Tag Archives: Return on Investment

#99 – What Every Advisor Needs to Know About Storyselling and Life Planning with Mitch Anthony



If you think numbers and charts are enough to win clients, think again.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews renowned author and speaker Mitch Anthony about the decisive role of storytelling and life-centered financial planning. 

Mitch shares how neuroscience has proven that emotional connection, not just data, drives decisions, and how financial advisors can uncover deeper client relationships through meaningful conversations.

He also unpacks the real promise advisors should be making, that is, helping clients get the best life possible with the money they have.

Mitch and Bill Discuss:   

  • How story-based communication triggers emotional engagement and decision-making better than logic-heavy pitches
  • Why advisors should uncover the client’s story before telling their own, and how that builds trust
  • The importance of using relatable metaphors to explain complex financial concepts
  • The shift from ROI-focused advising to Return on Life (ROL) and values that can’t be easily compared
  • Simple but profound questions advisors can ask to build deeper connections without taking more time
  • …And more!

Highlights:

  • [00:04:15] Mitch defines “storyselling” and why it works so well
  • [00:14:30] The mistake most advisors make with stories – and how to fix it
  • [00:26:10] What life-centered planning really means (hint: it’s not just about the numbers)
  • [00:38:45] How to shift your discovery process to focus on “return on life”
  • [00:48:00] Mitch’s advice to advisors looking to deepen client loyalty

Sponsors: 

Connect With Mitch Anthony:

Resources: 

Connect With Bill Cates:

About Mitch Anthony:

For more than two decades, Mitch and his team have provided training and development for both individual advisors and major organizations throughout the world. Mitch personally consults with firms around the world on both life-centered financial planning and relationship development.

Mitch is a consistently top-rated presenter who has spoken around the world, from private client events to audiences of more than 10,000. He has been named “one of the most meaningful speakers in financial services today” and hailed as one of the industry’s top “Movers & Shakers” for his pioneering work. Along with Texas Tech University, he has developed a certificate program in Life-Centered Financial Planning.

Mitch is a sought-after expert for the media and a regular columnist for Financial Advisor magazine. His columns have appeared on CBS MarketWatch and in the Journal of Financial Planning. Mitch is also host of the daily radio feature, The Daily Dose, heard on over 100 radio stations nationwide.

StorySelling for Financial Advisors, cited by Financial Advisor magazine as the number one “must-read” book for financial professionals, is an industry standard. In addition to The New Retirementality (now in its 5th edition) and Your Clients for Life, Mitch is the author of many groundbreaking books for advisors and consumers, including Defining Conversations,  The Financial Professional’s StoryBook, Your Client’s Story, Selling with Emotional Intelligence, The Financial Lit-Kit (The Cash in the Hat, The Bean is not Green, and Where Did the Money Go?), and Life-Centered Financial Planning.


Feature

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.