The Product is You! Position Yourself for Success as an Advisor

The Product is You! Position Yourself for Success as an Advisor, Mark Magnacca, 1st Books, 2003

There are thousands and thousands of "financial advisors" in America. Why should a person, or company, entrust their money to you over someone else?

First, you should remove any mental reservations, or "glass walls", that are holding you back. Some examples are the feeling that you aren't experienced enough, or that your degree wasn't from a "top" school. Next, you need to write a personal biography. It will tell potential clients about you, and begin to explain why you will do a better job managing their money than anyone else.

Potential clients can appear anywhere, so you need to have an "elevator speech" ready to go at any time. It's a 30-second speech that explains what business you are in, and what value you bring to the customer. (It's not as easy to answer as it sounds.) You need to get more creative than to simply say, "I sell life insurance", and hand them your business card. What distinguishes you from every other life insurance agent who is out there?

When it comes to marketing, you need to go where the fish are. You need to decide on your target audience (please be more specific than "everybody") and target them. Simply putting an ad in the local newspaper is not enough. Put together an Initial Prospect Offering packet to send to potential clients. It should include things like your biography, a summary of the type of services you provide, how you will get paid, testimonials from happy past customers and a sheet answering as many client questions as possible. No matter how basic it is, you will be far ahead of the vast majority of financial advisors, who might send a brochure and their business card, and nothing else.

Ultimately, what is for sale is you, your integrity and expertise, and not the business name on your door or the financial products that you sell. In this hyper-competitive business world, nearly anything that will help you stand out from the crowd is highly recommended. This is highly recommended and it is very easy to read.