Last month, I received a phone call from a reader. "Why is it," he asked, "that some of the best advisors in the business say they don't do any marketing? If they don't market their services, how do they build and maintain their businesses?"

Having worked for roughly 20 years with some of the most successful advisors in the industry, I know that these folks do a significant amount of marketing--whether they realize it or not. Some advisors talk about their client acquisition strategy, while others refer to their client retention strategy. It all falls under the umbrella we call marketing, even though the objective may shift over time.

So what is marketing? Marketing is everything you do to attract and retain business. It's how you walk and talk, where you locate your office, how you dress and what your office manager says when he or she answers the phone. It's how you offer and deliver your services. Good marketing begins with identifying the particular wants and needs of a group of people and then satisfying them better than your competition. This involves research, analyzing the needs of your target market and making decisions about services and product design, pricing, promotion and delivery.

But, above all, successful marketing depends on good communication, whether with prospective clients, current clients, staff members or strategic partners. Communication skills affect all aspects of growing and managing your business-and are a key differentiator. Even the best marketing programs may not be effective if your personal communication skills aren't up to the job. Wherever you are in your business life cycle, an essential goal should be to become a master communicator.

Learning to Listen

During a recent Expert Forum on SourceMedia's new AdvisorMax.com website, I was asked, "What's the very best thing I can do to increase my marketing effectiveness?" In a nutshell, the answer is to focus on other people instead of on yourself. This is the essence of good communication, whether it's marketing-related or just general social communication. I've gathered several tips from advisors and industry experts to help illustrate this point.

For example, Lisa Kirchenbauer, a registered life planner in Arlington, Va., says that learning to be a good listener is critical. To her that means not getting lost in your own thoughts, paying attention to the speaker's body language and word choices and verifying what you think you've heard. "The most fulfilling part of being a financial advisor is the connection I make with clients," says Kirchenbauer. "I know I've found their most important issue or goal when I see their emotions surface--be they tears, a sense of relief or excitement."

Carol Anderson, president of Money Quotient, a training and development firm in Poulsbo, Wash., elaborates. "I try to be aware of my own thought processes when I'm talking with someone. If I catch myself evaluating or rehearsing what I'm going to say when it's my turn to speak, then I know I'm not truly listening," she says. "I then refocus my intention and open my awareness to nuances such as facial expressions, tone of voice and body language that express more about the individual's real feelings than their words alone."

George Kinder, cofounder of the Kinder Institute of Life Planning, is famous for his "3 Questions." This series asks people to think through several scenarios designed to help them experience deep levels of emotion, ranging from joy and hope to fear and regret. Not only does this process help planners understand clients' core issues, but clients gain a better understanding of themselves.

Similarly, Eve Kaplan, owner of Kaplan Financial Advisors in Berkeley Heights, N.J., uses the Bachrach Values-Based Financial Road Map in initial client meetings. She begins with the signature question: "What's important about money to you?" She continues with, "What's important about that to you?" This stepping-stone progression usually repeats up to eight times, until the client feels he or she has reached the heart of his or her core values.

This method has helped Kaplan to gather data in a manner that is engaging to clients and that makes the financial planning process more transparent. "I come from an academic background and my people skills were just average before I opened my practice," she says. "I wasn't good at selling myself and I probably talked too much. Now I try to keep my mouth shut at times, even if it results in slightly awkward pauses." That gives clients room to reach their feelings at a deeper level, which Kaplan believes helps facilitate plan implementation. As a result of her improved communication skills, her closure rate went from 50% to 80%, and she doubled gross revenues last year.

Clarity Matters

While listening and understanding are essential, clarity of thought and ease of expression also matter. Kevin Sale, principal of Sailor Financial in Bloomington, Minn., says the discipline of writing has helped him learn how to better express complex topics. "Writing helps me wrap my brain around the subject differently and explain it to someone else," he says. "It's not the writing per se, it's the preparation and process of figuring out how to grab someone's attention and quickly relay key points."

Advisors need not write an article for this to work; they can create a brochure, presentation or handout. They can give a speech or even prepare a script or talking points. "This approach seems to have a lasting impact," Sale explains. "After writing an article, I'm able to discuss the topic more clearly and succinctly. If all else fails, I can pull out my article or presentation, which at the very least shows I've thought through my strategy."

By handing a client an article, white paper or tips sheet (before or during the conversation), you present the information in a tangible and concrete way. This gives the client the opportunity to see what you are saying and absorb the information in his or her own time. If you have written the piece yourself, the paper will echo your words and create a stronger bond.

Interact Meaningfully 

John Vyge, principal of Hillebrand Financial Planning in Dulles, Va., has changed his meeting structure from a needs-analysis question and answer to a life-planning approach. He creates a dialogue centered on the client's life transitions, experiences, skills and dreams for the future. He also encourages prospects to visit several other advisors before hiring him. "I am so confident about my fee-only business model, flexible services and professional qualifications, that I actually want prospects to go out and do some comparing before signing with me. This strengthens their decision, because they know I'm not trying to close a sale. I am establishing a trusting relationship that's unbiased; I want them to make a quality decision. It may seem risky, but it has worked tremendously," Vyge says. "I wouldn't say I am a master of communication, but my conversion rate has gone through the roof."

Establish Rapport

Michael Lovas, cofounder of About People, a training and consulting firm based in Colbert, Wash., offers this five-step system for communicating at a very high level in his book, The Five Levels of Rapport:

Safety. It's impossible to developrapport or communicate effectively with someone who doesn't feel emotionally and physically safe. Position yourself at a socially acceptable distance, between two and three fee apart. Make sure your conversation doesn't take place in a busy or hectic environment. Be cautious when challenging a client's comments.

Face. People don't know what their facial expressions look like. Map your expressions to theirs but don't be obvious about it; this shows that you are following along.

Body attitude. Don't mirror the person's posture or movements: That's a good way to irritate people. Just notice their body attitudes (is the person relaxed or formal?) and put your body into a similar attitude.

Voice. Listen to the sound of the other person's voice--pace, tone, volume, emphasis--and synch your verbal transmission to theirs.

Words. Most people are terrible listeners. We cannot wait to speak or are thinking ahead. Pay attention to the important words and phrases, then feed them back.

Find Common Ground

Ron Kelemen, an advisor with The H Group in Salem, Ore., says he's taken a variety of classes and one-hour sessions at conferences over the years. "The effect is cumulative. A good session or a book can help. But one of the most important skills I learned was from observing another local advisor. He had an uncanny knack for remembering names and striking up conversations with everybody he met," says Kelemen. "It wasn't easy, but I made a conscious effort to do likewise and talk with grocery clerks, waiters, tellers, janitors, receptionists and fellow dog walkers at the park. It takes less than a minute, but it builds confidence, listening skills, quick thinking, humor and empathy. It forces me to get out of myself and find common ground with others. Most important, it can brighten someone's otherwise drab day. Last month, a woman with a $200,000 inheritance called. I didn't remember who she was, but she said she used to take care of our office plants 20 years ago, and I was the only one who gave her the time of day. And that was why she selected us."

While some people are natural-born communicators, everyone can improve his or her ability by practicing. How much more might be possible in your business if you set out to become a master communicator? That's the essence of good marketing, something every advisor does whether they call it that or not.

Marie Swift is president of Impact Communications (www.impactcommunications.org), a marketing communications firm based in Kansas City, Kan.