Tag Archives: Client Relationships

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Episode #62 The Fastest Way to Win (and Keep) Ideal Clients with Jay Baer, CSP, CPAE



Speed Kills?  Speed Wins?  It depends!

According to research – speed impacts revenue, speed impacts loyalty, and speed impacts emotions.

Understanding this crucial dynamic, Bill Cates engages in a compelling conversation with Jay Baer, a distinguished business growth and customer experience strategist, researcher, author, keynote speaker, and B2B influencer. 

Jay’s newest book, Time to Win: How to Exceed Your Customers’ Need for Speed, will likely change how you view some aspects of your client service model.

Together, they dive into the critical role of speed and responsiveness in client service for financial advisors. Jay introduces his Time to Win Framework, offering six strategies to improve responsiveness. They also cover proactive communication, managing expectations, and the psychological effects of responsiveness on client trust. 

Jay & Bill Discuss:  

  • How your clients’ expectations around responsive service have changed, and why you better pay attention
  • The quality of information from Artificial Intelligence,  concerns about its impact on financial advisors, and its potential as an efficiency tool.
  • What Jay means by speed, and why it has become such an important element of the client experience
  • How clients equate speed of response with respect, and how that impacts loyalty and referrals.
  • How long clients will be patient waiting to hear back from their advisor.
  • Why advisory firms need to elevate speed on their priority list (because prospects and clients already have).
  • Overview of Jay Baer’s “Six-Piece Time to Win Framework.”
  • How and why you better change your approach to responding to client queries when you don’t have an immediate answer.
  • Jay’s unexpected success as a tequila influencer and educator.
  • …And more!

 

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect with Jay Baer:

 

About Jay Baer:

Jay Baer started his career in politics, as a direct mail specialist for a United States Senator.

After brief forays into government service (as a spokesperson), and environmental services (as a marketer for a garbage company), he stumbled upon the Internet back when domain names were still free.

Seeing and seizing a business growth opportunity, Jay created and sold multiple digital marketing and customer experience companies, including Convince & Convert, one of the world’s most successful digital strategy advisory firms.

In the early 2000s, Jay conducted a tour for the publication of his first book. This adventure ultimately spawned his career as a well-known keynote speaker and event host.

Because Jay was a strategist and advisor long before he was a professional speaker, his presentations are highly customized, and filled with useful frameworks and practical advice. Organizers bring him back time after time because he constantly writes new material, and audiences grow their businesses as a result of his advice.


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Episode #56 A Simple Weekly Strategy for Elevating Financial Advisor Productivity with Brian Margolis



It’s not an accident that Productivity and Proactive start with the same three letters. 

Pro can mean For and Forward. I’m all for moving forward, how about you?

If you’re like most advisors, there are days where you feel very productive and know that you are moving your business forward. You probably have other days (too many?) where you’re simply being reactive.  You’re doing things you know you need to do, but those days don’t often feel as rewarding.

Is it possible to go from a reactive practice to a proactive practice? 

Is it possible to decrease your time working, while simultaneously increasing your revenue?

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Brian Margolis, Founder of Productivity Giant and author of “The Index Card Business Plan.” 

Brian and Bill explore the power of using pillars to maximize financial advisor productivity. Brian explains the three categories of pillars and shares strategies for overcoming internal resistance. He also emphasizes the importance of focus management and shares real-life success stories of advisors who have implemented The Pillar System.

Bill and Brian discuss: 

  • The three pillars essential for financial advisor proactivity: activity/consistency, learning/effectiveness, and strategic.
  • How to identify skills with the highest ROI – so advisors can make intentional choices related to focus and skill development.
  • The role of support staff in helping advisors maintain the right habits for success.
  • The concept of focus management, which emphasizes the need to protect and manage one’s mental energy.
  • Real-life case studies of success where established advisors have transformed their businesses by focusing on specific pillars adapted to them – including one advisor who doubled their yearly AUM growth while working one less day per week.
  • The value of the Friday night feeling, indicating the satisfaction of completing key tasks as a reliable measure of success
  • …And more!

 

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Brian Margolis:

About Brian Margolis:

Brian Margolis is a former environmental scientist turned entrepreneur. He is the founder of ProductivityGiant.com and author of the book “The Index Car Business Plan for Sales Pros and Entrepreneurs”

Brian’s Pillar System helps sales pros and entrepreneurs create a strategy so simple, it fits on an index card…but so powerful it’s helped create 7-figure earners and has been licensed by some of the largest companies in the world to train their teams.

Brian has been a partner or consultant in multiple ventures ranging from startups to national brands. He has worked with everyone from Shark Tank Entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies. Both his accomplishments and failures span a variety of industries.

In addition to his above work, and appearances on some of the largest business and sales podcasts in the world, he is still in the trenches having done thousands of individual coaching sessions with sales pros and entrepreneurs.


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Ep. #40 Explosive Growth and Getting Referrals Without Asking with Warren Brooks and Terry Parham Jr.



Imagine that you are getting so many unsolicited referrals that your new prospective clients are willing to be placed on a 4-month waiting list to see you. A pipe dream?  Not necessarily. Our featured guests on today’s show are experiencing this right now.  

How are they getting so many referrals without asking?  With strategic relationship building, minor celebrity status in their target market, and a dash of effective social media.

In this episode, Bill Cates interviews Warren Brooks and Terry Parham – Co-Founders of Innovative Wealth Building. They explain how they’ve built a steady flow of referrals without asking with a strong emphasis on building personal relationships with clients by going the extra mile. 

Bill, Warren, and Terry discuss:

  • The success resulting from their rapid growth – $100M in assets in their first year of going independent.
  • Their focus on building relationships with the extended family members of their clients.
  • How going above and beyond for clients and building personal relationships is the reason behind their explosion of referrals without asking.
  • How giving back to the community through sponsorships and participation in events can help build “celebrity status” that generates continual interest. 
  • How social media and their website actually converts prospects into clients.
  • …And more!

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Warren Brooks: 

Connect With Terry Parham: 

About Warren Brooks:

Warren Brooks is the President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and one of the co-founders of Innovative Wealth Building In a world of tough financial choices, Warren has been a beacon of knowledge for his clients since 1999. 

​Warren has started over 1,000 new clients in his career and has amassed an impressive amount of knowledge over the years. As a result, Warren has become locally renowned as the go-to planner for Federal Employees and widows/ widowers that are navigating one of life’s biggest challenges.

What’s possibly most impressive is the relentless dedication that Warren has shown his clients over the years. When Warren says he will be there you know that he will, even if that means driving across the country or hopping on an airplane.

​Prior to becoming a financial planner, Warren honorably served 24 years in the United States Navy and retired as a Senior Chief Petty Officer. Additionally, Warren graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management.

About Terry Parham:

Terry is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and one of the co-founders of Innovative Wealth Building. Terry joined the financial services industry in 2011 and has held positions as a: Financial Planner, Corporate Trainer, and District Manager. Terry loves to talk about investments and also enjoys diving into the weeds of retirement income planning. When he’s not working directly with clients, Terry spends time mentoring other advisors and presenting financial education to individuals and organizations.

​Terry graduated from St. Lawrence University with a double major in Economics and Psychology and a minor in Mathematics. Always on the quest for knowledge, Terry has earned the following certifications: Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP), Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP), and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU).