Book excerpt: Today, financial clients are profoundly skeptical. They've been burned. Their consultants and advisors talk too much, use too much confusing technical jargon, work from too many boilerplate scripts, repeat too many generic caveats and useless disclaimers. Above all, clients say, their advisors don't listen well, and don't link their own needs and views to the recommendations they present. To succeed in today's radically new environment, financial advisors must first transform the way they communicate. In The Financial Professional's Guide to Communication, one of the world's leading experts on the financial client relationship shows them how to do precisely that. Drawing on his experience training elite financial professionals worldwide, Bob Finder shows how to actively listen, speak plainly with precision and passion, and engage clients with uncommon effectiveness. Finder demonstrates how to focus relentlessly on what matters most to each individual client, and then deliver intensely relevant recommendations with clarity and impact, in your own voice. You'll learn how to bring imagination, creativity, and even entertainment to your presentations and conversations, and use constructive criticism to keep improving with every new client meeting. Using these proven techniques, you can deliver truly extraordinary levels of professionalism and service, gain the powerful new competitive edge you're desperately searching for - and earn equally powerful rewards for yourself.