SMART ADVISOR MARKETING

We just returned from the Senior Market Advisor Expo in Las Vegas. We can’t say enough about the quality of the folks that came by to see us. This year there was a genuine interest in trying to offer quality service to their clients. Most of the advisors were trying to build systems to stay in communication with their clients. Most of the advisors we spoke to were also recognizing that they needed to get a strong internet presence to reach the baby boomer market. And many advisors were focusing on systems to reach the children so they could keep the assets.

The educational sessions were similarly focused on communication and building stronger relationships. The most highly regarded session had to be from Kelly Shaw, who talked about the ‘Top Ten Tips from Leading Advisors’. He constructed it by interviewing top advisors at the conference - these are guys who are generating $750,000 to over $1 million a year in income.

From their comments he put together an entertaining presentation that included several important lessons.

When Kelly got to the #1 Tip he said you have got to embrace technology and specifically you need to get started with BuildYourMarket.com. We were standing in the back of the room and it really caught us by surprise. We knew Kelly was a big advocate, but he really thanked us for making a big difference in his business. He was very enthusiastic about our drip marketing campaigns, client greeting cards, newsletters and our website. If you want to know more about Buildyourmarket, check out one of our Power Marketing webinars.

One of his big themes was ‘wowing your clients’. He’s really talking about how you can distance yourself from the competition by making a major commitment to stronger client relationships. At one point he talked about client events. He explained how smaller events like a movie preview or a summer picnic can make a big difference in how the clients perceive you. These events are great incubators for client referrals.The other big point he made was that you need a strong newsletter program. He related two stories: the first was about a client who received his newsletter for two years before they moved an additional $700,000 in assets to his firm. In the second story, he talked about picking up a new client as a direct result of a charitable IRA strategy that was featured in one of his newsletters this spring.If you are interested in more tips from the conference, subscribe to our newsletter where we will be featuring them over the next few weeks.