Culture Creation

Sep 12, 2019

Culture Creation


Advisor autonomy will empower advisors to create stakeholder value that leads to enterprise value and shareholder value.

Recruiters of advisors must come to the realization that in the digital age of transparency, it is autonomy that will set advisors free and not independence. Advisor autonomy can be offered to any advisor regardless of his or her firm’s affiliation. The battle for recruiting top advisors will start with a different tone in the not too distant future because the era of collaborative services has arrived and transparency will dictate that investors will not trust advisors (or their firms) who are not offering stakeholder value ahead of shareholder value.

Transparency will empower the investor to see exactly how his or her best interest is being discounted for the good of the c-suites and shareholder value and they will not become a party to being the means to that end.  Those days are over.

Just as the investor is becoming empowered by technology and transparency, so too will the advisor. Autonomy will afford the advisor in the future to sit on the same side of the table as his or her clients by owning the perception of his or her authentic value which is wrought from a client-centered purpose. Shared purpose is the only way investors will trust advisors or their firms in this modern era of financial service. This is a great thing. It’s the best time in the history of financial services to become a trusted steward of wealth and every financial advisor has an opportunity to thrive in the digital age.

To create a sustainable culture of integrity that ensures growth from this point forward, recruiters are going to have to offer autonomy to advisors to empower them by allowing the to own the perception of their value. Otherwise the pending crunch that is spearheading commoditization of services and reducing margins (including NIM) will destroy the firm and the industry.

The industry will not be able to serve investors through robos and opaque sales tactics… ever.

I’m not going to let that happen and neither will you. And… neither will the firms… once they realize that autonomy is the key to the culture creation that spurs inorganic growth while harmoniously stimulating and ensuring organic growth for advisors. Own the words… own your alpha… create your own autonomy to remain relevant and become irreplaceable.

Advisor Culture

Build On Purpose

Your Digital Footprint

Sep 10, 2019

It's Yours...

You are Solely Responsible for Your Own Digital Footprint.

In The Video below Mark Cuban and Adam Grant discuss “Pitches” but more importantly the message within Cuban’s pitch is one that should resonate with the Advisor in the Future…

That message is this; Once you type an email and hit send you no longer own that email (or text or Tweet or comment) but you are solely responsible for that email for the rest of your life.

Your digital portfolio or footprint is the most valuable and most dangerous opportunity you will undertake moving forward in this industry (in regard to your brand, reputation and integrity)…

In a robo-world, you can’t afford not owning the perception of your value.

 

If you don’t own the words, you can’t own your Alpha.

If you don’t own your Alpha you can’t make it Tangible.

If your Alpha isn’t Tangible by design, you will struggle to survive.

There is unlimited upside to publishing your purpose when your Alpha is Tangible.

 

It's Yours... Forever

Take Control

Advisor Cookie-Cutter Content

Sep 9, 2019

Own The Words

Why your cookie-cutter social media posts are killing your brand and your business

The Advisor in the future must demand more independence when it comes to sharing the behavior they can promise, the experiences they have encountered and their opinions about their profession.

To remain relevant and become irreplaceable the Advisor in the future can’t continue to rely on the cookie-cutter content that (literally) every other Advisor is publishing. Your content can’t be straight off the shelf.

If you continue to post the company message masked as your Advisor Alpha, the standard by which your value is measured will be controlled by the firm (the industry) and not you… this is a fatal mistake.

You can’t afford to become known for the company catchphrase.

Your very existence depends on your ability to differentiate yourself from your competition (in-house too). You must be able to remind your clients of your authentic relevant value while at the same time exuding your Alpha for ideal prospects to discover. This is a 24/7 endeavor.

You can’t continue to rely on industry standards to deliver your Alpha for this simple reason… your clients and prospects will never be able to differentiate you from your competition (Price becomes an issue in the absence of value).

In A Robo-World

In the digital age of transparency and in the era of the 24 hour client experience it is critical that your value is distinguishable as being special. This is your livelihood… if you get complacent with your reputation by trusting the industry to define your value then you will be replaced by the industry.

If they need you more than you need them you are irreplaceable. If you need them more than they need you you are replaceable.

You can make your Advisor Alpha tangible regardless of where your desk sits

If you can’t publish your beliefs about the industry, document your experience and make statements about the behavior you can promise then you will be replaced.

You must become known for the quality of your curiosity... This is about more than asking clients great questions… this includes asking your firm questions about compliance and the parameters of your business as it pertains to your brand. Don’t leave your reputation in the hands of others to define… Own the words, own your Alpha, own your brand and own your destiny.

 

Content That Matters

Own Your Destiny

The Advisor in the Future

Sep 6, 2019

Future Advisor

How the digital age of transparency is disrupting the long-time cryptic industry of financial services and exactly how the advisor in the future will create a competitive advantage.

 

In a robo-world… change happens quickly. Advisors of today must prepare to adapt proactively to become advisors in the future.

Top Down concerns… Shareholder vs. Client-The inherent conflict between shareholder value and client value has never been more readily apparent.  (the Goldman rules) Advisors could have both shareholder and client value working seamlessly, but this can’t be accomplished with the status-quo,  this paradoxical dilemma will be solved by looking at the business from another dimension… Antiquated industry standards are not cutting it… which is why advisors today are looking for answers to better questions. How can we create shareholder, enterprize or lifestyle value by actually putting the interests of our clients in the forefront?

Client-centered reality… They are picking you… and they are armed with knowledge… In the power shift created by over-empowered investors, how will advisors create a tangible demand for wisdom? The cornerstone of the foundation of the advisor business in the future must be a client-centered purpose… without it advisors don’t stand a chance… Advisors in the future will create powerful purpose statements which differentiate them from advisors who continue to use catchphrases, value props and elevator pitches.

Sales or service… Product sales has its place but not in the collaborative world of wealth-care… Always be closing??? or Always be Collaborating? The days of clients and prospects being sold on advisor selling capability are waning… The advisor in the future will sell the appointment, not the product…

The elevator pitch is being replaced by the appointment script… because prescription without thorough diagnosis is malpractice… advisors in the future will not waste time selling products or services to prospects without first setting the appointment. For the advisor in the future, the appointment is the first “yes.”

Collaboration over consulting and sales… Advisors in the future will be collaborating with clients who are considered trusted partners. The success or the failure of the client portfolio leading to goals and aspirations is a shared responsibility… this is why… The days of selling products in a vacuum are over…Unfortunately, digital marketing of advisor services lands in a category which is being confused with sales… antiquated top-down thinking has created marketing monsters that try to close the deal on contact, putting the reputation of the advisor at great risk in the process. The reality of the digital age of transparency unveils this fundamental truth, the receiver of your digital marketing material doesn’t care about the sales pitch… they don’t even care about the solutions (yet)… they care about their issues.

The digital marketing progression for gaining interest from ideal clients is straightforward… here are the issues, here are the options, here are the solutions… If the issue is real to me, then I (the prospect) will discover your options… then (call to action) I may chose your solution if, and only if, it is a good fit for me. Advisors in the future will acknowledge this fundamental truth... they can’t be all things to all people. Advisors in the future will be leveraging this fundamental truth by first defining the solutions they provide when they customize their advisor alpha. Bottom line… there is too much digital noise to “think and do” any other way… there simply isn’t enough time.

Authenticity Integrity Trust and Accountability…  The advisor in the future will understand… they must own perception of their authenticity by owning the words… Not “owning the words” that define their authentic value is tantamount to shuttering their business tomorrow. Their behavior will hold them accountable to the words they own in the digital age of transparency… their digital footprint will become a critical aspect in demonstrating their accountability as part of her or his expected behavior. The advisor in the future will realize…This is the greatest opportunity in the history of time to maximize her or his brand and reputation with a touch of a button…

…this is also the greatest opportunity to ruin a reputation… it takes 1000 Tweets to build a reputation and 1 Tweet to ruin it…

The advisor in the future will customize a formalized progression to develop the content they publish in all forms… the content they publish will be in complete alignment with their beliefs, opinions, values, principles and client-centered purpose… and it doesn’t hurt if it leads to their solutions.

The How… The advisor in the future will become keenly aware of industry issues or “the what.”  The web is full of “the what.” In the future there will be a premium placed on understanding and leveraging the HOW. To accomplish this, advisors in the future will require a trusted collaborative partner who can help them with The How by simplifying the complexities that are inherent in the digital age of transparency. Leveraging Tangible Alpha gives advisors in the future a competitive advantage with the opportunity to own the perception of their customized value by creating a filter to turn down the digital noise masquerading as potential tactical solutions.

The advisor in the future realizes…It all begins with a client-centered foundation. Having a strategic foundation in place is a requirement for advisors who wish to avoid old-school tactics that can lead them down multiple paths and put their business at undue risk. To get and keep ideal clients in the digital age of transparency advisors in the future will be leveraging business development tools that simplify “The How.”

It is crunch time for advisors… The advisor in the future understands…To remain relevant and become irreplaceable in the digital age of transparency their competition will be leveraging the Robo Advisor Coach to create customized solutions for their business development needs. They also realize that time is of the essence. Robo Advisor Coaches that recognize the genuine concerns of Advisors and can also provide The How will become an essential component in helping the advisor in the future get and keep ideal clients in the digital age of transparency.

Keep it Tangible,

Grant

 

 

24/7 Baby...

Find Your Mojo

The Race For Relevance

Sep 3, 2019

Advisor Relevance

How the Financial Services Industry Wants to Control and Diminish the Perception of Your Advisor Value.

This has been going on for decades… the industry creates filters to get rid of the chaff and keep the wheat.

Discover how you can beat them at their own game and thrive in the digital age of financial stewardship by designing your own filters.

 

They think they can keep the assets without the help of advisors… It’s purely a numbers game. If you allow the institutions or your clients to define your value, you will become irrelevant very soon.

 

 

The McKinsey metrics-driven top-down numbers game that the financial services industry has been playing for years will get you fired if you let it.

Digital Noise

Don’t listen to the noise… be aware of the noise but don’t follow the antiquated concepts being perpetually thrown at you by the financial services industry.

In order to thrive in the new age of digital collaborative advice, you must be in complete control of the perception of your value… which means it’s okay to be cognizant of the aforementioned concepts, just don’t make wholesale changes based on fear.

What should you do?

Start Designing Your Own Filters

To distance yourself and your culture far from the inclusive sales culture of the financial services industry you can design your own exclusive filters that enable you to take complete control of the perception of your value.

 

Staying Relevant

Discover How