When a potential client searches for a financial advisor, you don’t want them to select you based on some arbitrary reason, such as the location of your office. You want to attract clients based on your personality, strengths and vision. In other words, you want to harness the power of your brand.
Standing out from the crowd of financial advisors can be challenging, but if you take the time to develop your own personal brand, the results are extraordinary. Financial advisors who create and communicate their brand experience increased confidence, higher visibility and more referrals, among many other benefits.
Identify Your Strengths
The first step in building your personal brand is determining what sets you apart from other advisors. Characteristics that determine your edge include your strengths, motivations and values.
When working with financial advisors, I ask them to make a list of their strengths. They often reply with “I don’t really know” or even complete silence. They take for granted the things that they do the best because it’s second nature. Next, I tell them to ask three to five colleagues, referral sources, close friends or family members to provide a list of the financial advisor’s strengths. The result of this process is amazing! In each case, there are common characteristic between the lists. My clients are happy to know that people who they value see value in what they do.
Now you’re ready to move on to the second stage of the process.
Create Your Power Pitch
Some call it an elevator speech or a 30-second commercial, but it’s really a power pitch. A power pitch explains four critical things:
· Who you are
· What you do
· How you do it
· Why you love it
My clients who have used this process to create their power pitch have dramatically increased engagement, confidence and referrals.