Lead generation for financial advisors, ugh, where do I begin? As advisors, we need to get the nagging voice out of our heads telling us, “you need more leads”. For decades, advisors have been taught to focus on obtaining leads to grow their business. This is all wrong. We don’t want leads, but rather ideal clients.
Think about it, would you like to be referred to as a lead? It’s such an impersonal, inhuman word, solely focused on one thing, selling something. Client, on the other hand, is a far more human word — one that is relatable and will lead to more significant sales.
We need to shift our focus to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world. Prioritize the client, not the business. Treat clients like the unique entities that they are. Worry more about niche satisfaction and the quality of your client acquisition than sheer numbers. Use a personable approach to liaising with clients, made up of empathy and support, to make you the clear choice in a financial advisor. Let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?
There Are Better Ways of Doing Things
To truly excel as an advisor, you need to understand you are not merely a salesman. There is so much more to being a great advisor than just selling a product.
Advisors who buy cold leads are essentially slapping people in the face (pitch slapping ring a bell?) as they ask them for money. It demonstrates that someone holds no value to you other than as a pay-check. This is not the kind of experience people are lining up to get more of, and they are rightfully looking elsewhere.
Prospecting is, for all intents and purposes, dead. Yes, it may yield some return — but at what cost? It’s a soul-crushing process that is certainly not scalable. As a virtual financial advisor, myself, I know there are far better ways to tell your story and propel new client acquisition in the digital world we live in today.
The Art of Financial Advice
Financial advisors who focus on selling a product are subjecting themselves to massive competition – an endless rat race of misguided purpose and ambition. At the end of the day, we can all pretty much sell the same products and services. They are a commodity. But brilliant financial advice? That is an art form. An art form through which you can differentiate yourself and thrive.
Art requires skill – Michelangelo didn’t paint the Sistine Chapel by accident. You will need technical know-how and formidable storytelling abilities. Experience, credentials, and expertise create the basis for great relationships and client trust. Expressing your ideals and breathing life into your brand’s story can be the perfect lure to get well-suited clients.
With the possession of both skills, you can be sure the right clients will be placing their financial wellbeing in your hands. Advisors who focus on the art of financial advice have all the opportunity in the world with virtually no competition.
Clients Are Everything
Advisors who focus on client acquisition are the most likely to find long-term success. Remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. You need to show them you care by marketing strong commonalities, deepening the human connection.
An ever-present human element forms part of any effective financial advisor marketing plan. This warm Conneqtor strategy bridges the gap between the service provider and the client. Once the client knows how much you care, they will be chomping at the bit to work with you.
As financial advisors, we need to facilitate meaningful, trust-building conversations. Before assisting with financial decisions, we can help clients clarify priorities and values. In this respect, a better client experience involves having financial knowledge and a fair deal of emotional intelligence.
Client participation
Client participation is equally important. Clients want to feel understood, informed, in control and secure within their service. For us, that means we need to deliver a hyper-personalized experience through smart consistency.
Smart consistency requires understanding where it’s critical to deliver a consistent experience and delivering on that. This means leveraging an established process to create tailored strategies based on what is most important to your clients. Advisors should put their clients’ interests before their own, using their goals and unique perspectives in their tailored strategies. A custom experience – that’s what clients want!
They like knowing what’s happening behind the scenes and feeling they have the best support in their corner. The client relationship should be aligned to achieve common goals of awesome advisory service and financial prosperity.
Time to change your focus, my advisor friends!
I hope you gained some valuable insight from reading this article! Remember, you can always reach out to me for more guidance and advice.
Best Regards,
Derek Notman
