The ClientWise Blog

An opportunity to test and learn new acquisition strategies

Lately, whenever I talk to one of our clients, I make it a point to ask them what their year-to-date new households/ new clients numbers look like. Almost every response has been “oh, not great!” But when I then ask them what their year-to-date net new money looks like, the vast majority tell me that those numbers are up.

Without a doubt, it’s a terrific accomplishment to be net positive in new assets during a year of unprecedented turbulence. But if this is the situation you currently find yourself in, it’s important to acknowledge both the good and the bad. You should be supremely confident in the fact that you’re growing your wallet share. It’s a clear indication that your existing clients – despite the ongoing turmoil – have growing confidence in your ability to help them weather the storm.

Sit down at a lunch table during any advisor conference, and I can pretty much guarantee you that sooner than later, the topic of conversation will gravitate to client referrals. In fact, I can’t think of a more fitting battle flag motto for most advisors than "referrals, referrals, referrals! ” Don’t get me wrong, referrals are great; and by all means you should keep asking for them.

BUT…if you really want your referral game to work big, you need to go small.

Late last year, I led a working session of sixteen advisory clients – all but one of them managed in excess of $1B in assets (with at least two firms north of $2B in AUM). I was more than a little surprised to learn that not a single one of them had a professional advisory board (not even an informal one).

I’m not talking about a client advisory board. That’s a different animal – focused on relationship building, networking, and client service. Instead, I’m referring to a trusted source of business insights and advice from other entrepreneurs who’ve experienced the same or similar issues, challenges and concerns; a genuinely valuable sounding board for when you’re doing your SWOT analysis and long-term planning.

The very first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City on September 5, 1882. And on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers; the contributions they have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

For most of us, Labor Day has always marked an end to summer – parades, picnics and one last warm weather gathering with friends and family before the kids head back to school and the days become noticeably shorter. It goes without saying, however, that the unprecedented nature of this ongoing pandemic has changed everything this year.

New clients and new talent have never been more accessible

Perhaps all this industry buzz and talk about entering “a new normal” is legitimate, and that the way you conduct the business of advising your clients has irrevocably shifted. Or maybe it’s all just a massive overreaction to a serious (but temporary) disruption – a speed bump on the financial planning highway which a year from now will be just another business war story.

The jury remains out as to which legacy will ultimately prevail.

Moore’s Law states that every two years the number of transistors on a microchip will double while over the same period the cost of computers will halve. Rather than a traditional law of physics, it’s an observation and projection that we can expect the speed and capability of technology to regularly increase while the corresponding costs decrease.

Yet many advisors get complacent when it comes to technology. If something has served them well thus far, why switch horses in mid-stream? As Marshall Goldsmith points out in his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, “successful people believe there is always a link between what they have done and how far they have come—even when no link exists. It’s delusional, but it is also empowering.”

Bringing the best out in your team during challenging times.

While compliance requirements may limit some financial advisory firms from using certain technologies, online collaboration tools have quickly gone from useful conveniences to mission critical applications in a matter of weeks. From Zoom video conferencing to DropBox file sharing, Google Docs collaborative editing, Basecamp project management, and WorkBoard OKR software, advisors are relying more and more heavily on collaborative tools to keep your businesses running efficiently.

As we all collectively go through a process of totally reinventing our workplace, processes and service delivery models – with a clear understanding that working virtually will most likely be a long-term rather than a short-term solution – it’s going to become increasingly critical to facilitate and streamline team communications.

If you’re like many advisors, you probably associate certain social networking sites with specific functions. Facebook is the platform you turn to for attracting new prospects and engaging with existing clients. Twitter is the platform you use to disseminate timely information and build your credibility as a “thought leader.” LinkedIn is the site you rely on to network with other advisors as well as to cultivate and engage with your network of professional advocates.

While those are certainly logical uses, the important question to ask yourself is whether or not they are the ONLY uses. Are you getting maximum benefit out of the time you invest in social media?

From time to time, I write about the growing relevance and importance of social media. Unfortunately, for many of you affiliated with broker-dealers, the topic has proven to be a veritable minefield of shifting internal policies and procedures. Let’s be honest – a social media policy that relies on pushing out pre-approved “canned” messages and insights that bear little to no resemblance to your unique personality, style, tone or views, is by and large doomed to fail. But just how engaged with social media are your wealthy, older clients? Is it a genuinely viable communication channel?

The social media space can be an overwhelming environment, especially in an industry in which it’s just becoming “acceptable” or commonly practiced. Even our marketing team and digital community managers at ClientWise are constantly commenting on how much they do to keep up with the latest and greatest in the world of social media.

You are probably at a point in your career where you're acquiring clients in a variety of ways.  If you have an active professional network, you might be finding centers of influence in lawyers and CPAs who refer you clients. If you have developed strong relationships with your current clients, you are probably also receiving referrals from them on a somewhat regular basis. Perhaps when you receive these referrals you’re introduced via email, maybe even in person. Either way, you can almost guarantee that when it comes time to make a decision, that referral will visit your website before they contact you.

In August we published a blog about going digital in one weekend. Have you done it yet? Well, if not, you’re missing out. Social media expert Amy McIlwain, who specializes in the financial services industry, explains exactly why in her recent article “20 Astonishing Social Media Statistics for Financial Advisors.”

Thinking about increasing your digital footprint? Your kids are constantly on social media, your wife has created various profiles to promote her business, heck, even your mother is online sharing content and promoting her favorite brands and causes. You dabble occasionally, but usually only if forced, and if you’re like most financial advisors, the thought of going digital in your business seems like a lot of effort for very little return. But the truth is, it’s the way of the world, especially if you are looking to target a younger generation of investors that will keep your business sustainable and growing into the future. .

As a featured participant at The 2014 LPL Financial Focus Conference in San Diego next month, we’ve been working with many of our LPL clients on maximizing their attendance at these types of events. 

No matter how you look at professional conferences—a necessary obligation, a break from an otherwise stressful work week, an opportunity to meet new people, a place to get free stuff—they usually take up a full day and almost always fall short of your expectations.  So how do you avoid this and make what might seem like wasted time, an incredibly productive investment of your time?

Prime location, check. Leading financial media outlets, check. Top financial advisors, check. Eager investors, check. Celebrity appearances and life-changing giveaways, check and check! The first ever National Financial Advisor Week has got it all, and Advice IQ, its host, isn’t testing the waters. They’re going in head-first with a full takeover of Times Square, and the result is anticipated to be as impressive as the approach.