Keeping clients happy really pays off, according J.D. Power & Associates’ 2006 Full-Service Satisfaction Survey. The study found that so-called “highly committed clients” are 12 times more likely to add assets to their accounts, more likely to bring in new clients, and one-third less likely to switch advisers than their less-committed peers. Despite the seemingly obvious conclusion, says market researcher and consultant Russ Alan Prince in a Registered Rep interview, “advisers tend to fail first” when it comes to developing a relationship that will make clients stick around. Prince says advisers do not seem to understand the needs of their clients, as they are more eager to manage their money than to solve the problems that bring the clients through the door in the first place. RR supported the theory with its own survey last fall, which found that 94% of highly satisfied clients are more likely to invest more and recommend an adviser more, compared with only 13% of less satisfied clients.