Instead of making your clients wade through an alphabet soup of professional designations, says Sara Gilbert, founder of Strategist in Montreal, make those designations part of your value proposition.
“Some people like to see letters,” Gilbert says. “But they prefer understanding what value those letters bring to them.”
Gilbert offers some tips on how you can give your designations meaning to clients:
> Spell it out
Instead of listing a series of professional designations, such as CFP (certified financial planner), RFP (registered financial planner) and CLU (chartered life underwriter) on your business card or letterhead, decide how these credentials can help differentiate you from other financial advisors.
If you specialize in holistic financial planning, for example, explain to your clients what your CFP or RFP designation means early in your relationship — to help build trust.
How and where you choose to make this explanation is up to you. Gilbert recommends that you at least include a note about your designations on your website or in your marketing documents.
If, for example, you hold the CFP designation, Gilbert says, spell out that designation in full, so clients know you are a “certified financial planner.” Include links to websites that can explain and verify the credential for prospective clients.
> Talk about it
Another way to help you define what these designations mean for your clients is to include them as part of your “pitch.”
You might already have included references to the meaning of your designations on your website and on other materials. But explaining them during your first meeting with a prospect can be effective.
Talking about your designation with your client will help them see the bigger picture, Gilbert says. It will present you as a capable leader or “quarterback” who is trained and qualified to provide a range of financial services.
“Discussing your designations with your clients,” Gilbert says, “will help show them that you are well-rounded in the wealth-management sphere.”
> Be choosy
If you have a large number of designations, be selective about those you use in your marketing material.
For example, if you are trying to boost the financial planning aspect of your business, then note the financial planning designations.
“Define your audience and play to it,” Gilbert says. “It will help you translate your achievements from a series of letters into a skill that your clients can understand.”
This is the first instalment in a two-part series on making the most of your professional designations.
Next: Designations and building partnerships.