Call your best clients on their birthdays

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We’re always looking for ways to build better relationships with our clients — especially with our best clients. I have heard so many options and ideas, and yet, we’re missing the low-hanging fruit that shows up every year: Call them on their birthday!

Most of the time, birthdays are a happy day for your clients. They want to associate with people who put them in a good mood. Why shouldn’t you be one of them?

Calling them on their birthday is the easiest layup you’ll have all year.

Even if you’re not the sentimental type, it’s simple to make the birthday calls in a consistent and efficient manner. Go through your list of your best clients — whether it’s 10 or 50 — and make sure to call each one personally on their birthday. Nobody outside of their family and close friends is doing this. Other professionals might be sending messages via Facebook, LinkedIn or text, but no one else is taking the time to pick up the phone and call them personally. No one else is checking in just to see how they’re doing or how they’ve planning to celebrate. Doing so will give you a tremendous advantage in cementing your position as the most trusted advisor.

Also, for your very best clients (say the top 10), call them on their kids’ birthdays, too. Ask how they’re planning to celebrate. When people ask me how I’m doing, I appreciate it. When people ask about my kids, I’m a client for life.

Maximizing your time   

Calling clients on their birthdays might not seem like a big deal, but it has a huge impact on the relationships you’re building. It shouldn’t take more than 10 to 20 minutes per week to get a huge ROI on the time spent making birthday calls. That’s an example of what I call $10,000 per hour work. Ultimately when clients trust you, they will listen to you. When clients listen to you, you can help them more than ever. That’s the ultimate goal. Half the time you’re just going to leave a great voicemail message. The other half of the time you’re going to catch clients in the middle of something fun. They’ll gladly tell you about where they’re going to dinner or what they’re doing for the weekend. This is not the time to talk business.

Logistics

Ask your staff to go through your top 50 clients and have them add those 50 birthday reminders to your Outlook calendar. In the calendar entry, make sure to add the age your client will be turning and their direct phone number. If 50 seems like too many to call, remember that’s an average of only one call per week. 

Again, don’t talk business on this call even if you have open items. Most of the time, you’ll get their voicemail. In that case, just say, “Hey {name}. Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday on your big day. I hope you’re doing great and spending time with friends and family. Of course, if you need anything I’m here for you. Happy birthday! Have a great one.”

Calling favorite clients on their birthday is not a big-time commitment and it will pay big dividends on your time. My article, "The 64/4 rule," has more about getting maximum return on the least amount of time. If they pick up the phone, tell them you’re calling for no other reason than to wish them a happy birthday. Ask them how they’re planning to celebrate their big day. Your clients will be thrilled and you’re going to be learning something personal about your clients that they wouldn’t talk to you about otherwise. It’s one of the easiest ways I know to build a relationship.

Besides, as the trusted advisor, you should want to talk to your best clients on their birthdays. If you don’t, maybe they’re not your best clients. Even if a client’s birthday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, call them anyway. You can call them on the way to the gym or while you’re walking the dog. They’ll be impressed that you’re thinking of them even on a weekend.

I love talking to clients on their birthdays and rarely miss the chance. They’re having a great time, they’re with their kids, they’re going on a vacation or out for a nice dinner. This is why they’re working so hard at their business or career — so they can enjoy life. Calling on their birthday is a subtle reminder that you helped them get there.

If you have a good reason for not calling your best clients on their birthday, please tell me why. It should be one of the most rewarding parts of your work — helping clients make good financial decisions so they have more time to spend doing the things they enjoy doing with the people they care about most.