After months of anticipation, our Financial Services team headed to the Windy City last March to host Salesforce’s very first industry-focused Basecamp, a free half-day event for wealth management Trailblazers to learn how to better connect with their clients. It was a full house as like-minded wealth management customers came from near and far to discuss the future of the industry and to network with their peers.

They came also to develop a better understanding of how Financial Services Cloud — with integrations from wealth management partners via the Salesforce AppExchange — empowers advisors to spend less time on admin tasks and more time doing what they do best: growing client relationships.

Those in attendance were treated to a captivating keynote that included inspirational content on top industry trends from Michael Kitces, a highly-admired wealth management thought leader, as well as an interview with one of our favorite customers, Trilogy Financial. If you couldn’t make it to the event this year — or just want to refresh your memory — check out our top three takeaways from the Wealth Management Basecamp keynote.

Relationship Intelligence Builds Client Trust

Ilan Davidovici, Global Head of Wealth Management at Salesforce, started the keynote on a strong note, explaining how Financial Services Cloud is packed with best-in-class machine learning, relationship mapping, and analytics tools. That may sound a bit overwhelming at first, but the fact is these powerful capabilities are not only intuitive and easy to implement, they also help advisors take their client relationships to a whole new level.

Imagine going into your next client meeting instantly armed with knowledge that helps you lead a more productive, meaningful, and personalized conversation. Better yet, imagine a conversation that’s based on meaningful client data and facts, not opinions and assumptions. Advisors can ultimately earn client trust with next-best actions and proactive insights that guide clients on the right path to reaching their financial life goals. The possibilities with Financial Services Cloud are truly endless and even extend beyond direct client engagements, empowering advisors to deepen and grow their book of business with new relationships across client households and external networks.  

A Better Client Experience is the True Differentiator

Next up was Michael Kitces, Partner and Director of Wealth Management at Pinnacle Advisory Group. Michael is a well-respected financial planner, commentator, speaker, blogger, and educator, and his appearance at this year’s Wealth Management Basecamp was proof of all of that. While he provided many motivational points about the industry’s past and future, perhaps the most intriguing was his perspective on differentiating your financial services firm.

According to research presented by Michael, 76% of wealth managers feel their ability to understand their clients’ needs and objectives is what sets them apart. Some 72% believe it’s their client service. And 56% say it’s the breadth of their expertise (note: not the depth of it). But the reality is, innovation is the one crucial element needed for a successful growth strategy. Now is the time to leverage technology like CRM to outshine the competition by offering something no other firm can yet: a new, unique, and memorable client experience.  

Technology amplifies the best that advisors have to offer.

Last but not least, Nick Richtsmeier, Chief Innovation Officer at Trilogy Financial, took the stage offering valuable advice on the power of combining the efficiencies of technology with the personalization provided by financial advisors. Not long ago, Nick’s firm implemented Financial Services Cloud to help with inefficiencies occurring in their back and middle offices. But even more importantly, they used it to incentivize their advisors to think differently about engagement and take client service to the forefront of their business.

As Nick so eloquently put it, when technology does the work that humans do poorly, humans can focus on what they do best, such as empathize, listen to stories, and be present in the moment — the type of qualities that lead to lasting client relationships. Innovation within wealth management is liberating and can empower the entire firm to bring their best selves to work every single day. Considering Nick’s firm has already seen a 147% ROI since implementing Financial Services Cloud, we’re confident his thoughtful insights are right on the money.   

Is your interest piqued? Do you want more key insights from our Wealth Management Basecamp?  Watch the entire event playlist to see recordings of the event keynote, partner discussions, customer interviews, and so much more.