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How to Create a Value Proposition

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

There are thousands of pizza vendors in the United States. But only one of them is known for, “Fresh, hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.”

There are thousands of clothing retailers in the United States. But if I say the words, “You’re going to like the way you look. I guarantee it,” I guarantee you’ll know exactly whom I’m referring to. You can probably see his face.

If you don’t already know what your value proposition is, you probably don’t have one.

Your value proposition establishes two things: The value that you bring to the relationship and why you’re the one they should engage to bring it.

A great value proposition has six characteristics:

It defines who you work with;
It focuses the client experience – not your qualifications.
It addresses specific problems you can solve for the client.
It’s unique to you in your market. None of your competitors can quite say the same thing.
It connects with the client on an emotional level.
It helps you justify your fees so you’re competing on something other than price.

Here’s how to create your value proposition so it has these six characteristics.

Why You Need to Differentiate Yourself

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

It used to be, in the not so distant past, that using words like “client-focused”, “trusted”, “comprehensive”, and “knowledgeable” was enough for financial advisors to separate themselves from the pack. But today these are just the table stakes clients expect their advisors to bring to the table. After all, how many clients do you know who don’t expect their advisor to be knowledgeable, trusted, and client-focused?

In fact, in a highly muddled and fiercely competitive advisory landscape, there is very little to differentiate most advisors from each other, which causes them to disappear among the multitude of “average” advisors. Needless to say, clients today aren’t looking for average when it comes to financial advice.

A case in point is the massive amount of attention the eighty million baby boomers are receiving from the financial services industry – and rightly so because trillions of dollars of assets are at stake.

The 4 Pillars of Great Client Service

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

Great client service should be a given. But according to a recent study from Cerulli Associates, less than a third of advisors strongly agreed that their practices go above and beyond to serve their clients, or that their clients offer repeatable and consistent client experiences.

At the same time, 72% of advisory firm principals say client service is a key differentiator.

Folks, if 72% say great service is a differentiator, it’s no longer a differentiator. It’s now the industry standard.

That said, some firms are clearly doing a better job than others. And those are the firms that are attracting bigger clients, with more assets to manage.

Let’s have a look at what they do differently and what are some key components to delivering great client service.

Three Situations when Analogies Can Help Allay Clients’ Concerns

/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

As their advisor it’s your job to stop clients from worrying unnecessarily and making bad decisions. You need to find a way to check their behaviors and reassure them that they should follow your lead.

Analogies are a great way to allay clients’ concerns and get across why what you say makes perfect sense. Here are three situations where it will pay you to use analogies to keep things on track.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Connect with Clients on an Emotional Level

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

As an advisor you’re no doubt good with numbers; you’re an objective thinker. But to succeed in this business you also need to be able to create meaningful relationships with your clients. You need to have not only a high IQ but a high level of EQ (Emotional Intelligence).

According to a study by Harvard Business Review emotionally connected clients are more than twice as valuable to your business as ‘highly satisfied clients’.

Here are 5 reasons why rather than focusing on their financial plans you should get to know your clients on a personal level.

The Right Story at the Right Time Can and Will Tip the Decision in Your Direction

/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

When you meet with prospective clients, they will very possibly have concerns. They may be worried about investing per se, undecided about whether now’s the right time to invest, or unsure if you are worth your fees.

Don’t see their concerns as obstacles but as an opportunity to build trust. If you suspect they feel anxious, step in tell them an “I know what you’re thinking” story to reassure them they’re doing the right thing. This is a story designed to take away some of your prospect’s concerns.

Here are some situations where a good story can help persuade prospects to hire you as their advisor.

How to Make The Most of Your Value Proposition

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

Too few advisors know what a value proposition is or why they need one. Others understand the importance of identifying their unique value, but don’t know how to articulate it.

This is a serious mistake, because unless a prospect understands what you do and why you do it, they’ll remain unconvinced about your worth. In fact, without a strong value proposition your business won’t even get off the ground – it’s the first step in building your financial advisory practice.

Here are some tips on creating and expressing your value proposition.

Using Analogies in These 3 Situations Can Help Turn Prospects into Clients

/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

It’s your job to get prospects off the fence. You need to persuade them that hiring you to manage their investments is the right thing to do. Before they make that decision, however, they need to understand what it is they are buying, and why they need to buy it. Because “people don’t buy what they don’t understand.”

This is where analogies can help push the balance in your favor. They make the unfamiliar familiar.

An analogy is “a comparison between one thing and another, typically for the purposes of explanation or clarification”.

Analogies can help you put forward an argument so that prospects see things in a new light – and conclude, of their own accord – that it makes sense to do business with you.

Here are three situations that warrant the use of analogies.

5 Reasons Why You Should Take The Time to Educate Your Clients

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Don’t shy away from being a coach and educator to your clients. Adding in this extra element can help set you apart from the competition and deepen your relationship with them.

If you aren’t already educating your clients, here are five reasons why you should start doing it right away.

Make Yourself Irreplaceable by Making Yourself Different

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

If you do what every other advisor is doing, you’ll be just like all other advisors. To become successful, you need to offer something different – something that makes you worthy of being talked about.

Don’t be intimidated by self-perceived ‘smarter’, ‘more experienced’ or ‘more confident’ advisors. Don’t try to ‘better’ them. Think instead about what you can do differently.

Make it your aim to do what other advisors don’t do, and you’ll attract and retain clients for the long term. Here are a few things you can do to make yourself different.