National Ethics Bureau’s McCarty Reveals Strategies for Achieving Ultimate Client Trust at Benefits Selling Expo 2007. |
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SAN DIEGO, CA, April 6, 2007—Steven R. McCarty, Chairman of the National Ethics Bureau (NEB), showed employee benefits professionals how to develop and leverage consumer trust at the Benefits Selling Expo 2007, in Dallas, Texas. The conference was sponsored by Wiesner Financial Media of Centennial, Colorado.
McCarty said that supreme trust is the integral element of business success. When advisors don’t increase their “trust factor,” they run the risk of hindering their progress or worse, of destroying their business. But when they do, they lay the groundwork for unlimited levels of future success and fulfillment.
How can advisors go about building and increasing trust? McCarty explained trust comes from doing two crucial things: communicating character to clients and demonstrating competence in every client interaction.
Communicating character includes behaving in ways that show integrity, good intentions, exemplary motives, and 100% honesty, McCarty said. Competency hinges on the quality of the advisor’s skills, capabilities, track record, education, and experience.
“Both character and competence are crucial,” McCarty noted. “Honesty without competence is a recipe for mistrust, as are skills without integrity.”
McCarty then presented five ways to enhance character and competence:
Be credible. This involves becoming an expert with an ongoing commitment to learning. It also involves doing a credible job with your marketing materials—making sure they are orderly and neat, totally in compliance, and accurate. Especially important is making sure your needs analysis is “spin free.”
Be reliable. Advisors should view every client interaction as an opportunity to show dependability. If they make a promise, they should keep it. Following through on all service commitments, as well as returning calls fast, is pivotal.
Be honest. This involves talking straight, telling the truth, and being totally transparent to your clients. “This is really important when it comes to discussing your education, background, and designations,” McCarty said.
Be personable. McCarty advised benefits professionals to become great listeners and demonstrate a client focus, rather than being consumed with their own agendas. Showing humility and respect to all is key, as is always being optimistic in dealings with clients and personally charming.
Have integrity. For McCarty, the foundation of integrity is always having straightforward motives, genuinely caring for people, and always doing the right thing for clients, even when it hurts.
McCarty ended his presentation by urging benefits professionals to take steps now to trump mistrust with trust. “You can have anything in life that you want,” he said, “if others will trust you to give them what they want.”
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