The wealth management industry has long measured relationship strength through client satisfaction. Yet despite impressive satisfaction and retention results, many firms continue to struggle with organic growth, deeper engagement and meaningful differentiation. The question isn't whether satisfaction matters, it's whether it's enough.  

According to Julie Littlechild, we’ve been using the wrong standard to measure success and that is taking too many advisors in the wrong direction - content with the past rather than looking toward the future.  

In this thought-provoking presentation, Julie shares the latest findings from Absolute Engagement's investor research to reveal why the future of client experience lies beyond satisfaction and good service. Clients, she says, want to feel seen, heard and understood. Firms that consistently uncover how clients are thinking and feeling, and intentionally design engaging experiences around that “data”, are creating stronger relationships, more referrals and lasting competitive advantage.  

Julie introduces a new way of thinking about client experience, one built on understanding clients more deeply, scaling meaningful engagement and creating experiences that clients remember and talk about. Attendees will leave with practical ideas and a research-backed framework for evolving their client experience.  

What the audience will learn:

• How client expectations and needs are changing, and what that means for advisors.  

• The difference between measuring client feedback and capturing meaningful client intelligence.  

• Practical ways to build deeper relationships and leverage the experience to drive organic growth.  

Most advisors have been taught that getting more referrals is about asking more often, asking at the right time, or having the perfect script. Yet despite decades of advice, referrals remain one of the industry's greatest frustrations.

Drawing on more than ten years of research with thousands of investors, Julie Littlechild reveals what actually drives referral behavior, and why many of the industry's most common assumptions simply aren't true. You'll learn why clients refer, why they often don't, how digital discovery and client experience are reshaping referral behavior, and why the firms generating the most organic growth focus far less on asking for referrals and more on helping prospective clients understand the problems they solve.

This is not a presentation that focuses on the same referral techniques that advisors have been taught for years. It's a research-driven look at the psychology of referrals and a practical roadmap for building a business with a client-first focus.

What the audience will learn:

• Why clients really refer and why they don’t

• The biggest misconceptions about referrals that limit organic growth

• The enduring truths about referrals over a decade of research

• Practical strategies to uncover and respond to referral opportunities

Many advisors view wealth transfer as an asset retention challenge. The firms creating the strongest long-term growth see something much bigger: an opportunity to build deeper relationships across generations before assets ever change hands.

Drawing on original research with parents, adult children and investors across generations, Julie Littlechild challenges conventional thinking about how advisors think about retention. She reveals what families are really concerned about, where communication breaks down, what younger generations expect from advisors, and why meaningful family conversations are needed long before wealth transfer is set in motion.

Rather than focusing solely on transferring wealth, this session explores how advisors can evolve their role and create meaningful connections with the next generation. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to strengthen family relationships, engage future decision-makers earlier, and create experiences that build loyalty across multiple generations.

What the audience will learn:

• Why family engagement is a growth strategy, not simply a retention strategy

• How concerns, goals and expectations differ across generations  

• How to facilitate conversations that families want to have but often don't know how to start

• Practical ways to build relationships with future clients before wealth changes hands

• How to evolve the client experience to remain relevant to the next generation
  

Advisory firms have made tremendous progress in creating efficient client experiences that drive high levels of client satisfaction and loyalty. But new research among more than 100 client experience leaders at some of the largest RIAs suggests that efficiency is a good place to start, but not a good place to finish. The firms shaping the future are moving beyond streamlined processes to focus on both client and team engagement

In this presentation, targeted to the leadership team of large RIAs, Julie Littlechild shares the findings from this research and introduces a practical framework for evolving the client experience. Participants will explore the shift from efficient, to engaging, to enduring, examine the actions that distinguish leading firms, and learn how to capture richer client insights, intentionally design more personalized experiences, build accountability, strengthen team engagement and measure success over time. The session provides a roadmap for creating a client experience that differentiates the firm today while building the culture, capabilities and consistency needed to thrive well into the future.

What the audience will learn:

• The biggest client experience priorities and challenges facing leading large wealth management firms.  

• The importance of designing client journeys that are personalized, scalable and consistently delivered across the firm.  

• The impact of team culture on client experience