For financial advisors
What to write down after every client meeting
The meeting is over, you're in the lift, and everything the client said is still clear. By tomorrow morning half of it has gone. By next year's review you're asking questions they already answered, and they notice.
Good meeting notes aren't long. They're the handful of things you'd be embarrassed to forget. This guide lists them, with an example note, so the habit takes two minutes instead of twenty.
What good meeting notes do
Take two minutes
Written before you drive off, in your own words. If it takes longer, it won't happen after the fifth meeting of the day.
Keep their words, not your pitch
What the client is worried about, the way they said it. That's what you'll want in front of you next time.
Catch every date
The renewal month, the baby due in March, the comparison you promised by Friday.
Remember how they like to talk
Bottom line first, a story, time to think, or all the numbers. It changes how you explain the same thing next time.
The six things to write down
Roughly in the order you'll forget them.
- What they're worried about
- In their own words. "Scared of the hospital bills if Dad gets sick again" tells you far more than "interested in health cover".
- The dates
- Birthdays, policy months, a baby due, a child starting P1 or NS, a move to a new home. Anything with a month attached.
- Family and life
- Who depends on them, who they look after, and what has changed since you last met.
- What they said no to, and why
- "Not now, just changed jobs" tells you exactly when to ask again, and stops you asking too soon.
- How they like to be spoken to
- Direct, Expressive, Supportive or Analytical. One word saves you getting the tone wrong at the next meeting.
- The next step you promised
- With a day attached: "send the comparison by Friday". The one most likely to cost you the client if it slips.
How AdvisorKin works
- 1
Write the note
After the meeting, on your phone, in plain words. A few lines is enough.
- 2
Press Analyse
The dates, worries, family details and the next step you promised are picked out and kept with the client.
- 3
It comes back when it matters
A reminder before each date, and the whole picture on the client's page before you meet again.
What it costs
- Free for up to 10 clients, with no card.
- Starter S$15 a month (S$150 a year) for up to 30 clients.
- Pro S$29 a month (S$290 a year) for unlimited clients.
- Teams of 5 to 20 advisors, S$20.83 a month each paid yearly, free for the first 14 days.
Questions advisors ask
- What should a financial advisor write after a client meeting?
- Six things: what the client is worried about in their own words, the dates that matter to them, family and life changes, what they said no to and why, how they like to be spoken to, and the next step you promised, with a day attached.
- What does a good client meeting note look like?
- For example: "Review with Mdm Lim at her flat. Worried about hospital bills since her husband's operation in June. Daughter starts university next August. Said no to more life cover for now, wants to clear the car loan first, ask again in March. Likes everything laid out with numbers. Next step: send the hospital plan comparison by Friday." Five lines, and next year's review starts where this one ended.
- How long should client meeting notes be?
- Short. Four or five lines written straight after the meeting are worth more than a page written that evening from memory.
- Should I take notes during the meeting?
- A word or two to catch a date or a number is fine. Writing a lot while the client talks makes the meeting feel like filling in a form. Jot the essentials, then write the note properly once you've left.
- Where should I keep client meeting notes?
- Somewhere you'll see them again before the next meeting, next to the client they belong to. Notes in a notebook or scattered through a phone's notes app tend to be written once and never read again.
- Is it all right to write down personal details about clients?
- Keep what helps you look after them and nothing more, and follow your company's rules on keeping client information. In AdvisorKin each advisor's clients are private to them, and closing your account deletes them.
Know an advisor who'd find this useful?
Send it to them, or to your team chat. It's free, and they don't need to sign up to read it.
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- All free guides
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