INSIGHTS & EDUCATION

Broaden client conversations

Use our conversation starters to build rapport and engage deeper with your clients.

What do clients want from you today? We teamed up with the MIT AgeLab to find out.

A key takeaway: To build trust and client satisfaction, be ready to discuss your clients’ overall needs – from housing to caregiving, job transitions to well-being. Talk to them about what they are most excited―and concerned―about today. Because your clients want someone who can help them navigate uncertainties and move their financial futures forward.

Our research* with the MIT AgeLab shows clients who are highly satisfied have broader conversations with their financial professional.

What highly satisfied clients talk about:

85%

have discussed future goals and aspirations.

77%

have discussed job and career changes.

72%

have talked about potential cost of future care.

Dr. Joseph F. Coughlin
Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab

“Financial professionals must now go beyond managing client portfolios and endeavor to engage the whole person, which includes understanding their current and future well-being.”

Examples of research-based conversation starters

Future goals and aspirations

What’s most important to you and your family today?
What are your long-term goals and aspirations?
As you look ahead, what do you hope to achieve – either from a financial perspective or a non-financial perspective, or both?

Physical health

Are there any health-related topics that might impact how we plan and prepare for your future?
What can you share with me about your family’s longevity that might help us better plan for your future?
Are you taking advantage of technology and other diagnostic tools and tests to help monitor and maintain your health? For example, tools that can help monitor your sleep, physical activity and heart rate?

Tips for successfully broaching new topics

Recognize that clients are generally open to expanding the conversation
Accept that some important conversations may feel a bit uncomfortable
Begin the conversation slowly and make it personal—draw upon your own personal experience or describe the experiences of other clients without identifying them
Consider the impact of age—younger clients are often more eager than older clients to jump into conversations outside the financial services norm
Be aware that some topics may be more sensitive than others—such as conversations around health and finances of family members

*The Future of Client-Advisor Relationships Study, MIT AgeLab and AIG Life & Retirement, 2020.