The smallest touchpoints can create the biggest advocates.
Just ask Will Guidara, author of Unreasonable Hospitality, who used a $2 hot dog bought from a street vendor in New York to wow a table of diners at his Michelin-starred restaurant.
In his brilliant book, Guidara tells how he overheard a table of tourists at Eleven Madison Avenue saying the only thing they regretted about their trip to New York was not having an authentic hot dog. So, he sent someone out to buy one. The chef then cut it up, dressed it, and served it to the table.
In his words, the guests “lost it”.
Not because it was the most expensive, technical, or impressive thing they ate that day. It wasn’t. They were already eating world-class food. The hot dog worked because it showed someone had listened. It made them feel seen. And that’s why it became the moment in the meal they talked about to others.
There’s a huge lesson here for advisers and planners.
Advocacy isn’t built in suitability reports, meeting minutes, or investment updates. It’s built by helping your clients achieve their objectives in life and, along that journey, creating small, thoughtful touchpoints that show you’re paying attention and care enough to take action.
Get personal, ditch the hampers and champers
We know many advice and planning firms whose idea of a high-quality touchpoint is a generic gift. And while chocolate, champagne, and hampers might be a nice thought, to be truly effective, a touchpoint needs to be personal and unexpected.
Only you know your clients, so we can’t tell you exactly what to do, but here are 11 ideas that you could start using now.
#1. “I saw this and thought of you” messages
You’re reading an article, stumble across something on social media, or see a book in a bookshop. A client’s name pops into your head, “John Smith would love this.”
Do something with that information.
Share the article, the social post, or the book with your client.
It’s quick, easy, and shows the client they were on your mind when you weren’t in a meeting with them.
#2. Ask how their sick relatives are doing
You’re at an annual review meeting. The client tells you that their father, mother, brother, sister, or another close relative is going into hospital. Leave it a few days then send the client a message to check in and ask how their relative is doing.
It costs nothing.
But it shows you listened to something deeply personal and cared enough to follow up.
#3. Mark a “big” holiday
Every so often (perhaps with you providing reassurance that they can afford it), your clients will head off on “big” holidays. When they do, send them something useful: high-quality, durable luggage tags, for example, or something interesting, such as a book about where they’re heading so they can prepare for their trip.
Again, the point isn’t the cost.
It’s the fact you remembered and made the effort.
#4. Celebrate their child’s graduation
If your client tells you where they are heading to celebrate their child’s graduation, call the restaurant and put a bottle of something they’ll love on the table. Alternatively, send the child a gift to congratulate them on graduating.
Your client will remember that.
So will their child, who might inherit their parent’s wealth in the future.
#5. Help when their child buys their first car
At an annual review meeting, your client might tell you they’re taking some money out of their savings or investments to buy their child a first car. When you go back to the office, buy their child a voucher to pay for their first year’s AA membership so they can stay safe on the road.
It’s useful.
It’s thoughtful.
And, again, it creates a connection with the next generation.
#6. Mark significant birthdays or life events
If a client is having a significant birthday, retiring, getting married, moving house, becoming a grandparent, or going through another major life event, mark it.
Send a card.
Send a personalised gift.
Record a short video message.
Just don’t ignore it.
These are the moments when people naturally reflect on life, family, money, and the future. In other words, exactly when a thoughtful adviser or planner should show up.
#7. Your client is moving house
We all know the chaos that comes from moving. So on the day of the move, email your client a Just Eat or Uber Eats voucher so they can have a takeaway on you that night and not have to worry about unpacking the pots and pans to cook a meal.
#8. Send a handwritten card when a client recommends you
Saying thank you to your client when they recommend you to someone else is table stakes. Many advisers and planners simply do it by sending an email or picking up the phone.
That’s fine, but it doesn’t stand out.
What does, is a handwritten thank-you card put in the post. It also taps into effort bias, where we value things more when we perceive that more effort has gone into them.
Every time a client recommends you to someone, show appreciation by buying a high-quality card, handwriting it and the envelope, putting a stamp on it, and popping it in the post.
#9. Send a personalised gift when the referral becomes a client
It might take four, five, or even six months for the person recommended to you to become a client. When they do, send a personalised gift to the client who made the original introduction.
As with all these things, personalisation is more important than the value.
For bonus points, send a subscription-based gift for six, nine, or 12 months. Every time it lands, they’ll remember you and why they’re getting the gift (because they recommended someone to you).
#10. Mark a significant anniversary of someone becoming a client
I don’t know any advisers or planners doing this.
When a client has been with you for 10, 15, or 20 years (and it’s not difficult to work out when they first became a client), send a card or personalised gift to recognise the milestone.
Thank them for their loyalty to you and remember this is an adult-adult relationship, so remind them of what you’ve achieved together over the years.
#11. Send your clients a book to read every year
Many people dive into a new book when they go on holiday.
So, pick a summer read and send a copy of the book to all your clients in June or July each year before they head off.
Choose a title about money, financial wellbeing, decision-making or behaviour, and it’ll reinforce the messages they hear from you throughout the year.
You could even include a handwritten note explaining why you chose it.
Create legends
In his book, Guidara called these touchpoints “Legends” and built a team of “Dreamweavers” to create them.
You probably don’t need a Dreamweaver department to make this happen in your business. Instead, you need to communicate to your team why Legends are important and then create a culture of listening carefully to capture small details before acting on them.
The cost to your business is tiny compared to the long-term value of your clients and the goodwill created by Legends.
Most people won’t do anything with this blog
If you’ve got this far, you now have three choices:
- Change nothing
- File the information to come back to (really though, will you?)
- Take action straight away.
It’s those advisers, planners, and firms who act now, talking to their teams, changing their culture, and improving the quality of touchpoints with their clients, who will see the long-term value in higher advocacy.
