Tip #1-9a - Special Circumstances

            Events since 11 September has made us all sick with realities only a relative few Americans have witnessed in their lifetimes. The tragedy of innocent lives lost, the  heroics of those who will not give up their attempt to rescue survivors, the resolve of Americans and those nations who will join us in the fight against all terrorism bolster us. This war will be a long, involved and bloody. Accept this and help your clients prepare for it as well.

            The American economy leads the world. When it shines, the world prospers. When it fails, the world recedes. So what is the effect here at home? How are investors coping so far?

A client of mine summarized his contacts with his clients this way:

The emotion of fear is not there. My clients (mostly retired couples) have said that they feel it is unpatriotic to sell. Many, in fact, have asked me if they can rearrange their portfolios in any way to give more support to the country. They have all reacted extremely well to my having sent them the Miami Herald piece. But most of all, they just wanted to talk. They wanted to hear it from my lips. The whole mood of all 400 or so clients is relatively calm, and only one bolted out of the market.

The Miami Herald article he referred to has been making the rounds. It is a masterpiece of insight into the American psyche and resolve. If you have not read this piece by Leonard Pitts, do so. We’ll go forward from this moment will make you feel glad to be an American.

http://www.miami.com/herald/content/features/columnists/pitts/digdocs/000565.htm

There are things you can do as an advisor to provide leadership to your clients. You can reassure them and give them an ear for their frustration. You can lead them away from preoccupation with investments and help them understand insurance. As you speak with clients—and if you aren’t doing this now then forever hold your peace as they find another advisor to lead them—ask them three questions after the obbligato about investments.

Are your thoughts and papers in order?

Do you need to act on any thoughts to get yourself or your affairs in order?

When you’ve taken care of your plans for your family, what will you do, or continue to do, to defend our way of life?

 Sure, you could try to finesse it or blunt the questions to hit the mark directly, but you will come off as the insensitive salesperson hitting on people in times of desperate sorrow. But if you ask these questions, or ones like these, and don’t expect the answers but simply listen, you will give your clients room to tell you what they really think…and you will learn something rewarding about Americans. It will make you feel good. It won’t hurt your business or reputation either, and may sway former fence straddlers to act on life and disability insurance decisions they’ve put off. Your only crime is not to call.

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