:  You just added aclient. You were late to meet a friend. You explain aclient sent their friend in your direction — they hadquestions, you were able to help, and they became a client. Youmight mention an intergenerational scenario where a client'sdaughter, who recently had their first child, became a client.

Message they get:  If he just added aclient, he must be accepting new clients.

Strategy #2:  The successstory. When someone asks “How's business?” you hear theirquestion as “How have you helped someone recently?” You tell ananonymous success story about how you helped someone solve aproblem or how you helped another person by preventing them frommaking a mistake with their money.

Message they get:  He doesn't justsell stuff – apparently he solves problems too. That sounds like the same problem I've got.

Strategy #3:  Creatingexclusivity. Look at your best clients: How many morecould you add, delivering the same level of service, withoutreassigning any small accounts or getting more sales support? Thatnumber might be under ten new clients. Build this into yourbusiness plan.  One by one, let your best clients know youhave done a business plan for 2019 and determined you can addseven new relationships [pick your number, of course] toyour practice. Before you add them in the traditional way, is thereanyone they would like to recommend to be one of those newrelationships?

Message they get:  Hey, I'm a goodclient. He's got seven slots open, and he's only offering me one! Iwant two. I'll talk to some people and bring them around.

These are not pushy strategies. Each one positions you assuccessful, not desperate – much better than putting up asign.

Bryce Sanders is president of PerceptiveBusiness Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition trainingfor the financial services industry. His book, “Captivating the Wealthy Investor” can be foundon Amazon.

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