How do you differentiate yourself as a financial advisor? For Carson Coaching‘s Greg Opitz, it comes down to understanding and communicating your greater purpose: to help people. By embracing purpose, advisors can differentiate their planning process and build their brand. This will build excitement and engagement among team members and confidence among clients.
Greg has been working with advisors his entire professional career. He was Director of the Student Service Center at the College for Financial Planning before serving as Managing Director of Certification Services at the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Since joining Carson in 2006, he has helped members better run their businesses and achieve their purpose.
“When advisors better communicate their value, clients better understand it. And because they better understand it, they are more likely to implement it,” Greg says. “They leave the office feeling comfortable, and advisors will get more wallet share capture and referrals.”
The members he coaches are achieving between 40% and 45% of their new assets from existing clients.
In today’s episode, Greg speaks with Jamie and Ana about his unplanned entry into financial services, how advisors can develop their own unique mission and vision statements, the real value an advisor brings, a pragmatic approach to moving the industry to a profession, the silver lining of the pandemic and more.
Key Takeaways
- The role of the advisor has shifted. In addition to helping clients with investment management, they are also helping with financial and overall wellness. Advisors are in the life enrichment business.
- At the core, what advisors really sell is comfort and confidence. Their purpose is to help people.
- Wallet share capture and referrals are the outcome of having a branded, differentiated story, connecting that story to the planning process and ultimately tying it back to your purpose and mission statement for clients. That’s what will help clients feel confident about the future and help you grow organically.
Quote
“When it comes to mission statements and taglines, I always suggest people remove the word ‘financial,’ because you’re helping with more than just their financial lives.” – Greg Opitz
Links
Carson’s coaches work with thousands of FPA members. Schedule a consultation to learn more about how Carson can help you grow your business.
