Authenticity is a major theme in many recent books (along with turbulence and change – more on these later). Authenticity is, in it’s most basic sense, behaving in line with how you would identify yourself to be. It is becoming increasingly important, as in our age of change and choice, where clients can easily analyze everything you do and everything you sell to them with a few clicks of a mouse, what breaks through the noise and resonates is authenticity – it is the last and only way to create trust.
Hold yourself out as a comprehensive financial planner? To be authentic, you had better be able to communicate and deliver on your ability to create unique financial plans that meet your client’s goals, and be there to hold their hand when their faith wavers. Call yourself a financial planner, but in the end just sell one product type, or ‘quiet file’ the client and never call them again? Inauthentic. That client will likely never buy another product from you, and would be very unlikely to refer you to anyone. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for advisors who focus on one product or service – just make sure that is what you tell every client you do, why you do it, and how it benefits them.
