A professional who embraces these types of questions is grounded and client-centered. This article will attempt to communicate key philosophies and best practices for client-centered advisors to give financial planners a new way of thinking about fiduciary duties, service delivery and public communications.

TWO PILLARS

A client-focused approach requires that you examine and nurture four interrelated dimensions of your professional life (see "The Client-Centered Advisor," below): that you be true to yourself (Authenticity); that you explore the values of each client (Understanding); that you commit to the highest standards and activities (Implementation); and that you communicate your unique value proposition (Articulation). Integrity and Knowledge are the two pillars of practice that determine the quality and value of the professional services you offer.

• Integrity involves character (personally) and best practices (professionally); it is how an advisor perceives and practices the profession as an individual. It is the foundation for an advisor's capacity for establishing and maintaining relationships of trust with clients and colleagues. In the private domain, it involves knowing what matters to you, or Authenticity. In the public domain, Implementation is where advisors demonstrate both personal integrity and standards of practice for all to see--where we "walk our talk."
  
• Knowledge is of two kinds: technical expertise/experience is the most obvious. But far more important is knowing what matters most to clients, whether as an individual across the table (Understanding) or as a consumer in the marketplace (Articulation). To do this, advisors must temporarily put aside their own views and values, listen effectively and match what matters most to the client with the services they can provide.

PERSONAL INTEGRITY

Knowing who we are and what matters most to us as individuals is the cornerstone of all professional practice, and the basis of the advisor's relationship to self-as-client. We can only lead others where we have already gone ourselves and we can know others only to the extent that we truly know ourselves. When we know what matters most, our goals and plans reflect our deepest values and dreams. We are rewarded with a sense of Authenticity, of living our best possible life.

Authenticity relies on personal integrity--the state of being complete or undivided. When we are divided against ourselves, caught between our own interests and those of a client, it's impossible to show integrity. Only when our values, goals and interests are in alignment can we move forward effectively. Four keys help us achieve Authenticity:

• Self-awareness: Can you articulate what matters most to you, speaking freely from the heart without fear of judgment or criticism? Can you explore your values, hopes and dreams--as they relate to your financial and personal resources--with another professional? When you are self-aware, you will have empathy and understanding for your clients as they wrestle with life's many choices.
  
• Attunement: This is staying awake to what matters most. When you know--and remember--your purpose, your priorities fall into place. Your focus is clear when you make decisions. Keeping your eye on the prize will bring you back into alignment. An ally can help.
  
• Receptivity: Can you suspend judgment and simply listen? When your mind is filled with opinions, stories and judgments, you aren't available for what needs to be seen, heard or recognized in yourself, let alone in others. Every so often, it is important to take off your "I have all the answers" hat and ask yourself what matters most. Setting aside what you think you know and being truly quiet will allow you to hear the inner voice that is truly your own.
  
• Responsiveness: Hearing is good; responding effectively is better. Some advisors rush to give advice before hearing what the problem or need really is. You may do the same to yourself. In order to stay on the fast track to reaching your goals, slow down, listen receptively until you hear--and then respond with awareness and attunement.

PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY

If Authenticity represents personal integrity, Implementation represents professional integrity. And professional integrity is essential to our evolution. Our peers are our mirrors, helping us see ourselves more objectively in terms of competence, ethics and standards--and the mirroring goes both ways. Advisors need to know themselves in this public sense, as professionals, and how their practice compares with the best practices established by their colleagues.

There may be days when we're embarrassed by the unprofessional conduct of peers but we are collectively molding an emerging profession and now, more than at any other time, it's critical to work together to build a profession that seeks to understand the clients' needs, always putting their interests first. "How can I possibly impact an evolving profession?" you may be asking. Never underestimate the power of a small but committed group; each of us can and does make a difference. Consider the flip side: We have seen how quickly one unethical advisor can negatively influence public perception of the industry. Try as we may, we can't dissociate from all industry participants; we must raise the bar. Your personal stand, professional integrity and public presence are required.

Fortunately, there are advisors doing phenomenal work, with their clients and for their profession. They are willing to help fellow practitioners individually, in addition to developing and sharing practice standards for our emerging profession. If we are to thrive, advisors must nurture their planner-to-profession relationship.

KNOW YOUR CLIENTS

The client-centered advisor is committed to knowing clients in important and meaningful ways. This goal permeates every client interaction and lays the foundation for successful, long-term relationships. Knowing your clients requires understanding what matters most to them as individuals--an understanding that can be achieved through what we call a 3-D process: Design, Discovery and Delivery.

• Design implies that staying on the path to understanding requires a purpose and a plan. Before you can appreciate another person's frame of reference, you need to know your own. Your frames, or mental filters, are shaped by your past experiences and influenced by those who are important to you. The most effective courses in interpersonal communication, client-planner relationships and life planning will take you through exercises that increase your awareness of your own paradigms. With this knowledge, you can intentionally set aside your views and values in order to understand your clients' views.
  
• Discovery includes the process of data-gathering; it is an important aspect of serving your clients well. A carefully crafted discovery process will unearth both quantitative and qualitative data, providing the context and structure for asking your clients the right questions and listening to understand their priorities.
  
• Delivery is the last component of understanding; this is how you demonstrate that what's important to your clients also matters to you. When your clients understand that your service is based on who they are and that it puts their interests first, they will be committed to the financial plan you develop. The client-planner relationship will thrive.

KNOW YOUR MARKET

On the public side of the knowledge pillar, the power of clear articulation comes into play. Once you are true to yourself, practice your profession with integrity and understand your clients, articulating your value to the general public and targeted niche markets should come naturally. Still, you need to think about who you are, how you help people--and how to articulate both. Unfortunately, words and clever statements are never the total answer.

Why is it that we can hear the same words from two people, but we might believe or be drawn more to one than the other? The difference lies in the "beingness" of the advisor. It's not what you say that will convince people and earn their trust; what creates an authentic and engaging presence is who you're being in that moment.

EFFORTLESS SUCCESS

The client-centered advisor exudes a quiet confidence and sense of purpose. Thanks to personal reflection and integrity, industry participation, quality interaction with peers and experience working with right-fit clients, the advisor is able to get out of the way so "what matters most" can happen.

While the client-centered advisor is aware of his or her words and actions at all times, he or she is more interested in clearly hearing others and in finding the right people to help. This clarity creates in other people a sense of motivation and a desire to move forward in a meaningful way. Generating business and serving clients becomes effortless. The client-centered advisor, living in a state of total integrity, expresses himself or herself with such authenticity that people are magnetically drawn to him or her.

If you find it hard to communicate who you are and what you do, there is likely a problem in one or more of your four essential relationships. When you have a solid footing in all four camps and can answer the question "What matters most?" your results--and your ability to connect with others--will soar.

As you tune your message to reveal what matters most to you and the clients you serve, remember that the message is just one part of your total presentation. Your reputation, public persona, interpersonal skills and visibility in the community are, perhaps, even more important. Building a strong, professional reputation is not just good for your business--it is an obligation.

Your marketing communications and your community-outreach activities should foster awareness and stimulate useful conversation. Your goal in every communication should be connecting mind-to-mind and heart-to-heart.

When you begin with what matters most to your client-whether the "client" is you, another person, peers or the public--you are the client--centered advisor.

Susan Galvan is co-founder of the Kinder Institute of Life Planning. Carol Anderson is founder of Money Quotient. Sheryl Garrett is founder of the Garrett Planning Network. Marie Swift is president of Impact Communications. Together they comprise the Lifework$ Collective (www.lifeworkscollective.org), a think tank dedicated to providing presentations, white papers and articles that foster industry leadership and positive conversation.

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