Richman told advisors to develop and deliver their own thesis, encouraging the attendees to have an opinion of what lies ahead. "People are not buying pie charts these days. They are buying wisdom," he said, describing a range of ways to consistently communicate with clients to get that wisdom across:

    Client conversations
    Monthly calls
    White papers
    Newsletters
    Public appearances
    Social media

Ed Jacobson of Edward A. Jacobson Associates said that successful advisors reach out to their clients two to three times more frequently. He suggested aiming for 12 to 20 client touches per year. No matter the frequency, each touch is an opportunity to share wisdom with your clients that they will helpfully share with their contacts, he said.

A memorable, personal brand
Individuals do not know what to believe anymore. However, they will believe in someone that has a clear view and acts as a leader, Richman pointed out.

When the conversations take place, an advisor needs to convey his brand, said Richman. "It should not make you sweat when someone asks you what you do," he said.

He gave the following steps to define and build a brand:

    Identify what you are best at.  Ask yourself, "What do I do well?" and "Would I hire myself?" If so, why?
    Write a positioning statement.
    Determine where you want to live in the minds and hearts of your clients.
    Clarify your passions.
    Develop a story from your life so you don't just sound the same as every other advisor.

Richman stressed, "Your passion that you bring to this life has everything to do with how to differentiate yourself," he said.

It is important to have an ideal client profile, he said. To create one, characterize your best clients. "Who do you work best with?" he asked. It is also good to know if you have a poor chemistry with certain types of clients. With the best clients, know:

    What are their primary concerns?
    What are their habits?
    What is their decision-making style?
    What is their communication style?

Also, ask clients:

    How would you describe what I do?
    What do you think of me? What words comes to mind?
    What makes us different?
    What do we really do well?

With all this information, Richman believes you can build a brand. He said to not use "brochure speak, but more people speak." Once you have it in place, communicate your brand consistently. "It needs to be embedded into all your conversations. Live your brand. It needs to be real. It has to be grounded in truth," he said.

Ways to get referrals
Mark Smith, principal of MJ Smith and Associates and affiliated with Raymond James Financial Services for the past 13 years said he had success putting six clients on an advisory board. "We are creating advocates," he said.