Social media – with its Tweets, LinkedIn groups and the never-ending accumulation of “likes” and comments on Facebook pages – continues to entice those financial advisors seeking to mine it for client contact. Yet some industry professionals remain committed to the old-fashioned face-to-face conversation to stay in the groove with increasingly technologically savvy investors who want to stand their financial ground in a continuously volatile market.

Steve Hoover is one of those advisors who is fully aware that clients need his undivided attention, reassurance, guidance and even a little entertainment now and again, to create and maintain the caring, committed community that defines his practice – The Retirement Pilot – based in Overland Park, Kansas.

As a ticket holder to a local dinner theatre, Hoover thought he’d offer current and prospective clients a package: Attend dinner theatre along with a presentation in an adjacent meeting room about The Retirement Pilot.

“It worked very well in terms of the number of people who attended,” he explained. “We used to do dinner only presentations. But a lot of my professional brethren are doing the same thing and attendance began to dwindle. So we thought the dinner theatre might be an interesting spot. It was very successful.”

“People really love that sort of thing,” he said. “I can make sure my clients are comfortable bringing friends with them and we can get introduced in a non-threatening, no pressure environment.”
With a wealth of financial advisors to choose from, Hoover knows that a sense of relationship is key. Once on board, clients can tap into his 18 years of financial planning experience. Hoover began with a small advisory group handling business succession and retirement planning, plus estate tax reduction and investments for owners of closely held companies. Focusing strictly on retirement income planning, today he seeks coach-able clients who want direct interaction with him.

This mode of operation is part of why he believes Kansas City Magazine has named him as a Five Star “Best in Client Satisfaction Financial Advisor” every year since 2007.

“The one main thing that I attribute this to is the way I work with my clients – when they call, they talk to me. I am accessible and able to answer their questions,” Hoover said. “All too often, the advisor is the rainmaker gathering people, who then get shuffled to an assistant. Not with me. People want to talk to the person their money is being entrusted with. I make sure I am accessible – and I make sure people are taken care of and that they have access to me going forward in our business relationship.”

Learn more about The Retirement Pilot online at www.retirementpilotkc.com