How Do Your Clients Make Decisions?
“Keep learning. That’s the secret. Keep learning.”
Client Experience Spotlight:
Idea: Make sure your clients know what job you actually do.
Many clients think of their advisor as a technician—someone to call when a financial task pops up. But what if they saw you as the person to call when they’re facing a big life decision?
The late Clayton Christensen developed what’s now known as Jobs Theory, which asks a simple but powerful question: “What is the job to be done?” In most industries, the real job to be done is often different than what it looks like on the surface.
For advisors, we believe the job is this:
Help clients make better decisions about the future.
Ken Haman, Head of the Advisor Institute at AllianceBernstein, says this is what distinguishes great advisors from good ones. When clients see you as a decision-making partner—not just a service provider—they call you sooner and about more meaningful things.
Example: Reframing the Client Ask
Client: “We’re trying to figure out if we should set up a trust for the kids.”
Most Advisors: “Let’s look at the pros and cons of each option.”
Visionary Advisor: “This is a big decision—and instead of jumping right into the options, let’s zoom out a bit.
Think about how you made other major life choices—like when you decided to take a new job, move across the country, or propose to your spouse.
What patterns or values guided those decisions? If we can uncover those, they might help guide this one, too.”
What to Say: “I absolutely want to help with this decision. But more importantly, I want to help you and your family build a process for making great decisions—again and again. That’s why we invest in tools like values statements and decision principles. They’re not just for moments like this—they’re for life.”
The Visionary Advisor Podcast
Listen to the Visionary Advisor Podcast, where the most forward-thinking advisors share how they navigate complexity, build trust, and help families make meaningful decisions across generations.
The latest episode features Ken Haman, who shares how understanding the emotional journey of UHNW clients can transform your role from technician to trusted decision-making partner.
Subscribe to The Visionary Advisor Podcast
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