A well-executed annual review meeting can keep clients on track with their financial goals for the year ahead. It also helps keep your business growing.

A professional annual review meeting builds your credibility as an advisor, says Rosemary Smyth, coach and owner of Rosemary Smyth and Associates in Victoria, which specializes in coaching financial advisors. The meeting also offers an opportunity to find out what clients think of your services.

Yesterday’s article showed how engaging clients in the review process makes for a more successful meeting. Here are five more tips on how you — and the client — can make the most of annual review meeting:

1. Delegate tasks
Use the review as an opportunity to streamline your business processes.

For example, instead of doing everything yourself, says Smyth, an assistant can call clients to remind them of the meeting and print off any necessary documents for the review.

If you do delegate tasks to team members, Smyth says, be clear about what you expect of that person, in terms of their role and responsibilities when it comes to annual client reviews.

2. Bring relevant documents
Ask clients to bring in relevant documents to make sure you address their concerns properly.

For instance, if a client has a question about his or her statements, says Smith, remind the client to bring in an example. This will allow you to review the concern together and give the client a proper explanation.

3. Focus on the client’s goals
Take a break from the numbers to make your next client review meeting a greater success.

“There’s a misconception about the annual review,” says Keir Clark, branch manager and senior investment advisor with ScotiaMcLeod Inc. in Fredericton. While the review meeting is an opportunity to look at a portfolio’s performance, Clark says, it’s really more of an update of a client’s goals and any significant changes in his or her life.

4. Summarize the meeting
To make the results of the meeting more effective, inform clients about next steps.

Create a summary or action plan, says Smyth. For example, you might give clients a list of recommended next steps, such as opening an RRSP or taking a closer look at their insurance.

Or, if several different topics were covered during the review, she says, send clients a detailed summary of what was discussed.

5. Ask for referrals
Use the annual review as an opportunity to find prospects.

Annual client review meetings are a good opportunity to ask for a referral, says Clark. However, that opportunity won’t be available with every client. Only ask for a referral if it was a particularly productive meeting.

This is the second of a two-part series on conducting annual reviews.