Are you chasing a home run or a run home?

I’ve just started playing baseball this summer and I received some sound advice from my baseball coach (we finished on top of the ladder so it must work). It applies equally in business if you want to win the long term game.

Are you trying to hit a business ‘home run’?

Are you always searching for the illusive next big thing to bring home all your hard work and make all the ‘slogging away’ worth it?

You go to conferences, PD Days, networking events, do online courses or listen to others on a podcast spruiking the ‘magic bullet’ they found, their ‘big-hitting’ home run story that got them where they are today.

Whether it was a lucky strike or payoff from years of hard work, they made it.

Your turn must be next, right?

However, at the end of the day, it’s the runs on the board that ultimately determine success.

You could hit an almighty, earth-shattering exciting ‘home run’ and score instantly.

Kudos to you!

Or, you might score by taking one base at a time, starting strong by getting onto first base, strategically taking second, powering to third… and going all the way and sliding home.

However, you do it, getting home is what makes the run count.

Slower and steadier might not be as glamourous as one massive hit, but what are you chasing – the instant glory or the long-term results?

What are the decisive steps you need to repeatedly take in your business to progress you to the next base?

Is it:

First base: focusing on delivering a more enjoyable experience (thinking about how working with you makes people feel);

Second base: engaging clients with more meaningful communications (relevant conversations or content that helps solve their problems or achieve their desires), or;

Third base: better positioning your offer and how you help, so clients understand the value of your advice and willingly commit each and every year?

Home: More clients, more money, more impact.  A business that makes you proud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don’t have to get this right in one hit.

Take action, get traction and keep moving one step closer.

This way, everyone wins.

Ps. We’re now into the finals so taking this advice counts big time. Wish us luck!

Have you ever admitted you are not perfect?

Owned up to making mistakes, accepted you are not always right (mmmmm) or that things do not always go your way?

If you answered yes to any of the above – congratulations!

It means you are human.

This is a good thing.

The new language being spruiked today has moved away from B2B (Business to Business) or B2C (Business to Client).

Instead it is about H2H – Human to Human.

Breaking down the virtual walls that have stood between people when they move into ‘business mode’ is now becoming the new normal.

People want to do business with real humans.

They want to work with people they know, like and trust.

They want to genuinely connect, find a place where they can relate and develop relationships where they feel understood.

So many ‘experts’ maintain a clever poker face, hide their imperfections or

omit to share anything other than their wins and successes.

They believe that in order to play the ultimate professional and provide specialised financial advice, they will be undermined if a client finds a ‘chink’ in their human armour.

I get it – I have felt this way for most of my life too.

However, imagine if a prospect or a client discovered you were not the perfect flawless creature you make out to be?

What do you think would happen?

Let me tell you what I have seen happen to clients when advisers break past the illusive ‘perfection’ barrier:

• Their relationships are stronger and based on a deeper level of trust and likability.

• They have more confidence in their advisers ability to support them on their journey as they feel they can genuinely relate to their situation.

• They are more confident knowing that if faced with adversity or challenge, their adviser will be capable of pulling out all stops to make things right.

• Clients are less likely to ‘hold back’ and will more readily share their fears, challenges or inadequacies if they know you have been there too (or along those lines).

• It boosts your credibility, as clients know their adviser is vulnerable and susceptible to life’s curve balls as they are. You just have the tools, knowledge and expertise to deal with it more effectively.

And one of the best ways to show how human, and imperfect you are is to do VIDEOS! 

You know what I mean. 

There is nowhere to hide and no better place to be real.

Whether you use video, or tell stories, by sharing the fact that you make mistakes, you can be wrong, you can stuff up and you can fail provides an opportunity to demonstrate how human you are – and this make you more relatable.

How you can take your imperfections or mistakes and help clients’ be better prepared and set themselves up for a more certain future.

It’s the classic ‘been there, done that’ scenario.

Some of the greatest lessons in life are learnt from making mistakes.

If you were mistake or error free, then you would have missed out on some of the best learning’s possible.

And life would be boring, right?

What are you doing to expose yourself as being human in your business?

I’d love to know.

It’s 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, and you’ve just plonked yourself on the couch with a beer, the remote and a Collingwood vs Essendon game.

Eddie Maguire’s (briefly) stopped talking, and it’s seconds away from the opening centre bounce.

You here a, “Pppp-sssssshhhhhhh”. But it’s not from the TV.

A pipe has burst under the kitchen sink and your home is quickly starting to resemble a wading pool.

You scramble.

In 5 minutes you’ve Googled for a local emergency plumber and he’s on your doorstep in 15 minutes. The search and decision choice is fast and easy. He’s the only local plumber who does weekend callouts.

And you need him, NOW.

How people purchase financial planning

Compare that with how people search, find and “buy” financial planning.

• They might have a need, but in their eyes, it’s not immediate.

• They might ask family, friends and colleagues for a recommendation.

• They might be referred by an accountant.

• They might see an ad in the local freebie paper.

• They might have heard of someone through a local community group.

• They might jump on Google and spend hours trawling through the websites of the top 20 financial planners in their local area.

At some point in the search, most people are going to go looking for a website.

The things is, the websites of most financial planners look, feel and sound very much the same.

It’s all about ‘best interests, fee for service, holistic advice’ and services that include insurance, estate planning and investments.

There’s pictures of compasses, piggy banks and nest eggs.

The problem is – this is not what people want.

And in the eyes of your future clients, it’s all blah, blah, blah.

They don’t connect, so they do nothing.

What do people really want?

Compared to selecting an emergency plumber, choosing a financial planner is a decision that’s higher priced, a bigger risk, and way, WAY more personal.

And helping people understand the benefits and outcomes of what you do, is far more important than just listing ‘what you do’.

They want to know how you can help them:

• ‘Do’ and ‘have’ the things they enjoy and that matter to them

• Look after the people they love

• Protect them from life’s ‘what-if’s’

Standing out with the right message so clients understand… is what matters.

Say hello to education-based marketing

What if your website (and message) was different?

What if it was all about how you can make a difference in your clients’ life?

What if it helped people connect and relate so they thought “I need what they’ve got”?

Here’s a couple examples how you can make it happen:

• What if you told a few stories about your client’s successes – making them the hero – so people can see real examples of the results?

• What if you explained some key financial concepts so people can increase their knowledge in an accessible, non-threatening way?

• What if you explained a bit about ‘why’ you do what you do, your process, and what happens in the first meeting, to help minimise the fear of the unknown? It’s simple really.

Just share your knowledge in a way that’s helpful to your ideal clients.

Keep it simple.

Keep it useful.

And make it all about them! (The client).

You can do it using whatever method makes sense for your clients.

Some will prefer to read, while others may prefer to watch a video.

It won’t take long to start building a library that will set you apart from the rest.

And you’ll be creating an asset that has both real business value, as well as being helpful to people, whether they become clients or not.

Helping future clients take action

So once people have done all that searching, researching, reading and watching, what happens next?

By the time they pick up the phone:

• They’ll already know about you.

• They’ll understand how financial planning can help them.

• They’ll know you know what you’re talking about.

• They’ll be grateful you’ve shared your knowledge – for free!

• They’ll remember you, because your website stands out from the crowd.

It’s the ol’, “know, like and trust” in action.

And it’s going to make that first conversation and initial meeting a whole lot more pleasant for both of you, and more likely of a positive outcome.

What do you think?

Oh, and if you want to grab your own animated videos to add to your website, check out the ones we have available here.

Bringing on a new client is an exciting time.

It’s the start of a new relationship and an opportunity to help make a real difference in someone’s life.

But from a new client’s perspective, particularly one that hasn’t used an adviser before, it can be a time filled with uncertainty, uncomfortable conversations and a whole lot of paperwork.

So thinking carefully about how best to guide and control your new client through the process, using systems that facilitate the desired outcomes and experience, for both your client and your business, is incredibly important.

And that’s where onboarding comes in.

Because it’s those first experiences that set the tone for the entire relationship.

Onboarding is the process, path and the touchpoints that take your client from “newbie” to “established”, in a way that has them feeling confident and in control.

Done right, it helps them make the decision to keep going – with you!

The key is to ensure each step focuses on achieving the next success milestone for your client, and an opportunity for them to feel and see progress.

Your onboarding process doesn’t have to be all meetings, ‘thud-factor’ documents and boring emails.

It can be a combination of events and experiences – both big and small – that are self-directed or guided by you.

And video can be one way to add a little spice to the process and turn a forgettable client experience into a memorable lasting one.

Send an interactive first appointment confirmation message

When confirming the all-important first appointment, why not do more than just send a standard ‘text’ only email.

You could introduce a little bit of ‘wow’, and take some of the stress and fear away from the first meeting experience.

Using an email template and a pre-recorded video, you can quite literally show your new clients what to expect.

Your video can show the outside of your office and surrounds to help people get their bearings.

It can show your reception area, introduce your staff, and get clients familiar with what to expect in your meeting rooms.

And if parking or access is a bit tricky, you can also show people the best spots or any little tips to make getting to your office easy.

Explain your process

The financial planning or mortgage broking process can be overwhelming if you haven’t been through it before.

So being able to explain the steps to a new client in a quick, clear and simple way, can help set their expectations.

But let’s face it.

You probably don’t want to be having the same conversation over and over again with each new client.

And that’s where animated videos can help.

They’re short and scripted so you hit all the important points.

They hold people’s attention and are a little more engaging than your typical process flow-chart.

Summarise your meeting action steps

One of the challenges of providing effective financial advice is being able to demonstrate and lead clients towards the kind of behaviours that will help them achieve their goals.

And sometimes that means leaving clients with a couple of things they need to do, after a meeting.

Some clients will love the simplicity of a checklist, while others will respond to something more creative.

Try recording a quick, personalised, “what to do next and why” video on your smartphone, upload it to YouTube using the Capture app, and set it to private so it’s only accessible via direct link.

It will help reinforce what you’ve discussed in your meeting and encourage clients to take action and start making progress.

Educate clients about the basics

New clients will often be introduced to concepts and technical terms that they aren’t familiar with or have never given much thought to before.

And while most advisers try hard to avoid jargon and keep things simple, having a library of explainer videos on hand, can be a big help.

Whether it’s explaining what an income protection policy is, the risk-return trade-off or fixed versus variable loans, explainer videos can help support your conversations and face-to-face explanations.

Don’t think just because you’ve explained something in a meeting the client will instantly “get” it or even remember it.

Providing a snappy little video summary can be the trick to embedding that knowledge long-term.

Walkthrough technology

Many financial advisers make use of software like Moneysoft or Pocketbook, to help their clients manage their own budgets.

And while the software is pretty simple at face value, being able to show your clients a few quick wins to get them up and running quickly and reaping the rewards is worth the effort.

Using a tool like LOOM, you can easily record a simple video showing the first few vital steps.

Of course, the software tools themselves will have their own support systems, but by recording your own videos, you can emphasise the features and rationale that complements your own process and philosophy.

Designing a consistent onboarding process that’s engaging, sets expectations and creates a positive experience that is a win for both you and your clients.

And it can also lead to more referrals as news of your tiny ‘wow’ moments, gets around.

So tell me, what’s one step you can take towards improving your client onboarding process this week?