FINANCIAL LIFE PLANNING

Ross Levin

Our firms need feedback from the bottom and leadership from the top .

T ACCREDITED INVESTORS WEALTH MANAGEMENT , we ’ ve taken a page from author and restauranteur Will Guidara , who ’ s written a book called Unreasonable Hospitality . It describes the ways his Michelin-rated New York City restaurant learned to delight its customers and curate their experience — everything from what they see printed on the plates to the way they walk into the dining room .

In our own initiative , we ’ ve tried to come up with similar concepts for a wealth management firm . It ultimately comes down to closely paying attention to what clients are saying and then doing something to surprise them . For example , when a client lets us know they are going on a trip , we remember before they leave to suggest a restaurant or event that they would like to attend . Or we might send a blanket to someone who has been diagnosed with an illness . Shawn at our front desk keeps a spreadsheet of what clients prefer for beverages so these are waiting for them when they arrive . On her own , she meets clients with umbrellas by their cars on rainy days . We track these items in our CRM , and it ’ s all part of our “ entrepreneurial operating system ” ( which outlines our core values , core focus , 10-year targets , marketing strategy and three-year picture ). We want this to be a part of our consciousness rather than something we apply .

What ’ s just as important is how this idea came to be . Susan , one of my colleagues at the firm , asked if I would consider the book for our organization ’ s book club . From this , the leadership in the firm got quite excited and Susan ’ s

The leadership in the firm got quite excited and Susan ’ s suggestion developed into a major strategic direction . suggestion developed into a major strategic direction . You have heard about “ topdown ” or “ bottom-up ” organizations . I say we have a “ bubbling-up ” organization . Ideas can come from anywhere , but we have to have open minds and intense curiosity in order to appreciate them .

As a founder of the firm , I readily admit that I may be interpreting our company in a way that fits a story I created . So it ’ s useful for me to check this out with the other people who work here . When I do , I share with them the way I believe we developed our approach .

We try to have a culture where everyone matters . I know all companies say that , but I believe our actions have tended to support this in obvious and subtle ways .

• We don ’ t pay people to bring in business . Instead , we give company-wide profit-sharing based on our EBITDA .

• All clients have a team working with them , and the teams are not siloed ( meaning that people work with a number of others in the firm ).

• We have special practice areas that our wealth managers are responsible for , and they can get called into a client meeting for someone who is not their direct client to help address those issues .

• We have created an advanced planning group with regular meetings where people from across the firm can sit in and share their ideas about complicated client situations and how best to approach them .

• Every Thursday morning we hold a

JULY / AUGUST 2024 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | 21