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Gator and I were driving east across Alligator Alley on our way to an Advisor conference in Fort Lauderdale.
The road was straight as an arrow and the sawgrass stretched endlessly in both directions.
For a while we talked about the conference.
Then we talked about Advisors.
Then we talked about clients.
That’s usually how these drives go.
Somewhere around Mile Marker 75, Gator looked out the window and said:
“Most Advisors think clients need one thing before they’ll move forward.”
I looked over at him.
“What’s that?”
“Information.”
“And?”
“They’re wrong.”
That got my attention.
Clients Need Two Buy-Ins
“What clients really need,” Gator said, “is two kinds of certainty.”
I knew where he was going.
“Logical certainty and emotional certainty?”
He smiled.
“Exactly.”
The more I thought about it, the more I realized how often Advisors focus on one while neglecting the other.
The Head
Before clients can make an important decision, they need logical certainty.
They need to believe:
This Advisor is competent.
This recommendation makes sense.
This strategy is appropriate.
The risks are understood.
The costs are reasonable.
This is a sound decision.
Without logical certainty, clients should hesitate.
After all, they’re making important decisions about their future.
They deserve answers.
They deserve clarity.
They deserve facts.
Related: Why Great Advisor Practices Are Grown, Not Gathered