Are you losing clients or not closing business at your usual rate?
Perhaps the following is why…
Times are changing, particularly in regard to your prospects’ environmental opinions. If you haven’t considered the environment recently, then you may be losing clients to a perceived lack of concern regarding the environment and its sustainability.
The easiest way to explore if you’re losing clients to lack of environmental concern is to simply walk through your office and ask yourself the following question:
Does what you see reflect your target audiences’ environmental values?
More and more Americans are becoming concerned with their carbon footprint, particularly Millennials. Sure, they’re not always the wealthiest; however, they’re the next wave of wealth.
Here’s a checklist of items to look for to determine if your office reflects an eco-friendly environment:
Recycle/Trash Barrels: Are they visible and, if so, do you offer recycling alongside traditional waste collection? If not, a prospect could surmise that your firm is not environmentally conscious.
Restrooms: What type of hand soap do you offer? Is it free from unnatural chemicals? Consider extending your holistic planning approach to include hand hygiene.
RELATED: Financial Services 12-Month Calendar of Blog & Social Media Content Ideas
Coffee/Water: When you offer a cup of coffee to prospects, is it in a reusable mug rather than paper or plastic? Are you using a water bubbler instead of individual plastic bottles?
Presentations: Are you using a digital device rather than paper to display your presentations? Or, if you are using paper, are you printing on both sides to minimize waste?
Lights: When you walk into your conference room, restrooms, etc., do the lights automatically turn on with motion, the preferred eco-friendly approach?
Plants: Are there plants throughout your office? Plants help reduce indoor pollution by absorbing the carbon dioxide in the air.
Thermostats: Are you using thermostats to auto-regulate temperatures, conserving energy?
Commuting: Have you considered tracking the miles you and your staff do walking or biking to work? These carbon-emission-reducing activities could make for a great publicity opportunity.
If you have the funds, here are more eco-friendly ideas…
Electric Car Charging Stations: Can clients and prospects charge their vehicles while meeting with you?
Solar Panels: Have you considered placing solar panels on the roof of your office building? It certainly would send a clear message about your environmental values.
Keep in mind that being an eco-friendly financial advisor is yet another distinguishing factor. I recommend you include a statement on your website reflecting your environmental values and sustainability undertakings.
Finally, when you need help marketing your advisory practice, contact me. I spend my days as a freelance financial services writer and marketing director helping advisors and related strategic partners increase AUM using highly personalized content marketing client retention and acquisition strategies.
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Thanks for reading and sharing.
Independently Yours,
Sharron