Listen up: The way your voice sounds matters much more to clients than you might think. Most planners never pay attention to the way they sound. You don't have to make this mistake, if you realize your voice can really help you get - and keep - the attention of highly desirable affluent clients and prospects.

With that in mind, I want to share some of the lessons I've learned by working with voice coach Roger Love. He's worked with everyone from corporate CEOs to Hollywood actors. Most recently, he's enabled our coaching clients to tap into the power of their voices to build their practices.

HITTING THE MONEY NOTES

Your first reaction to all this might - understandably - be skeptical. Why should you care about your voice if you're not a politician or a radio show host?

If you think more about it, though, you'll realize that, as a financial advisor, you engage in public speaking all the time - at a board meeting, a team meeting, a one-on-one with a client or even when you pick up the phone. You can turn your voice into gold if you get it right. The power and quality of your voice can play a huge role in attracting a stream of affluent investors to your doorstep.

When you speak, people are judging you without really knowing you. For a financial advisor, the stakes involved in early impressions are high. Often, the people listening will be people who are considering whether you should take charge of their present wealth and future financial security.

They need to have certain feelings about you for them to choose you. They need to like you. They need to hear and feel that you are happy, generous and knowledgeable, and that you are willing to share your knowledge and personality with them.

The faster you get control over those early perceptions, the more influence you will have with potential and existing clients and the easier it will be to persuade them to follow your advice. Therefore, it's best to eliminate subpar sounds and replace them with the right sounds that will create the best impression with listeners.

TUNING UP YOUR PIPES

To start maximizing the power of voice, you need to use all three components of the human voice. The chest voice is very thick and strong; it's the voice people use most. The head voice is a higher, lighter voice that adds elegance. And the middle voice combines the other two voices.

Unless you're using all three, your voice is not in good shape, and you won't be as effective as you could be. You need the power of the chest voice to tell people you are smart and confident. The head voice gives you style. And the middle voice gives you the brass and edge that will help you close the deal.

A major factor in how willing anyone is to believe you or be influenced by what you are saying has to do with your tonality, which is the sound of your voice, independent of what words you're saying. Tonality is comprised of these component parts:

* Volume. Most financial advisors do not speak loudly enough. The volume you use on the phone does not work in person. You need to fill up the room with your sound so people really hear you.

Here's how: Start by breathing in through your nose and filling your stomach with air - like blowing up a balloon. Then, as you speak, have your stomach fall back in. You should only be speaking while your stomach is coming in. The effect is like pressing down on a car's accelerator pedal. It will send an incredibly strong and even stream of air to the vocal cords, where they will turn that air into great volume.

Very few financial advisors I know focus on breathing and volume. Most of us just keep talking until we run out of air, and our voices peter out.

* Melody. This is as important in speaking as it is in singing. Many financial advisors speak in a monotone voice, like a piano with only one key. They want to appear to be dispassionate, so they keep their voice at a single tone. Instead, be sure to use the whole keyboard.

You have to force yourself to go up and down looking for different pitches (think of the "Happy Birthday" song, with ranges all over the place). The reason this is essential is it brings you and your story alive to listeners.