Client acquisition is not easy in any industry. But financial advisory might be one of the hardest industries to get new clients through the door. For most products, even when you sell courses, guides, or books related to finance, there is a low risk even when the product doesn’t work for you…
You’re worth at least $1500 an hour as a financial advisor. When you’re doing the high value tasks your clients come to you for, that is. At the same time, you won’t be able to grow your practice without the busy work that’s necessary to acquire and retain clients…
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to capture new clients and retain their business and loyalty as well. With various alternatives on the table, clients are looking for a bit more than your expertise. On top of your insights as an advisor, clients expect a much more positive experience when signing up for your services…
Prospecting, the act of identifying, nurturing, and reaching out to potential clients, is a vital skill for financial advisors looking to grow their firm. Prospecting helps you build a client base—which is essential for the success of your business. However, reaching out to potential customers and decision-makers…
There are countless ways to mess up seminar marketing. Of all the possibilities, any one of these can create poor results. Commit two or more of these seminar sins, and you will join the legion of advisors who mutter “Seminars don’t work anymore.” Seminars do work, by the way, so long as you get everything right…
Explore 33 undeniable truths about cold-calling and elevate your sales strategy. Learn how to identify ‘Cherries’ – potential clients interested and financially ready to engage. Dive into techniques to avoid ‘Pit Polishing’, crucial for saving valuable time. Get tips on creating effective scripts and managing lead pipelines for success…
For those in the know, financial advisors are still the best and fastest way for those who need some extra help tackling their goals within their specific situation. However, this type of person is scarce. Now that people can look up financial advice on the fly through their phone, most think they wouldn’t need a financial professional to help them get to their financial goals…
Uncover the power of consistent communication in financial advising with our ultimate marketing strategy guide. Discover how a Monthly Drip campaign can elevate client retention, stimulate new business, and foster enduring relationships. Ignite growth from existing clients, keep your brand top-of-mind, and build trust…
Like it or not, marketing is a big part of growing your advisory business. A good marketing plan and targeted marketing campaigns give prospective clients an opportunity to get to know you and gives you the opportunity to build trust. And when done correctly, this gentle introduction provides both of you with a way to create a relationship…
Cold-calling is NOT a “try it once and hope it works” endeavor. It requires testing and tweaking to learn what works for your market, your list, and for you. Cold-calling is NOT for advisors who fear rejection. You will get a lot of rejections when you cold call – but if you follow best practices, it won’t matter, because the number of new leads you…
If you’re interested in a career in finance, you might know at this point that there are several financial services you can specialize in. One of those paths is to advise clients directly. But, did you know that even on that path there are two main options? You can either focus on your client’s investments or you can focus on their entire wealth…
Finding new clients is a chore for most service-based businesses — financial advisory included. There’s plenty of competition — your potential clients can even look up financial planning tools and Frankenstein their way to a plan. And your prospects might not be aware that they need…
The tools we mention in this article either create a better client experience, enhance your ability to reach your client’s financial goals, help you focus on doing your job, or offer a little bit of everything. Each type of software serves a different purpose and can be used to achieve different goals. Here are seven types of software every advisor should use…
Social media is a powerful tool for growth. It’s relatively low-cost compared to paid ads — relying more on your consistency instead of your budget. Having a social media presence helps you build rapport with prospects before they even step in for a discovery meeting. As long as you’re consistent, keep your goals in mind…
Years ago, I was a devotee of J. Douglas Edwards, the great sales trainer of the ’40s and ’50s, who believed that closing was the highest form of sales technique. One of Edwards’ tapes presented 22 ways to close the sale, and I memorized most of them. However, I now believe that closing techniques are, at best, overrated and have very limited uses. At worst, they are downright harmfu…
I have been an advocate of teams in the securities industry for a long time, longer than most have been in the industry. My writings on this go well back into the ’80s, when some of my younger readers were still in training pants. I profoundly believe that it is only teams that will survive and amount to anything. One form the teams will take is partnerships. I used to believe everything I had been told about partnerships…
In 1985, I conducted what I believe to be the first study in the financial services industry to see what advisors do with their time. During the course of this study, I made a surprising discovery: Advisors were worth at least $1,000 an hour when they were meeting and talking to qualified clients and prospects. I’ve conducted that study again and again. Today, advisors are worth $1,500 per hour…
Don’t leave your email marketing to chance -According to Jack Flynn of Zippia, “47% of email recipients will open an email based on the subject line alone.” Your email subject line serves as a first—and sometimes last—impression. “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dolla…
Have you ever felt like tearing your hair out because you just don’t know where to look for new prospects? If so, the solution to finding fantastic prospects is surprisingly simple: To figure out what your best prospects look like, and where to find them, first take a look at your best clients…
Have you ever felt like tearing your hair out because you just don’t know where to look for new prospects? If so, the solution to finding fantastic prospects is surprisingly simple: To figure out what your best prospects look like, and where to find them, first take a look at your best clients…
A “channel” is a “trench, furrow, or groove.” Water flows in channels — and so do assets. Example: You have a client who is a real estate agent in a high-end golfing community. She is making money hand over fist and adding $500,000 a year to her portfolios. You ask yourself, “How can I get more clients like this?” Well, you need a list. Here are some possible steps…
One of the monumental challenges advisors face in this business is making enough time for clients, prospects, administrative functions, and everything else that needs to get done. So, without any doubt, an advisor’s most valuable resource is their time. As an advisor, your time is worth $25 a minute. (Yes, you read that right…
The Importance of Dripping – for decades, I have coached financial advisors to send a letter to their clients and prospects every month on a topic of interest to them. This is called “dripping,” and it’s key to: client retention, business now, new assets and new clients. There are many reasons why dripping is effective at all these things..
Volatile markets are something all financial advisors have to deal with sooner or later. During my forty years in the industry, I’ve coached tens of thousands of advisors through multiple bear markets and dozens of market corrections. The 1987 stock market crash. The bursting of the dot-com bubble. The aftermath of 9/11…
If you are unprepared, uncomfortable on camera, babble about random facts that are disconnected from your topic, and tell bad jokes, you won’t get the appointments you need to keep yourself in business. On the other hand, if you are well-prepared, and your webinar topic is relevant and interesting, you interact with your audience, then you will get appointments…
If 20% or more of your clients are over the age of 75, you have a problem. In the next few years, if a significant percentage of your client assets will be owned by clients who will be over the age of 75, you have a problem. Several years ago, I researched what happens to assets when clients die…
Unless you’re brand new as a financial advisor, you’ve likely had one or more windfalls. One might have made your month. Another could have made your year. Occasionally, you will hear of a windfall that makes a career. Perhaps yours. Here are two that made careers. A phone call to an advisor, “I want you to meet my new…
Should you prospect during the COVID-19 pandemic? Of course you should, but you need the right strategy. In this article series, we’ll discuss four campaigns you can run from home with just a few resources. Let’s start with a question you may think is obvious. Should you ever ask for referrals? You say, “Of course. I just…
You spend countless hours helping your clients get ready to retire. You coach them on how to structure their investments to maintain the lifestyle they desire. You help them with Social Security, possibly Medicare. You may even offer counsel on where to live. But what about you? Almost every advisor I talk to has a single answer…
A number of advisors have told me, “Seminars don’t work.” True, many have failed to make it work. But for those who get it right — and yes, seminars do work — the results can be explosive. Here is a look at 10 key concerns about seminars. Addressing these issues is critical if you are considering, or are actively enga…