Tag Archives: Financial Advisor

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Episode #69 Growth Through Books and Financial Advisor Target Markets with Michael Budnick

Education, Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Prospecting, Speaking, Top Advisors, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When it comes to financial advisor target markets, one proven strategy to create extraordinary success in your business is to be crystal clear and laser focused on your Right-Fit Clients™.

That’s exactly what our guest has done to build his successful advisory practice.  

And one tool he uses to demonstrate his focus, credibility, and wisdom is a book – a book written specifically for his target market.

Michael Budnick, International Bestselling Author and Holistic Financial Planner, exemplifies this approach, targeting a specific demographic with tailored services and thought leadership. 

In this episode, Michael shares his unique story and lessons learned in building his business. He demonstrates the importance and value of focusing on a specific target market, and the role of his books in attracting new clients.

Bill & Michael Discuss:

  • Michael’s transition from corporate work to establishing Budnick Wealth Management, specializing in retirement planning and college tuition advising
  • The creation of his books, including The Prosperous Nurse, and how they serve as tools for credibility and client acquisition.
  • His strategic focus on nurses as a target market due to their caring nature and the practical business opportunities they present.
  • The benefits of having a clear financial advisor target market, such as becoming an opinion leader and creating more effective client communication.
  • The various methods he uses to promote his books and attract new clients, including LinkedIn campaigns, book signings, and leveraging client advocates.
  • …And more!

 

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Michael Budnick:

 

About Michael Budnick:

Michael Budnick is a holistic fiduciary investment adviser with Royal Fund Management. Michael has specialized in investment and retirement planning for over 25 years. His mission is to help his clients define how they want to live their retirement, and then help them realize those goals by creating a retirement strategy that is unique to them.

Previously, Michael served as Vice President for Great-West Retirement Plan Services, at that time a $41.5 billion institution. Michael managed and supervised all the company’s account executives and administrative staff in his Houston, St. Louis, and Oklahoma City offices. His leadership brought about an expansion of $1.2 billion of new assets under management for the firm. As a result, a new 16th region was created to better serve the expanded client base. These new clients included the Cities of Houston and Austin and the State of Oklahoma. As VP, Michael was responsible for the high-level management of $2.2 billion in assets and 55,000 plan participants.

In addition to helping people plan for retirement, Michael also focuses on preparing for the costs of college. As the founder of College Tuition Advisors, Michael works with students and parents to create a strategic plan for paying for college without jeopardizing their future. His goal is to ensure that every family can provide higher education for their children without endangering their finances or future retirement goals.

Michael holds life and health insurance licenses in Texas and California and has passed the Series 65 securities exam. He also has been a College Financial Planner for over 10 years and a licensed real estate agent.

Michael enjoyed a wide range of exciting hobbies, including hiking, roller and ice skating, snow and water skiing, football, horseback riding, mountain biking, and travel. These adventures are all being put on hold for the next few years, as Michael’s free time has been fully absorbed in learning a completely new set of skills: that of being a parent, with his partner Andrea, of their wonderful baby girl, Sarah Michele, born January 14th, 2019.

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Ep. #28: Building a Referral Only Practice on a Powerful Story With Tyson Vines

Education, Finance, Marketing, Speaking, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

When it comes to building a referral only practice, you want to attract prospects and build client relationships by making two intertwined connections. You want to make a value connection and you want to make a personal connection. Both are necessary, though the mix of the two may vary from client to client.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates is joined by Tyson Vines, Founder & Financial Advisor of V Financial Partners, to talk about his process for attracting and winning new clients and building highly referable relationships with them. 

Tyson and Bill discuss: 

  • Tyson’s commitment to a referral only practice – and how he nets an average of 3.5 referral prospects per week!
  • Two tragic events of Tyson’s life, and how he connects these stories to his client acquisition process.
  • His “secret sauce” for creating advocates that provide great unsolicited referrals.
  • Tyson’s mission to change the wealth management industry.
  • The core values that guide his referral only business. 
  • How he tackles the “dreaded” conversation around fees & commissions.
  • …And more!

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Tyson Vines:

About Our Guest:

After a strong Wall Street career helping sovereign wealth funds, pensions and private banks globally, Tyson Vines wanted to own a financial planning practice. He founded V Financial Partners in 2012 with the mission to care for people and their businesses through personal finance and increase financial literacy in an enjoyable, open and honest way.

Tyson’s father passed away when he was in college. Caring for his widowed mother was the top priority. The moment they met a financial adviser, emotions calmed, and comfort flowed with a sound financial plan of investments and insurance solutions.

Tyson believes everyone deserves an institutional Wall Street experience. Leaning on his global investment experience navigating the world’s largest investors through the Great Recession, V Financial Partners aims to deliver the same heightened experience to everyone. V Financial Partners offers stability and confidence to their clients.

For six years, prior to establishing his practice, Tyson was a Global Consultant Relationship Manager with Victory Capital Management, an investment management subsidiary of KeyCorp. He also worked as a sell-side equity and investment banking associate with KeyBanc Capital Markets.



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Ep. #27: Triple Threat: The Exponential Power of an Effective Financial Advisor Website, Podcast, and Target Market with Jeremy Keil, CFP®, CFA, CIMA®

Education, Finance, Marketing, Speaking, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Is your marketing strategy a Triple Threat?

There are three important marketing strategies that every top advisor should consider using in their effort to attract more Right-Fit Clients:

  1. A well-defined, profitable target market.
  2. A financial advisor website focused on client acquisition (not just a “digital brochure.”)
  3. A podcast that creates credibility in your target market.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates sits down with Jeremy Keil, founder of Keil Financial Partners, to discuss how Jeremy employs the above 3 strategies, and how they work together to create an impact greater than the sum of its parts.

Jeremy and Bill discuss: 

  • How focusing solely on the category of retirement planning has made a big difference for his clients and the growth of his business. 
  • How Jeremy built and utilizes his financial advisor website to turn visitors into clients.
  • How working with his target market (clients employed by publicly traded companies like Harley Davidson and We Energies) translates into his unique value proposition.
  • Why he started his podcast Retirement Revealed and the impact it has made on his business.
  • How by applying this triple threat marketing strategy, his referrals have significantly increased.
  • … And so much more!

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Jeremy Keil:

About Our Guest:

Jeremy Keil is the founder and financial advisor at Keil Financial Partners and the host of the Retirement Revealed podcast. He works to simplify complex financial decisions so you can make smarter retirement, investment, and tax planning decisions.

Jeremy loves helping people learn more about and feeling more confident about their money.

After graduating from college, Jeremy started out by selling suits at Jos A. Bank and working on different political campaigns.

While serving as an adjunct professor at Concordia University Wisconsin (Cedarburg), and Wisconsin Lutheran College (Milwaukee), Jeremy learned how to take complex financial topics and explain them in a way that anyone could understand.

If he could keep college seniors awake during 8 a.m. Friday classes about corporate finance, you can be sure that while working with Jeremy you’ll know more about, feel better about, and make better decisions about your money.

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Ep. #26: How to Target Millennials as Financial Advisory Clients with Ivory Johnson, CFP®, ChFC

Education, Finance, Marketing, Speaking, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , ,

According to Forbes, “Millennials will hold five times as much wealth as they have today, and the group is anticipated to inherit over $68 trillion from their Baby Boomer parents by the year 2030. This will represent one of the greatest wealth transfers in the modern times.”

There are already approximately 618,000 millennial millionaires. Millennial millionaires make up approximately 2% of the total U.S. millionaire population. The majority of millennial millionaires have a net worth that ranges from $1 million to $2.49 million and fall  between the ages of 34 and 37.

Due to inheritances, trusts and estate planning, there will be a steady flow of Millennials getting very rich soon.

The reality is that many millennials and younger clients with huge upside want to work with financial advisors, just not in the traditional way. And, you don’t necessarily have to hire younger associates to attract these younger clients.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates is joined by Ivory Johnson, CFP®, ChFC, and founder of Delancey Wealth Management. Ivory and Bill explain the importance of attracting a younger clientele, how to target millennials by adjusting your approach, and how this will benefit your business.

Bill and Ivory discuss:

  • Why Ivory believes it’s important to work with younger clients – especially the adult children of his older clients.
  • How to target millennials as advisory clients. 
  • 2 important questions Ivory asks every client in order to become more relevant and helpful to them.
  • How Ivory deals with younger clients and the fun part of working with them.
  • Why advisors need to have a social media presence to attract millennials.
  • Ivory’s optimism for technology and digital assets.
  • and more

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Ivory Johnson:

About Our Guest:

With over two decades of helping families and small businesses create and protect wealth, Ivory Johnson has seen the benefits of developing a financial game-plan. Ivory combines his extensive professional and academic experiences to diagnose an increasingly complicated world. He believes that if you can’t explain it, you don’t understand it, choosing the colloquial in favor of formal.

Ivory has a B.S. in Finance from Penn State University, is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and has been recognized by the Global Blockchain Association and RIA DAC for his proficiency in blockchain technology and digital assets. He is also a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council made up of 20 high-level financial professionals, and regularly contributes articles to CNBC.com, and has been quoted in Investment News, the Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise, Money Magazine, Kiplinger’s and other publications.



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Ep. #8: How to Ensure an Authentic Client Experience with Albert Fox CFP®, CIMA®

Education, Finance, Marketing, Speaking, Uncategorized, , , , ,

Financial advisors who focus on an authentic client experience, tend to form the strongest bonds with their clients – where the clients see their advisor as irreplaceable. 

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates is joined by Albert Fox CFP®, CIMA®, executive director and financial advisor at Fox, Penberthy & Dehn. Al discusses how he worked to boost engagement with his clients and maintain truly authentic connections that maximize their client experience. Al also shares how he leverages those connections into introductions to more right-fit prospects.

Albert discusses: 

  • What keeps him performing as a top advisor.
  • What client engagement and an authentic client experience means to him.
  • How he has worked with his team to make authentic connections.
  • How he leverages a great client connection into new clients.

Connect With Bill Cates:

About Our Guest:

Albert A. Fox: Albert Fox CFP®, CIMA® is an executive director and financial advisor with Fox, Penberthy & Dehn, who works directly with high-net worth individuals, families, and small business owners to help them achieve their financial goals. He’s ultimate mission is to inspire a level of confidence in his clients’ financial well-being, so they may pursue their passions and enjoy and preserve the wealth they’ve created. Experience, insight, action. These intrinsic qualities serve as the foundation of Albert’s practice.

Connect With Albert Fox:

 

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Ep. #6: Client Appreciation Events: Using Retirement Parties to Grow Your Business with Joe De Sena, CFP®

Education, Finance, Marketing, Speaking, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Retirement is such a major milestone in everyone’s life. And while there is no shortage of ideas for client appreciation events, retirement parties are definitely one worth considering. Hosting one of these unique client events not only helps financial advisors create client loyalty for life, it also provides an excellent opportunity for reaching new qualified prospects.

In this episode, Bill Cates interviews Joe De Sena, CFP®, MBA, private wealth advisor at Siena Wealth Advisory Group, about how Joe has leveraged this event marketing strategy to build and extremely successful financial practice. 

Bottom Line: Joe De Sena’s retirement parties yield new clients almost every time. These are not just “feel-good” events. These are business-building client engagement, client appreciation events. 

In this episode, Bill and Joe discuss: 

  • The success Joe has found in hosting retirement parties for his clients – to help him exceed the $1 billion in AUM mark.
  • What it truly looks like to organize these client appreciation events, whether they are virtual or in-person.
  • How retirement parties lead to appointments with qualified prospects right at the event – without asking for them.
  • Other events Joe’s firm has used to enhance client engagement.

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect with Joe De Sena

About Our Guest:

Joe De Sena CFP®, MBA is a private wealth advisor at Siena Wealth Advisory Group. Joe has been a financial advisor for 27 years. Joe is passionate about protecting his clients and their families from the unexpected. Joe loves to travel, read, run marathons and do charity work.

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Ep. #4: Building a Financial Advisor Business Plan that Aligns with Your Ideal Life with Peter Oldziey CFP®

Education, Finance, Marketing, Speaking, , , , , , , ,

Most financial advisors get into this business to create freedom and flexibility in their lives. The problem is, very few actually achieve that. Instead, they are tied to their business. The business owns them.  Can you relate to the pain of this unhealthy scenario? If so, how do you create a financial advisor business plan that is actually in alignment with the life you WANT to lead?

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates, CSP, CPAE is joined by Peter Oldziey CFP®, of Peter A. Oldziey & Associates. Peter discusses his vision for his ideal life and business, and how he executed a business plan that created both.

Peter discusses: 

  • What triggered his decision to pursue his dream business and ideal life. 
  • How he homed in on providing unique client experiences.
  • How his financial advisor business plan evolved into being “by-referral-only.” 
  • Why and how he used different forms of accountability to ensure his success.

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

About Our Guest:

Early in Peter Oldziey’s CFP® education career he realized he was an entrepreneur at heart and embarked on a career as a financial advisor. Peter has had his own practice in Dover, Delaware since 1986. Along with building a flourishing practice, Peter has put a high premium on professional development earning the designations of Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) in 1990 and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant in 2000.

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Ep. #3: How a Business Friendship Can Turn a Loyal Client into an Advocate with Lester Matlock CFP®, CRPC®, APMA®

Education, Finance, Marketing, Speaking, , , , , , , , ,

Many financial advisors like to keep an arm’s length distance between themselves and their clients, keeping everything strictly on the professional level.

But many of the most successful financial advisors are doing the opposite.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates, CSP, CPAE is joined by Lester Matlock CFP®, CRPC®, APMA®, private wealth advisor. Lester discusses his Bucket List Campaign and how he creates a business friendship with clients, so they become his biggest advocates. 

Lester discusses: 

  • Why he sold part of his practice to focus on a more targeted market.
  • How he got started helping his clients accomplish some of their Bucket List items.
  • What the Bucket List Campaign is and how it works.
  • An example of how his business friendship with one of his clients made a huge difference for her and her family.

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Lester Matlock:

About Our Guest:

Lester Matlock’s CFP®, CRPC®, APMA® first passion is being a financial advisor and mentor. Mentoring students has afforded him the ability to pay forward the guidance and counseling he received as a student. Extreme fitness and mixed martial arts are his most common pastimes when he and his wife are not traveling. He’ll confess, collecting cuff-links (especially vintage) has fast become a favorite hobby of his.

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Ep. #2: The Benefits of Narrow Target Markets for Financial Advisors with Adam Cmejla CFP®

Education, Finance, Marketing, Speaking, , , , , , , ,

You’ve undoubtedly heard about the benefits of highly-focused target markets for financial advisors. But perhaps you have reservations and worry that if you go too narrow, you’ll be missing out on valuable opportunities.

If you’ve been considering a specific target market, then perhaps this interview will tip the scales in that direction for you.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates is joined by Adam Cmejla CFP®, president of Integrated Planning & Wealth Management. Adam discusses his decision to focus on a very specific target market, which has brought him to an extraordinarily high level of success.

Adam discusses: 

  • How he started by targeting “white coat professionals,” but eventually narrowed his focus.
  • Why he believes strongly in the value of hyper-specific target markets for financial advisors.
  • The two bullseyes Adam shoots for that has enhanced his reputation and increased his revenue.
  • Why he launched his podcast, 20/20 Money, and how that as worked as a magnet to attract more ideal clients.

Resources: 

Connect With Adam Cmejla:

Connect With Bill Cates:

About Our Guest:

Adam Cmejla CFP®, has been a financial advisor for 13 years. He helps optometrists nationwide make smart and informed decisions with their money in their practice and in their lives. Host of the “20/20 Money” podcast. Named to Investopedia.com’s 100 Top Financial Advisors of 2019 and Investment News’ 40 Under 40 for 2021.

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