Do you have an “origin story”? Are you using it to attract more Right-Fit Clients™ and become more referable?
Have you figured out how to find your niche market – specifically one that’s clearly defined and profitable? Have you moved away from prospecting to attracting people to you?
In this episode of Top Advisor Podcast, host Bill Cates interviews financial advisor Dan Brothers, CFP®, who shares his insights on using his origin story to build rapport and trust with clients. Dan also reveals his strategy for selecting and focusing on a clear target market, that has propelled him to the top echelon among his peers.
Bill & Dan discuss:
Utilizing your “Origin Story” to connect with clients and prospects on a personal level
The importance of being genuine and authentic in how you communicate your value to prospects and clients.
Factors to consider when trying to figure out how to find your niche market in financial advisory.
His decision to focus on a niche market of individuals nearing retirement and the subsequent choice of a second niche to focus on asset accumulation.
The role of his wife, Ashley Brothers, in defining her own niche with blue-collar-millionaires.
Originally from Wappinger Falls, NY, Dan Brothers began his career in 2009. After seeing firsthand what can happen to families after catastrophic loss, Dan joined became an advisor to ensure he would be able to do everything in his power to help individuals and families prepare for what lies ahead.
Dan has built his practice in the North Shore of Boston over the last decade plus. The practice is focused on individuals and families within 5 years of their desired retirement goals.
What would your business (and life) look like if you started working with ultra-wealthy clients ranging from $40 to $100 million?
Working with ultra-wealthy clients can be more complex than “merely” high-net-worth clients. These individuals have distinct needs, expectations, and concerns that require a specialized approach from financial advisors, planners, and wealth managers.
In this episode of Top Advisor Podcast, featured guest David Kirschenbaum, a Tiger 21 Chair, sheds light on the unique perspectives and requirements of wealthy entrepreneurs. Tiger 21 is an organization whose members have an average net worth of $117 million.
Bill Cates and David Kirschenbaum discuss the fact that these wealthy entrepreneurs are not solely focused on accumulating wealth but also on preserving their assets.
This focus necessitates a holistic approach to ultra-high net worth wealth management that includes comprehensive financial planning, tax optimization, risk management, estate planning, and philanthropic strategies. Advisors and wealth managers need to go beyond traditional investment strategies and consider the long-term preservation of substantial wealth.
In this engaging conversation, you’ll gain insights into:
The unique challenges and opportunities faced by wealthy individuals, and the importance of having the right trusted advisors in their corner.
How advisors need to demonstrate the ability to collaborate and coordinate with a range of professionals to provide a cohesive, integrated approach to ultra-high net worth wealth management.
The fee-sensitive nature of these wealthy individuals (seeking great transparency and value-based services).
What a representative of an RIA said to this group about how to select the right financial advisor.
How too many advisors still ignore the spouse and other family members, causing them to lose clients.
David Kirshenbaum’s varied and successful business career, including how he has created huge business deals using his vast “relationship capital.”
David has had a successful career working for a number of entrepreneurial, fast-growing, and diverse businesses across law, real estate, venture capital, private equity, family offices, and operating businesses in senior operations/leadership positions as well as business development and transaction management. Based on these experiences and the growth of a significant network of contacts, long-term relationships, and strategic partners, David decided to launch MeadeCo LLC in 2018.
David started his career as a transactional real estate attorney at what is now one of the largest law firms in the world. Following the completion of his MBA, David transitioned to leadership positions in finance, investment management, real estate development, real estate investment and asset management, and private equity.
With a strong desire to combine the skill sets that defined him in earlier stages of his career, David was named CEO of a venture capital start-up that was focused on selling products into the world of real estate. While a short-lived experience, David gained valuable insights into the challenges and economics of earlier-stage companies in need of capital.
Following his CEO role, David acted as a special situations investment banker working with a variety of companies on matters ranging from restructuring to debt placement for “storied credits” and company sales. Employing entrepreneurial instincts and practical operational knowledge, David was able to complete a series of transactions to assist clients with a variety of needs.
While David was pursuing a successful career across a range of industries, he aggressively pursued investments across a broad spectrum of economic activity that broadened his knowledge base and allowed him to leverage hard-fought lessons across three-plus decades of entrepreneurial activity in a variety of endeavors. David’s investment portfolio, together with his role as advisor/mentor and board member to early-stage CEOs has given him a unique perspective on the financial and operational needs of companies that require debt financing or advisory assistance.
Tired of blending into the crowd? Discover the strategies that will help you forge solid client relationships and become a standout financial advisor.
In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Tony Maree Torrey, author of Your Million Dollar Accelerator: Six Proven Strategies to Grow a 7-Figure Financial Practice, and Business Coach for Financial Professionals, to explore strategies to help financial advisors grow their practices. Tony shares her six core strategies for attracting, converting, and accelerating client relationships.
Bill and Tony emphasize the importance of clarity in targeting the right market, establishing expert authority, and leveraging networks.
Bill and Tony discuss:
The aspiration of financial professionals to achieve a seven-figure practice.
The 6 core strategies to help financial professionals build client relationships that are covered in Tony’s book.
The challenge of standing out in a crowded marketplace, and the need for financial professionals to be seen as thought leaders and trusted experts.
The value of producing a book so as to establish authority and expert status.
Examples of clients who benefited from implementing Tony’s strategies.
The benefits that come from focusing on a niche market.
For 20 years, Tony Maree Torrey has been hired by Financial Professionals, Founding CEOs, celebrities, athletes, and other top performers who want to make a difference for themselves, their businesses, and the future.
With the power of traditional coaching and psychology, evidence-based, advanced modalities, and smart business strategies clients learn to win from within, activate their highest impact, and expand personal fulfillment.
Clients have generated multiple 7-figures
Fast-tracked or turned-around businesses
Built real estate empires from scratch
Written best-selling books
Landed TV and movie roles
Launched professional speaking careers…
Australian-born, she arrived in the US in 1989 with nothing but a backpack. Tony Maree climbed the corporate ladder to lead global teams and a $25 M product portfolio. A chronic overachiever, she was simultaneously investing in real estate, building an executive coaching practice, and juggling a busy family life.
It is my sincere hope that you are not attempting to do financial planning without gaining the full context of your clients.
Our guest on this next episode of Top Advisor Podcast, Abbey Henderson, has coined the phrase, “Authentic Wealth.”
In a nutshell, Authentic Wealth is bigger than just financial accumulation and management. It recognizes the interconnectedness of all aspects of life. It is created when your five key resources (Finances, Mindset, Relationships, Health, and Time) are aligned with your values and your vision. These resources are used to achieve the impact you want to have on yourself, your family, your community and the world.
Everyone – advisors and their clients – should consider embracing and using this concept of Authentic Wealth.
In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Abbey Henderson, CFP®, CEO, Wealth Advisor & Coach, Abaris Financial Group. Abbey explains her holistic approach to financial planning that integrates life coaching.
Discover the success behind Abbey’s “Five Lever Friday” newsletter, offering weekly insights into improving various aspects of life. They also explore the role of podcasting in building authentic connections with Abbey’s audience, serving as a powerful referral tool.
Bill and Abbey discuss:
Abbey’s model of Authentic Wealth
How Abbey’s holistic approach has made her more referable and helped her accelerate the growth of her business.
Her decision to become a Certified Life Planner and Certified Life Coach and how it has added results-producing depth to her financial planning.
Common limiting beliefs and mistaken assumptions around money and how she helps clients overcome their ability to sabotage results.
Her decision to start a podcast, the initial hesitations, and the role of ProudMouth in helping her launch the podcast.
How podcasting serves as a tool to create more referrals, while helping build trust and credibility with clients/prospects – even before the first meeting.
About Abbey Henderson:Abbey Henderson, CFP®️ RLP®️ CPCC®️ CAP®️ AEP®️ is the CEO, Wealth Advisor & Coach of Abaris Financial Group LLC. She strives to help her clients live their best lives. To figure out what lights them up, how they will feel most fulfilled, and leave a legacy they are proud of. Matching resources to dreams is her specialty. In 2001, she decided it was time to follow her dream of being an entrepreneur and Abaris Financial Group was born. They’ve since grown from Abbey alone in a small office to a six-person staff with over 175 clients.
Your continued success is predicated on your continued relevance and becoming “the advisor of choice.” Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. However, one of the most effective ways to accomplish this and build lasting client relationships is through storytelling for financial advisors.Our guest calls this the Founders Story.
As artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet continue to transform the accessibility of financial information, creating a strong human connection has become more important than ever before.
Our featured guest, Jason Jenkins, delivers two critical strategies for connecting fast with prospects, and winning new, right-fit clients:
The Founders Story
The Question Funnel
Join Bill Cates and Jason Jenkins, Executive Vice President Of Sales at Simplicity Group, as they delve into the indispensable value of human connection and personalized storytelling for financial advisors .
Jason and Bill discuss:
How to use your The Founder’s Story as a powerful method to connect with clients.
A structured approach to craft your own story, and if you already have one, to make it even more impactful.
How to use a Question Funnel to elevate your client/prospect meetings – to bring more value and win new clients. Key skill sets for advisors to differentiate themselves to be successful in the future – both near and long-term.
The power of active listening and authenticity as part of storytelling for financial advisors.
Founder of AssetLock and currently Executive Vice President of Sales at Simplicity Group Holdings, Jason has been in the financial industry for over 20 years and brings an independent, client-centered approach to the firm. Jason graduated from Westmont College in 1997 with a B.A. in Business & Economics. He later received his MBA from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2005.
In 2010, Jason was recognized by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine with the ‘Top 40 Under 40″ distinction, recognizing San Diego’s “Brightest Leaders of Today and Tomorrow”. Jason has also helped start a non-profit, the Human Factor Leadership Academy, that is helping educate underprivileged children in Ghana, Africa.
Good health and sufficient wealth go hand in hand. They are intricately intertwined.
Most advisors try to ensure their clients don’t outlive their wealth.
A select few advisors work to ensure their clients wealth does not outlive their health.
As a nutritional expert and the author of the book Wealthy, Healthy, and Wise: How To Make Sure Your Health Lasts As Long As Your Money Does, David Meinz is on a mission to help advisors lead healthier lives so they can impact more people with their important work.
David also helps advisors bring this powerful knowledge to their clients, to help their clients stay healthy so that they are able to enjoy their wealth. This, in turn, creates deeper client relationships and generates more referrals.
Bill and David discuss:
The biggest health priorities financial professionals face.
The significance of maintaining a healthy weight and the role of insulin levels in weight control.
How age and body composition, particularly gut fat, can impact health risks.
The impact of alcohol consumption on health.
The marketing opportunity for financial professionals to position themselves by addressing the whole person, not just financial advice.
Strategies for financial professionals and their clients to reduce and deal with stress.
David Meinz, MS, RDN, FAND, CSP is a highly sought after international Keynote Speaker and Author. Groups worldwide have utilized his innovative strategies for improving both personal and organizational health performance. His expert insights help organizations of all types and sizes improve employee retention, decrease absenteeism, enhance productivity, and produce more profitable results.
He has successfully presented to Financial Services groups, Young President’s Organizations, Health Care groups, and many others for over twenty years.
Audiences love David’s interactive approach, fun style, and action-oriented focus that allow participants to leave with ideas and action steps that they can implement to produce immediate results.
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 WinFramework, 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.
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.
The Language of Referrals: The Words & Scripts Financial Professionals Use to Gain More Ideal Clients.
Every financial professional understands the power of referrals and personal introductions.
Marketing experts extol the virtues of building a referral-based business. However, while providing overarching strategies and concepts, they don’t tell you how to actually create results.
In this exclusive interview, Bob Burg (author of Endless Referrals and The Go-Giver Series) interviews Bill Cates – widely known as “The Original Referral Coach” in financial services.
While discussing the release of Bill’s latest book, The Language of Referrals, Bob and Bill explore the core principles and practical strategies for mastering the art and skill of building a referral-based business. They offer insights into promoting introductions, overcoming objections, effectively getting introduced, and more!
Bill and Bob discuss:
Bill’s motivation behind writing The Language of Referrals. “Does the world need another book about referrals?”
The self-talk and mindset required to produce more and better introductions to quality prospects.
The important difference between “referrals” and “introductions.”
The challenges and misconceptions around asking for referrals and how those can impact an advisor’s ability to produce results.
The language of promoting introductions to generate high-quality unsolicited introductions.
The importance of being specific in asking for introductions and the language that can be used to make a focused request.
Understanding and addressing client reluctance to providing introductions.
The language of turning a client’s willingness to refer into introductions and solid connections.
Bob Burg shares how a subtle shift in focus is not only a more uplifting and fulfilling way of conducting business but the most financially profitable way, as well. For 30 years he’s helped companies, sales leaders, and their teams to more effectively communicate their value, sell at higher prices with less resistance, and grow their businesses based on Endless Referrals.
Bob has regularly addressed audiences ranging in size from 50 to 16,000 — sharing the platform with notables including today’s top thought leaders, broadcast personalities, Olympic athletes, and political leaders including a former United States President.
Bob is the author of a number of books on sales, marketing, and influence, with total book sales approaching two million copies.
The American Management Association named Bob one of the 30 Most Influential Leaders and he was named one of the Top 200 Most Influential Authors in the World by Richtopia.
Bob is an advocate, supporter, and defender of the Free Enterprise system, believing that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people they serve.
According to actuaries, you and your clients are underestimating how long you are going to live.
Therefore, most people don’t plan properly, and most financial advisors aren’t even aware of this.
This interview with Marc Pace – Founder of the Vital Longevity Institute – has two parts:
Part 1 – Why most people (advisors included) underestimate their life expectancy, and how you can use this new awareness to better serve your clients.
Part 2 – How you can use this new knowledge to grow your business.
Mark and Bill discuss:
The history of the origins of retirement and what that means to you and your clients.
A story of a nine-year-old running the wrong race serves as a metaphor for how most people have the wrong goals and expectations in life (and financial planning).
The unique traits and habits of individuals who live to be 105 years or older.
How the act of seeking and striving, as well as a sense of purpose, can extend the years of your life and the life of your years.
The adjustments you’ll want to make in how you approach planning.
The Vital Line program for financial planners, which includes coaching and consulting services to help them change their perception of aging.
CASE STUDY: How belief-modifying techniques, like the “Possibilities Explosion” tool, significantly boosted a financial advisor’s seminar success.
As founder of The Vital Longevity Institute and creator of the Vitalign System and the Complete Wealth Planning System, Mark Pace has exposed once and for all the deeply held yet false and ruinous beliefs holding everyone back. Spoiler alert: these false beliefs are the cause of practically every type of suffering in our society.
Mark has been delivering quantum change dynamics that, for the first time in history, counteract the cultural forces preventing people from living their perfect life, the one they deserve, the one they were meant for. He teaches a simple, powerful, proven, and immediately effective daily process for making rapid, permanent, positive changes. And, he inspires people to reset their life clocks so that their future will always be bigger, better, and brighter than their past… no matter how long they live!
Mark’s work is based on 40-plus years of entrepreneurial success, 20 years of research, and over three years of field testing.
Are you producing results with LinkedIn? Or do you wonder why you even have an account?
I’ve run into very few advisors who are seeing a straight line to ROI with their activities on LinkedIn.
Mando Sallavanti is clearly an exception!
Effective LinkedIn prospecting for financial advisors requires more than just creating a profile and posting content. It also requires a strategic approach to engaging with your target audience, building relationships, and converting prospects into clients.
In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Armando (Mando) Sallavanti III, CFP®, CLTC®, SaaS’s Financial Planner. Mando shares his journey to success as a financial advisor using LinkedIn. Mando emphasizes the power of authenticity and active engagement on the platform, making 70 comments per day to attract potential clients. (Say what?) And he focuses on creating conversations and building relationships by engaging with influencers in his target market.
Bill and Mando discuss:
● His experience of pursuing his natural market, hiring a marketing agency, and using automation on LinkedIn, which didn’t yield results.
● His decision to shift how he approaches LinkedIn prospecting for financial advisors, and how he discovered his target market in the tech sector.
● The importance of using real-life scenarios and examples in content to make it relatable and resonate with the intended target audience.
● The strategy of making a high number of comments on LinkedIn as a prospecting method to generate opportunities.
● How LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards commenting activity and the importance of striking up conversations with others on the platform.
● Tips on identifying influencers within his target market.
● …And more!
Resources:
● RapidFire Referrals
● Ep. #49 – LinkedIn for Financial Advisors: Insider Strategies for Getting Your Posts Seen with Richard Bliss
Connect With Bill Cates:
● BillCates@referralcoach.com
● Referral Coach Homepage
● Hire Bill for Coaching
● Enroll in The Cates Academy™
Connect With Mando Sallavanti III:
● LinkedIn: Mando Sallavanti III
● asallavanti@financialguide.com
About Mando Sallavanti III:
Mando Sallavanti III is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) based out of MassMutual Greater Philadelphia. Mando made a mark as the youngest-ever Blue Chip Council qualifier in the company’s history in 2021. His notable accolades include securing titles such as “Rookie of the Year” and “New Advisor of the Year” in 2021. With a primary focus on serving individuals in the Tech sales or SaaS sectors, Mando has skillfully leveraged LinkedIn as a pivotal tool in his professional journey, boasting an impressive following of over 19,000 individuals.
Armando Sallavanti is a registered representative of and offers securities and investment advisory services through MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. Supervisory Office: 2 Bala Plaza, Ste 901, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. Tel: 610.766.3000. Sallavanti Financial Services Co. is not a subsidiary or affiliate of MML Investors Services, LLC. or its affiliated companies. MassMutual refers to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (Springfield, MA 01111-0001)
