As you know if you're a regular reader of this blog (I know there are at least 2 of you!) I like to mix financial planning tips, talk about business and talk about issues that matter to me (on most occasions, this means talking about my two daughters, Charlotte and Sophie and my wife, Cassie). Being relatively new to regularly Blogging, I was recently wondering whether this was the best possible approach....maybe I should solely focus on Financial Planning tips and business issues and remove the personal aspects of the Blog. After all, why would someone want to know what was going on in my life! However, I've decided to stick with mixing the professional with the personal....and it was a recent telephone call which reaffirmed the fact that I might be broadly heading in the right direction.
A new potential client recently contacted me due to the fact that she had found me through a social media source, conducted some research, read my blog and felt that she would like to talk to me about looking after her financial affairs. When she called, she explained who she was and what she wanted to discuss....and then asked me a question which surprised me:-
"How are you? and how are your 2 daughters?"
Now, I'd never met the lady in question, but apparently she felt she had a pretty good indication of not only the kind of financial planner I am, the kind of business I run....but more importantly for her, a little bit about me personally and what my priorities in life are. Anyone who has met me in person knows that I talk constantly about my girls but it was interesting that she picked this up from what she had read online. I believe that if you want to work with a professional, whilst it's important to ensure that the professional in question is technically compentent, ethical and diligent, It's also important that you feel that you understand a little bit about them personally to see if your relationship can be a harmonious one...and that's why I'm going to continue sharing my professional expertise together with talking about what's going on in my life.
However, as every I'm open to healthy debate on this.....do you think a financial planners blog should be purely professional? When you work with a solicitor, accountant or financial planner is it important that you understand a little about their life? Am I right to mix both personal entries with professional entries? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Yes, yes, yes! That's totally the key to winning trust online Chris. You're clearly nailing it, so keep going. Business without personality is so dull no-one would show up to read, so don't change a thing. You won your client by your online activities before she has picked up the phone or met you in person. That's the way to do it in the 21st Century...
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