And so will technology—both how you harness it to improve your practice, and how you differentiate yourself from the services that robos and other platforms can provide faster and cheaper than you can.

John sees the tech revolution as both a challenge and an opportunity, especially for smaller RIAs. “On the challenge side, I think there's no doubt robos will capture a portion of market share,” he says. “But on the flip side for an advisor, technology makes them more efficient. They can serve more clients, more touchpoints, provide a great client experience.”

Technology is not a substitute for the human experience. Rather, it’s more like a superpower. Being very thoughtful about how and when you use technology to enhance your client touchpoints will enable you to automate the rote work while personalizing the high-value work.

Leverage your humanness.

So, what are you good at? Specifically, what are you better at that no technology can replace? What are the things you would like to get back to doing on a daily basis, if not for the grind of running your firm?

Every advisor has different answers to these questions, but a common theme for many of us is restoring a human touch to a business that the public now views as robotic: Money goes into the app, a golden egg comes out in 20 or 30 years.

If it really were that simple, then the doomsayers would be right about the financial advisory business.

“I so believe in the human connection,” says John. “I don't buy into ‘technology is going to take over this industry in a big, big way.’ I still believe when the individual and the buyer sit across the table from the client and they have empathy and they listen about what their challenges are or what they want to achieve in their life, I think that is so, so powerful if you do it right and if you're the right person for it.”

Creating those kinds of powerful connections creates clients for life. But it also takes the time, energy, commitment and focus of…well, an Ironman!

One way to leverage your humanness is to ask more life-centered questions. Past podcast guest Ross Levin is a master at asking these types of questions. He typically asks questions such as:

• What does two million dollars (i.e., insert the amount they are investing) represent to you?

• What will that do for you?

• What do you think that’s going to provide for you?

• What was it that brought you here?

• What are you thinking about?

• What are the things that you have experienced around money that you feel aren’t productive?

• What are the things where money has gotten in the way for you?

 Despite all the headlines, we’re not in a business where the best technology wins. Humanness wins.