Tag Archives: Trust-Building

#98 – The Crisis of Differentiation: Michael Kitces on What Actually Works for Advisors

September 24, 2025Client Experience, Client Experience & Loyalty, Finance, Practice ManagementAdvisor Marketing, Client Referrals, Differentiation Crisis, Financial Advisors, Holistic Planning, Kitces Research, Messaging Strategy, Podcast, Target Market, Top Advisor, Trust-BuildingTop Advisor Podcast

Financial advisors face the real challenge of proving their worth to clients who have more options and skepticism than ever before.

How do today’s top advisors cut through the noise, establish credibility, and attract clients in a way that actually works?

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Michael Kitces, Chief Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com and a leading voice in the advisory profession, about what truly moves the needle for financial advisors.

They tackle the foundational role of trust, the evolving meaning of holistic advice, effective tactics for client acquisition, and what separates advice-focused advisors from product-driven ones. The conversation also looks ahead at the future of financial planning and practical strategies advisors can use to grow their firms.

Michael discusses:

The essential role of trust in both building relationships and driving client acquisition
How advisors can leverage “borrowed trust” through referrals and other trusted sources
His mission to make advisors “better and more successful”
The changing definition of a holistic advisor and the increasing importance of delivering real, advice-first value to clients versus just selling products
Research-backed insights into which marketing activities effectively generate new clients and revenue for advisory firms
…And more!

Sponsors:

SHOW SPONSOR: ProudMouth
EPISODE SPONSOR: IronClad Family | Holistic Advisor Guide

Resources:

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Michael Kitces:

About Michael Kitces:

Michael E. Kitces, MSFS, MTAX, CFP®, CLU, ChFC, RHU, REBC, CASL, is the Head of Planning Strategy for Focus Partners Wealth, a private wealth management firm located in St Louis, Missouri, that oversees more than $50 billion of client assets. In addition, he is the co-founder of the XY Planning Network, AdvicePay, fpPathfinder, and New Planner Recruiting, former practitioner editor of the Journal of Financial Planning, and the publisher of the e-newsletter The Kitces Report and the popular financial planning industry blog Nerd’s Eye View through his website www.Kitces.com, dedicated to advancing knowledge in financial planning.

Michael is also a popular speaker on financial planning and practice management topics, and can be seen presenting at 50-70 regional and national conferences for financial advisors every year.

Michael is one of the 2010 recipients of the Financial Planning Association’s “Heart of Financial Planning” awards for his dedication to advancing the financial planning profession. In addition, he has variously been recognized as financial planning’s “Deep Thinker,” a “Legacy Builder,” an “Influencer,” a “Mover & Shaker,” part of the “Power 20,” and a “Rising Star in Wealth Management” by industry publications. These awards were presented to honor Michael’s active work in the financial planning community. Michael is also a co-founder of NexGen, a community of the next generation of financial planners that aims to ensure the transference of wisdom, tradition, and integrity from the pioneers of financial planning to the next generation of the profession.

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#77 Using Video to Attract, Engage, and Retain Your Ideal Clients with Katie Braden, CFP®

November 13, 2024Client Experience & Loyalty, Creating Advocates, Education, Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Practice Management, Prospecting, Speaking, Top AdvisorsAuthenticity, Bill Cates, Client Engagement, Client Relationships, Common Mistakes, Financial Advisors, Katie Braden, Market Volatility, One-to-One Videos, Operational Efficiency, Personalized Content, Podcast, Practical Tips, Team Showcase, Top Advisor, Trust-Building, Video MarketingTop Advisor Podcast

Video marketing is a powerful tool for financial advisors to build trust, provide value, and create meaningful connections with clients.

How can you effectively use video to attract clients and maintain strong client relationships?

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Katie Braden, CFP®, Founder and Chief Video Officer of Advisor Video Marketing, to explore how financial advisors can effectively use video to attract new clients and strengthen current client relationships.

By listening to this episode, you’ll learn actionable strategies and best practices for integrating video into your marketing and client engagement efforts, drawing from real-world examples and expert advice from Katie.

Bill and Katie discuss:

Different ways advisors can use video to enhance client experience and drive business growth
Overcoming common fears and obstacles in creating authentic and effective video content
Practical tips for setting up and optimizing your video environment for professional quality
Specific case studies showcasing how top-performing advisors are successfully using video to build trust and deepen client relationships
…And more!

Resources:

Connect With Bill Cates:

Connect With Katie Braden CFP®:

About Katie Braden:

With 18 years in financial services, Katie Braden turned her passion for helping the industry evolve into Advisor Video Marketing. Her mission? To make video marketing accessible and enjoyable for financial advisors. She’s not just another consultant; she’s a pioneer who started one of the first virtual, fee-only financial planning firms. Katie has also consulted for financial professionals in over 35 countries.

She obtained her degree in photography from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, before returning to the U.S. and joining her mother’s RIA in 2006. Her credentials include being a CFP® professional, an InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 alum, and ongoing service on the CFP Board’s Women’s Initiative (WIN) Council. Through her workshops and services, she’s here to help you use video to improve your client experience and expand your reach.

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

April 10, 2024Education, Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Prospecting, Speaking, Top AdvisorsAdvisor, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Author, Client Events, Client Experience & Loyalty, Client Relationships, Client Service, COI's, Communicating Your Value, Creating Advocates, Efficiency, Financial Advisors, Financial Advisory Industry, Jay Baer, Leadership, Life Balance, Managing Client Expectations, Marketing, Philanthropy, Podcast, Practical Strategy, Practice Management, Proactive Communication, Professional Speakers, Prospecting, Psychological Impact, Referrals, Referrals & Introductions, Researcher, Responsiveness, Social Media, Target Marketing, Technology, Time To Win, Top Advisor, Trust, Trust-Buildingtopadvisorpodcast

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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