
 Financial Advisor Success
 Financial Advisor Success Ep 449: Growing To $2B AUM Organically By Setting High Client Service Standards with Michelle Perry Higgins
 23 snips 
 Aug 5, 2025  Michelle Perry Higgins, Principal of California Financial Advisors, shares insights on cultivating exceptional client service standards that have propelled her firm to $2 billion in assets under management. She reveals her 'non-negotiable' practices, like ensuring clients never wait over five minutes for meetings, resulting in over 99% retention. The discussion dives into her innovative ‘Everything Binder’ to enhance client organization and the importance of meaningful conversations to uncover client values. Michelle also candidly reflects on balancing career demands with motherhood in the finance world. 
 AI Snips 
 Chapters 
 Books 
 Transcript 
 Episode notes 
Prioritize Client Communication and Timeliness
- Always return client calls the same day to demonstrate respect and responsiveness.
- Limit client waiting time to no more than five minutes, just like a doctor's appointment.
Listen Deeply in Client Meetings
- Spend most of your client meetings listening, not talking.
- Ask deep, personal questions like how spending went on vacation to understand client money behaviors.
Implement an "Everything Binder"
- Use a comprehensive "Everything Binder" to organize all client financial and personal information.
- Encourage clients to update it regularly to ease transitions during incapacity or death.


