Investing in Client Relationships and Hands-On Advising with Doug Howes

In this episode, Steve talks with Doug Howes, the CEO of Sapphire Wealth Management in Andover, Massachusetts.  Doug and his team put a lot of focus on the client experience. Throughout the years, Doug has built processes that help him invest in client relationships, but it all started by asking “why” and “how” to have a great client experience. The stories of how his grandfather handled his sales job greatly influenced how Doug does business. The most important lesson for him was to treat your clients as friends, even when you have nothing to sell. Be there for them, understand their circumstances, and give them white-glove service. Doug talks with Steve about their client experience process and how it's led to consistent referrals and, in particular, why their clients feel heard and valued. He also discusses how and why his mindset about client experience has shifted over the course of his career.  ”One thing that we've learned over the years is that if our team is more engaged with your financial plan than you are, you're not going to be a good fit for our firm.” ~ Douglas Howes Main Takeaways  It’s not about you. It’s not about your bottom line or your success. It’s about the client and tailoring your business to help them with their wants, needs, desires, and fears. If you’re spending a lot of time thinking about yourself, you need a mindset shift.  The greatest sign of intelligence is being able to say “I don’t know” and then doing the work to find the answer.  Accumulating clients isn’t the same as accumulating the right clients. Focus on high-value, high-quality clients. Links and Important Mentions Sapphire Wealth Management Doug Howes on LinkedIn Steve Sax Subscribe and Stay in Touch Apple Podcasts Spotify Steve on LinkedIn Follow Buckingham Strategic Partners  on Twitter

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The show where we talk with successful independent financial advisors about how they approach their businesses, client relationships, and the underlying behaviors that have helped them achieve success.