How to handle client meetings after a market fall

After a market fall, contact clients before they contact you, offer a short meeting to anyone who wants one, and use it to go back to their goals, horizon and cash needs rather than to predict what markets will do next. Explain what has happened to their portfolio in money terms, remind them of the risk profile you agreed together, and make any change only for a reason linked to their situation, not to the headlines. Write down what was discussed and decided.

A short email or message the day markets fall sharply tells clients you're paying attention. Keep it factual and calm: what happened in broad terms, what it means for diversified portfolios like theirs, and an invitation to book a call if they want to talk. Don't wait for anxious calls to pile up before saying anything.

Avoid forecasts: no one knows when markets will recover, and a confident prediction that turns out wrong damages trust. Talk instead about what the client controls: their horizon, their savings, their costs, the balance of their portfolio. Acknowledge that falls are uncomfortable; saying "don't worry" rarely helps. Explain that selling after a fall turns a paper loss into a real one, while respecting the client's right to decide.

Ask what has changed in their life, not in the markets. If their goals or their need for cash have changed, adjusting may be right. If nothing has changed but fear, go back to what was agreed and why, and suggest taking a few days before deciding. Whatever they choose, record your advice and their decision.

For clients who need part of their money soon, a fall matters more. Check how much of the coming spending is already in cash or lower-risk holdings, and whether the plan for drawing money can wait or be spread out. These conversations deserve a longer meeting rather than a quick call.

A fall shows how a client really reacts to risk. If someone who said they were comfortable is losing sleep, the profile may have been too ambitious. Discuss a change calmly, for the future, rather than as an emergency move at the bottom of a fall.

After a sharp fall, requests can arrive at once. Opening extra short slots for calls in the following days lets clients book a time rather than wait for you to call back, and lets you prepare each conversation. Group clients with similar portfolios so you can prepare the figures efficiently.

Note the date, what the client asked, the information you gave, your advice and their decision, as required for your activity where you work. A clear record protects both of you if the decision is questioned later.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create a short "Portfolio check-in call" service and open extra slots in the days after a sharp fall, by phone or video. Send clients the link to your public page in your message; they pick a free slot, book with their name, email and phone, and can write their main question in the optional note, which you read in your new-booking email before the call. They receive a confirmation with a calendar file.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. If you need to move a call, reschedule it from your bookings list and tell the client yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.