Archive for November, 2010

 If you want a website to work you must do three things. The first is make it personal, I can’t tell you how many times I say this. Most websites for financial advisors are basically the same, using the same vocabulary, completely non authentic, rigid and boring. I just read an email from Financial Advisor magazine about upgrading your website, EVERYTHING they suggested was technical and NOTHING was personal. Making it personal is a natural for most female financial advisors yet few women actually use their website to differentiate themself.  Look at your own website, what are you saying that really stops you short? 

In addition to making it personal if you want your website to work for you it must Active.  There are typically two ways you can use a website.  A Passive Website is used like a business card or brochure, when someone want’s to learn more about you and your credentials they can go to your website to get more information. Most all financial advisors utilize a passive website, it does nothing to drive new business to you it just supports and validates who you are. 

On the other hand an Active Website drives traffic to your site and is constantly giving prospects and clients a reason to go back to your website.

There are a number of ways to create an active website:

1.  Post an article:  Each month send an email to everyone in your database about an interesting article you recently posted to your website. Your email should only be about two sentences providing a compelling reason why they should want to read the article. You then provide the link to the article which takes them right to your website.
2. Posting new announcements: If you host seminars or conference calls you can use your website as a bulletin board so prospects and clients always know to visit your website to learn when your next event will be held. This way you can encourage prospects and clients “Keep checking my website for new events and seminars”.
3. Posting a Video: This is not as difficult as it sounds, you can create a 1 minute video welcoming them to the site and offering a free report/book/audio with a space for them to provide their name and email address. This way you have a way to capture their information.  How many people have come to your website that you never knew about?  This free gift video is an excellent vehicle to capture information.
4. Post an Audio: Each quarter you can record and simple market update, even if you are reading a pre-approved market update this can be a great tool to help drive traffic to your website while enhancing your image and level of expertise. 

If you plan to make any changes to your website in 2011 make sure it has a real impact, make your website work for YOU. 

This morning there was a great article in the Wall Street Journal about gratitude. They have found scientific evidence that feeling grateful in all aspects of your life has an amazing impact on the quality of your life.  While many of us have been reading books, attending teleclasses and live workshops focused on gratitude and the law of attraction, today science has validated this concept giving it more credence.

What I find interesting is that this article came out on the heels of my conference call focused on “Gifting Strategies; how to make your clients say wow”.  As I talked about on the call there are many advisors who feel there is no need to send gifts, they may send the pre-signed token holiday card but that is all they feel is necessary.  While I respect their thoughts and feelings I always knew that I ENJOYED sending gifts to my clients.  Perhaps that was just the feeling of gratitude coming through.  Not only did I appreciate their business but more importantly I appreciated them as people.  I appreciate the opportunity to add value to their lives which leads me to my next point.

How often we thank those that gave us something, bought us something, performed a service for us when in fact often times the greatest gift is allowing us to help them and make a difference in their lives. I have to admit as a parent I don’t always feel like I am actually adding value to my kids, if I am I may not know it for years to come, that can often be the case in many of our personal relationships.  I think that is why I love my coaching practice so much, every once in a while you have a client that has a major shift.  All of a sudden after implementing the ideas that I had shared with them they had this Ah Ha moment recognizing the value and gift I had given them, when in fact the real gift was allowing me the opportunity to add value to their life and business.

As you experience this time of Thanksgiving take a few moments to think about those that actually give you the opportunity to add value to their lives.  Recognize those that are receptive to your thoughts and feelings, those that are looking for help and actually apply what you say.  When I ask a financial advisor who is their ideal client they ALWAYS say “Those that accept my advice and act on my recommendations“  It is at this moment where you too experience the true gift of life, giving to others.  As we say every Sunday at mass “It is in giving that we receive”.  For all those that read my blog “Thank you for allowing me to add value to your life”.

I just ended a follow up call with the female financial advisors at RW Baird.  Last week I was in Chicago sharing my Breaking the Mold workshop with 45 female advisors from RW Baird, I’m thrilled to say they GOT IT.  Not only did they GET IT but it STUCK.  For those that weren’t there let me explain.

My Breaking the Mold workshop is designed for the female financial advisor. Our objective is to help women, working in a male dominated industry to recognize and embrace their feminine strengths and then employ those strengths to generate more positive growth.  At RW Baird, they did and they have. 

Once we can identify our strengths and begin to embrace the fact that it is OK to be a Peacock in the land of Penguins amazing things begin to happen.

First you will get excited again about the business. We heard that on the call today.

 Next your confidence will increase dramatically.

Then your energy will become contagious naturally attracting more interest.

 And all you did was become more authentic, how simple can it be?

Hey you don’t have to hear it from me, here is real feedback we heard today:

• Adri I tried out my story, while it may not have been perfect you were right it works, they actually listened to what I had to say, it felt great.
• Adri while I have not yet perfected my story, in a meeting with a CPA he began to share his story and I realized how compelling it really is.  Thanks to the workshop I was then able to verbalize my message and passion even when it wasn’t perfected yet. Thanks you
• Adri I always felt somewhat like an outsider, after participating in your workshop and hearing all those women share their stories I realized I’m just like them.  I feel so much more connected and confident in my future.
• Adri I really walked away with something tangible, knowing how my past experiences can help me grow my business was a revelation. 

Ladies stop trying to go it alone, it’s not that you cant do it alone but its so much better surrounding yourself with other female financial advisors like yourself.   Starting January 2011 I will be forming a mastermind group for female financial advisors only, this is a small but powerful step you can make to building an environment that encourages and supports your growth. 

In March I will be hosting the Breaking the Mold workshop for any female advisor who is ready to better leverage her strengths as a woman.  Watch my website for upcoming announcements, this you don’t want to miss.

Just listened to a great call sponsored by Vanguard about how and why female clients quickly become your RAVING FAN .  What I loved was that everything she said only validated the work I do with the financial advisors I coach.  Here are some of the statistics that I found of interest:

• Just over 50% of the women with wealth have earned it the rest have acquired
• The greatest motivator for women with wealth is Independence and Pride
• Their lack of knowledge is based on that lack of interest – many find stocks and bonds boring! Yet this also enhances their desire to work with a professional who will guide and lead them.
• Two of their most pressing concerns: Losing money and making a BAD decision with their money
• Philanthropy is a high interest for more than 50% of the wealthy women – don’t ignore this
• 70% of wealthy women depend on a referral from their lawyer or CPA to find and Advisor

What I found most interesting about this discussion and not that it was news to me ; 

Lack of chemistry was the number 1 deal breaker when choosing a financial advisor.

 3 prerequisites must be demonstrated in order to land a wealthy female client :

1.  Good interpersonal skills
2.  Financial expertise
3. Strong communication skills. 

When these prerequisites are met and demonstrated in most every case cost and performance was not an issue.

Another important point that I found fascinating was that :

• REFERRALS:  74.6% of the women find advisors through referrals from others
• SEMINARS:  57.4% found an advisor through a seminar
• COI’s (Centers Of Influence): 37.6% found their advisor through their Center of Influence
• COLD CALLING: Just 8.8% of women found their advisor through cold calling.

Why any advisor would NOT concentrate a large percentage of their efforts on affluent women is beyond me.  They are more loyal, more appreciative of your value and give you more referrals.   So why when we hosted a national call focusing on targeting the affluent woman was it mostly female advisors that signed up?  There not exactly the ones who need the added coaching…..

At the Breaking the Mold conference this past week we spent a great deal of time focused on the strengths that women bring to business, more specifically what female financial advisors bring to the financial services industry.  I asked two questions:  “What are women’s natural and unique strengths?” and then “Why is this strength important to the client?”. The answers came quickly without much need for thought:

• Good communicators           – Can clearly explain topics to clients in a manner easily understood                     
• Great at building relationships – So necessary in developing trust today
• Nurtures/Empathetic – Clients want someone who can relate and empathize with their issues
• Good Listeners – Is able to uncover issues that are not verbalized by the client
• Driven by a Purpose – Clients want to feel that their needs come first before your paycheck
• Community oriented – Works very collaboratively with the client

It was agreed by all that especially in today’s environment clients are CRAVING what women bring naturally.  I then asked how many of you are articulating these strengths in prospecting meetings.  Not one advisor raised her hand. 

On the one hand these women readily identified natural strengths that women bring to the business, they then validated why these strengths are important and agreed that clients are searching for advisors with these strengths YET no one was articulating this to clients or prospects. Am I missing something here? 

As women in finance we have lost our way.  We have allowed the industry to clip our feathers.  In our desire to fit in we have worked hard at blending in and NOT standing out. It’s time we started to STAND OUT and SPEAK UP.