Matt Carberry is director and Senior Wealth Advisor at Count’s 2019 Member Firm of the Year, Verve Group. He says that achieving growth starts with understanding your clients – and articulating the value you provide.

How do you create an outstanding client experience from the start?

Our first meeting is where we get to know our clients, and they get to know us. This is where we can articulate the value of what we do – so they can see they could be in a better position as a result of our help.

I start by asking my clients what the endgame looks like – what do you need in today's dollars to live on and when do you want to retire? While a lot of people don’t know the answers, they do know what they want their lifestyle or retirement to look like – say, sitting on a beach and taking it easy.

After the initial meeting, we set up a strategy meeting, before we go into a full-on plan. This is where we thrash out where they want to go. We do a little bit of a modelling and show them the ‘how’ of what we do – how we work and how we can create value for them.

Tell me some of the ways you use technology to help your clients.

Clients can book an appointment themselves online, which generates an email detailing the information they need to bring. So, at their first adviser meeting, they’re ready for an in-depth discussion about their goals and priorities.

We also model different scenarios using X-Tools and PowerPoint presentations, exploring all the possible financial outcomes visually. This makes it easy for clients to understand how different decisions will affect their finances.

Who are your ideal clients?

Our ideal clients are mum-and-dad small business owners in their 40s, with children. That’s because we can help small businesses with a whole range of services. And if they're in their 40s, we've got plenty of time to make a real difference – there’s time to implement strategies over 10 to 20 years before they retire.

Also, getting married or having kids is often a turning point, where they realise: ‘This isn’t all about me, I need to look after my family’ – and become more fiscally aware.

What are your plans for the next 12 months?

The theme for the coming year is growth and improvement: the better our team, the better our clients are being served. We’ll continue to focus on enhancing the whole client experience and relationship, because that's where we get our growth.