The Admired Advisor Podcast: A Five-Step Plan for Authentic Client Conversations with Paul Ragone

A Five-Step Plan for Authentic Client Conversations with Paul Ragone

Jun 27, 2022

What if a room could make the difference between a distracted client and an authentic conversation? With help from Buckingham’s Design Build Protect process and life map cards, Paul Ragone of Integrity Wealth Services has designed such a room.

Surprising with a location change, Paul introduces clients to what he calls the “experience room.” A room with dimmer lighting, darker walls, and a stack of questions encouraging strangers to share what’s really driving their financial lives, their financial dreams, and their financial fears.

This experience in a small room has led to more referrals and more growth than Paul’s ever experienced. And that growth took place without adding a single staff member.

In this episode, Paul talks with Steve about overcoming his fear of growth, the method behind Paul’s five meeting client experience process, how Paul initiates more authentic conversations amongst prospective clients, why Paul started focusing on SEO, and how Paul created an in-house one-stop-shop for client services.

Key Takeaways

[01:24] - A brief introduction to Integrity Wealth Services and Integrity’s unique domain name.
[03:57] - How Paul built his firm into a one-stop-shop for advisory planning.
[07:29] - The method behind Paul’s intricate client onboarding process.
[09:57] - How prospective clients (and Paul) react to Paul’s “experience room.”
[13:17] - Why Paul’s strategy initiates more authentic conversations among prospective clients.
[15:12] - What Paul’s prospective clients experience in meeting three.
[17:06] - How Paul steers prospective clients towards alternative solutions.
[18:32] - How Paul incorporates in-house CPA and estate planning services.
[20:05] - How clients react to Buckingham’s life map cards.
[25:10] - Why Paul prefers in-person meetings to remote calls.
[28:03] - How Paul commonly receives client referrals and why Paul plans to take existing clients through the life map/”experience room” process.
[31:11] - How Paul stays educated on new and developing client resources.
[31:50] - What Paul’s working on to continue enhancing the client experience.

Quotes

[12:28] - “Here’s the thing. I think if I told them in the previous meeting that the next meeting was going to be in a different room and have these cards and all that, I think the experience would not be the same. So I like to keep them off guard. And as a result, the conversations are amazing, and honestly, sometimes even emotional.” ~ Paul Ragone

[28:48] - “I’ve noticed that the referrals that we are receiving, which has been quite a bit from our clients lately, have been the ones that have gone through that experience room. That definitely resonated with them and those are my biggest referral sources.” ~ Paul Ragone

[32:17] - “CPAs are more focused on this year or maybe next year. Whereas we have to look down the road maybe 20 years or more in some cases. So Holistiplan, and I should say the new tax planning module MoneyGuide, really do a great job with that. And I’m constantly looking for ways to improve the client experience and really add value to this relationship that I have with them.” ~ Paul Ragone

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