The Financial Advisors Success Manual

Do you want to become a million-dollar financial advisor, boost client satisfaction, and dramatically expand your business? This book provides all the answers and strategies you need to do just that. Complete with proven techniques, expert insights, and practical tips to maximize your profitability, The Financial Advisor’s Success Manual will show you how to break the cycle of moderate growth by teaching you how to: Develop a differentiation strategy Define and implement your six core client-facing processes Balance the cost of services with the value delivered Enhance client loyalty Perfect your personal marketing and sales approach You didn’t start your financial services firm with a goal of modest gains. So don’t settle for that! By implementing the methodologies and strategies in this manual, you can grow your business beyond your wildest expectations--all while serving your clients better.

"I'm just not getting the right guidance or training!" "There must be a better or easier way to grow my business!" "I'm doing everything I've been trained to do, but it's not working!" Do Any of These Statements Sound Familiar? Unfortunately, most training material is designed for advisors who've been in business five or more years. Why? Because over 80% of licensed financial advisors fail and are out of business within those first 5 years! This is an intimidating statistic and the reason why I created... Financial Advisor Secrets of Success If you have the drive and determination to create your own success, then this book will give you the tools you need to beat those odds: Mission & Value Statements - Top 50 Marketing Strategies - Networking Plans - Advertising Strategies - Objections & Responses - The Ultimate Prospect Question - Setting the Appointment - Strategic Annual Plans - Scripts & Templates - Business Plans - Plus So Much More!

A must-have reference for financial advisors In step-by-step detail, Success as a Financial Advisor For Dummies covers how a current or would-be financial advisor can maximize their professional success through a series of behaviors, activities, and specific client-centric value propositions. In a time when federal regulators are changing the landscape on the standard of care that financial services clients should expect from their advisors, this book affords professionals insight on how they can be evolving their practices to align with the regulatory and technological trends currently underway. Inside, you’ll find out how a financial advisor can be a true fiduciary, how to compete against the growing field of robo-advisors, and how the passive investing trend is actually all about being an active investor. Additionally, you’ll discover time-tested advice on building and focusing on client relationships, having a top advisor mindset, and much more. Master the seven core competencies Attract and win new business Pick the right clients Benchmark your performance Start your own firm Brimming with practical expert advice, Success as a Financial Advisor For Dummies is a priceless success tool for any wannabe or experienced financial advisor.

Being a successful financial advisor is one of the greatest jobs you could ever imagine. You are your own boss. You can tailor the job to your interests. You can make a lot of money. You can see the results of your work almost immediately. If you structure your business correctly, you can control your work schedule to achieve a balanced lifestyle. And the financial marketplace is constantly changing, so no matter how long you work as a financial advisor, the job is never boring. The questions that new financial advisors have are not new, but are often not addressed by any formal training program. I hope this book provides you with the perspective required to be a better decision maker and to avoid some of the most common pitfalls of financial advising. Armed with this knowledge, you can hit the ground running, fortified with the survival techniques necessary to enhance your chances of building a successful career as a financial advisor.

The financial planing profession is undergoing a transformation from the historical approach of transactions and straight asset accumulation to an integrated financial and life planning strategy for customers. Your Clients for Life: The Definitive Guide to Becoming a Successful Financial Life Planner is a roadmap that financial planners can use to understand how to make the connection between financial planning and life planning. Its premise is that advisors of the future will need to deal more with money as an element of a client's life that cannot be viewed alone.

According to the U.S. Office of Statistics, financial planning is one of the fastest-growing careers in America today. Over 200,000 financial presently work in the marketplace, and the growth rate continues in the double digits. Of those financial planners, over 40 percent are self-employed or outside affiliates with financial institutions. Certified financial planners usually come from financial backgrounds, including accountants, bankers, MBAs, or brokers. But what do you need to become a CFPr and how can you make it a successful career path? The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Personal Financial Planner has it all.

The Marketing Guide for Financial Advisors uncovers the truth about how independent advisors really get new clients in a digital world. Learn what no one wants you to know about marketing, how to avoid wasting money on your marketing, and the secret to unlocking your marketing potential, including: Why digital marketing is so challenging in financial services How to create a website that converts Email marketing strategies for financial advisors Using social media to get in front of your ideal prospects Search engine optimization to get more traffic to your website Content strategy to start the conversation Embracing a specialty to command higher fees Using webinars to warm up prospects In this exclusive guide, you'll learn proven strategies from top advisors to grow your firm and uncover a step-by-step process to build your marketing engine. About the Author Claire Akin, MBA grew up in the financial services industry working with her father, an independent financial advisor of over 35 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's of business administration. Claire founded Indigo Marketing Agency to help independent financial advisors reach more of their ideal clients. It's her mission to help financial advisors grow their firms through digital marketing.

"Jeff Rattiner has found another way to help producers. This book is a must-have for financial advisors, especially those that aspire to be Million Dollar Producers." -Thomas B. Gau, CPA, CFP President and CEO of Million Dollar Producer "Jeff Rattiner has done it again! His book displays all the essential tools and techniques necessary for advanced planners to succeed in this business. Rattiner's easy-to-read style provides the best in marketing and practice management ideas. This book will help you if you have hit a dead end in your practice. Rattiner tells it like it is by providing a no-nonsense approach to truly taking your practice to the next level. A must-read for the serious financial advisor." -Jim Cannon, President, SunAmerica Securities, Sentra Securities Corporation, and Spelman & Co., Inc. Financial planners provide a variety of services to an array of clients but lack a uniform system for creating a profitable business. Rattiner's Financial Planner's Bible: The Advisor's Advisor collects best practices from the nation's leading financial planners, presenting a prototype turnkey model for achieving financial success for both the client and the practice. Financial planning expert Jeffrey Rattiner emphasizes an ethical, practical approach to financial advising, placing paramount importance on "doing what's best for the client." Drawing on extensive interviews and his own experience, Rattiner delivers can't-miss tips on marketing a financial planning practice, developing an infrastructure, crafting strategic alliances, assessing a business's profitability, and creating the model twenty-first-century practice. This authoritative guide also covers: * Forming a planning advisory board * Establishing a realistic chain of command * Delegating responsibility * Making technology work for you * Charging clients appropriately Running a financial planning business need not be an exercise in trial and error. Rattiner's Financial Planner's Bible delivers a compelling model for advising success.

Selling is as old as civilization itself. Put in the simplest of terms, selling is the exchange of goods and services for something of value. To financial advisors, however, the sale is often seen in a negative light, and many cringe at the word "sell." Interestingly, the same advisors who shy away from the concept of selling are often those who find themselves selling every single day! Sometimes they're even participating in the selling process multiple times throughout the day--and they may not realize it. Asking for client referrals, developing strategic alliances, seeking and talking with new prospects are all obvious parts of the selling process, but selling happens every time you remind a client why it's a good choice to do business with you, too. The fact is that most CFAs(R), CFPs(R), CPAs, and other professionals did not obtain these titles because deep down they really wanted to be in sales. Most times, their interests tend more toward data, analysis, and more solitary orientations. Selling is probably the last thing those who entered these fields were thinking of doing. They may not have considered the "people" aspect of their chosen profession; the aspect that involves sales. For this reason, and some others, turning into a salesperson seems like a negative, degrading thing. Many advisors will conjure up the picture of the slimy used-car sales guy. It's time to recognize selling as the valuable activity that it is. It is a way to: Let people know who you are and what you do well. Get your message out to those who need it. Promote your planning process, wealth management services, or investment expertise. Use your relationship skills to close new business. Take your business to the next level. If you want to grow your business, the bottom line is that you--or someone on your team--need to sell, and to sell well. This book will offer guidance on how you can sell in a comfortable and effective manner.

Thrive in a changing industry by putting your people first Advisory Leadership is a practical and highly executable guide for financial advisors and finance professionals looking to thrive in today's changing financial services industry. Written by a leading financial advisor with practice improvement expertise, this book shows you how to master the art of leadership while remaining agile and adaptable. You'll learn the seven steps you must take to keep pace and thrive amidst the industry's evolution, with clearly articulated explanations and motivational action items. The discussion covers patience, integrity, compassion, respect, consistency, encouragement, and courage—the foundations of success and continued growth—and shows you how to practice what you preach with real strategies for living the vision and being a true leader. The financial services industry is at a crossroads, between a generation on the cusp of retirement and the new generation stepping in to take its place. This transition has been called a crisis of culture, of values, and of communication, but it's really an opportunity. This book faces the changes head-on, and delivers practical solutions that start and end with your greatest resource—your people. Unlock the secrets to a people-first company Speak openly, walk the walk, and promote personal growth Reward firm-wide collaboration and a team mentality Reshape your company's DNA to thrive in today's financial environment The industry's overarching question is one of differentiation: how can your firm stand out amid the rise of robo-solutions and an unpredictable future? Advisory Leadership shows you how a people-focused company culture can elevate a firm from surviving to thriving.