Prospecting, business development, client acquisition. No matter what you call it, one thing is certain: Top financial advisors know that continuously courting new clients is key for long term success.
Developing your business without coming off “salesy” requires a bit of creativity. Cold emails, sponsored luncheons or Facebook ads all run the risk of feeling impersonal.
As a result, many financial advisors are discovering another path: sharing their unique knowledge in a book, and using the book to engage and educate potential clients, differentiate their services, build trust, and establish credibility in their market.
Though too many financial advisors spend endless hours writing and publishing a book only to find that despite all their hard work in creating an amazing product, people don’t know about it. Their masterpiece ends up sitting on a shelf collecting dust, rather than helping them.
The dust-collecting stops here. Having worked with over 1,500 authors to successfully launch their books, I’ve pulled together five specific ways financial advisors can use a book to increase authority, generate referrals and open prospect conversations.
1. Reach the masses by helping just one. First and foremost, your book should focus on answering a specific question.
Why? Because readers who go to Amazon for a financial planning book know exactly what they’re looking for, and they type that question into the search bar whether it’s “How to save for college,” “How to plan for retirement,” “How to invest in cryptocurrency,” etc.
Your book should answer a question people are asking, and Amazon needs to know what that question is.
Does your book tell people how to invest in cryptocurrency? Title it something catchy, but then ensure your subtitle includes a line like “How to Invest in Cryptocurrency.” Amazon will know what your book is about, and readers will know that your book can answer their question.
Include the same phrase in your book description, and add it to your keywords too. The idea is to teach Amazon’s algorithm to send people to your book whenever they ask your specific question.
Once your book has answered that question successfully for even one reader, that reader will start recommending your book to other people.
2. You already have a fan base. Use it.
When it comes to recommending your book, no one will do that more consistently than your best clients. Help them do that by giving them a few copies of your book to give away.
You’re not asking them for a favor. You’re giving them a gift. Everybody likes getting something for free. And they’ll have friends who also like getting things for free.
Remember, you’re not using your financial planning job to build a career as an author.
You’re using your book to build your career as a financial planner. So, don’t be concerned about giving your book away. The point is to use it to bring in new clients and make money by expanding your practice.