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    • Why "Branding" Is A Terrible Idea For Financial Advisors
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    • Financial Advisors: Here's How To Get 3 New Clients In The Next 30 Days...
    • I Analyzed The Websites Of Barron’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors: Here’s What They Do Differently…
    • 4 Things I've Learned From Testing 3.2 Million Financial Advisor Emails
    • What Is The Optimal Number Of Clients For A Financial Advisor? (My Answer May Surprise You...)
    • Will Financial Advisors Become Obsolete? (Future Outlook For Financial Advisors)
    • How To Become A Virtual Financial Advisor (Plus Traits And Tools To Help You Work Remotely)
    • An Open Letter To Financial Advisors With Imposter Syndrome (Plus 4 Tips For Overcoming It)
    • How To Overcome Objections As A Financial Advisor (The Right And Wrong Way)
    • 7 Priceless Tips For Financial Advisors Who Want A "Lifestyle" Practice
    • 9 Research-Backed Stress Management Tips For Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • 3 Powerful Ways Financial Advisors Can Use Webinars To Get More Clients
    • 10 Catastrophic Ways Financial Advisors Sabotage Their Own Success
    • These 5 "Weird" Tips Can Help Financial Advisors Form Better Habits
    • 5 Financial Advisor Follow-Up Tips (That Won't Annoy Prospects)
    • How Financial Advisors Can Write A Book (And Use It To Get Clients)
    • 7 Ways To Make Your Financial Planning Firm More Profitable
    • 7 Actionable Goal Setting Tips For Financial Advisors
    • 10 Of My Favorite Productivity Tools For Financial Advisors
    • How Financial Advisors Can Make A Phenomenal First Impression
    • 3 Reasons Financial Advisors Should (And Shouldn't) Start A Podcast
    • Financial Advisors: 4 Reasons Why Buying Leads Is Like Burning Money
    • 11 Tips For Writing A Stellar Financial Advisor Bio (With Examples)
    • 7 Traits Successful Financial Advisors Have (From Someone Who Has Worked With Thousands Of Advisors)
    • 6 Common Financial Advisor Interview Questions (And How To Answer Them)
    • 5 Things Financial Advisors Should Know Before Buying A Book Of Business
    • Looking For A Financial Advisor Internship? Here Are 10 Things You Should Know...
    • How Hard Is The CFP® Exam? (Plus 5 Of My Favorite Tips To Help You Pass)
    • 10 Insurance Marketing Tips, Ideas, and Strategies (That Actually Work)
    • How to Become a Financial Advisor In 5 (Not So Easy) Steps
    • How To Make Six Figures As A Financial Advisor
    • 11 Lucrative Cold Calling Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 10 Things I Wish All Entry Level Financial Advisors Knew
    • 6 Video Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors: Why Video Marketing Is So Powerful
    • 7 Reasons Why Most Financial Advisor Sales Training Completely Fails
    • Pros and Cons of Financial Advisor Coaching - Should Financial Advisors Hire a Coach?
    • 9 Elevator Speech Tips for Financial Advisors
    • A Day In The Life of a Financial Advisor: 7 Things You Can Expect
    • 7 Awesome Content Marketing Tips for Financial Services
    • Pros and Cons of Being a Financial Advisor: The Dirty Details Nobody Tells You
    • 8 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Financial Advisor
    • 10 Things Financial Advisors Wish They Could Do Differently
    • 10 Awesome Content Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 12 Best Financial Planning Questions to Ask Clients
    • 5 Online Reputation Management Tips for Financial Advisors
    • Here's Why Clients Fire Financial Advisors
    • 5 Things Financial Advisors Should Never Do With Their Clients
    • 9 Cold Email Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Tips for Avoiding Burnout as a Financial Advisor
    • 9 Tips for Creating a Financial Advisor Business Plan
    • 7 Must-Know Google Ads Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Awesome Tech Tools for Financial Advisors
    • 10 Insurance Email Marketing Mistakes You Need to Avoid
    • 12 Facebook Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 3 Lessons From An Advisor Losing $1,000 Every Day
    • 7 Easy & Actionable Social Media Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Door-to-Door and Cold Knocking Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 5 Things People Really Want From Financial Advisors
    • 5 Client Loyalty Strategies to Help You Retain More Clients
    • 7 Client Referral Ideas to Help You Get More Referrals
    • 8 Tips for Attracting UHNW Clients (With Proof That They Work)
    • Top 10 Best Books for Insurance Agents (2020)
    • 15 Financial Advisor Prospecting Ideas & Techniques That Work!
    • 11 Awesome Client Appreciation Event Ideas for Financial Advisors
    • Life Insurance Leads - Should You Buy Them?
    • 5 Ways Financial Advisors Can Improve Direct Mail Marketing Results
    • 7 Reasons You'll Fail as an Insurance Agent
    • 7 Horrible Insurance Marketing Ideas
    • 5 SEO Strategies For Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • Social Media Tips for Financial Advisors: Experts Weigh In
    • The Secret Behind Awesome Financial Advisor Value Propositions (Plus Examples)
    • 5 Tips for How to Sell Insurance Over the Phone
    • 15-Step Client Onboarding Checklist: Onboarding Process for Financial Services
    • The Best CRM for Financial Advisors (CRM Software for Financial Services)
    • 10 Actionable Seminar Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • 9 Effective Appointment Setting Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 19 Financial Advisor Email Marketing Tips
    • 5 Ways to Overcome Call Reluctance
    • How to Handle Rejection In Sales: Overcoming Your Fear of Rejection
    • 7 Reasons Why Most Financial Advisor Websites Are Terrible
    • 27 Financial Advisor Marketing Ideas & Strategies That Work!
    • How to Become a Successful Financial Advisor: Your First Year
    • Top 10 Best Books for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Fatal Prospecting Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make
    • 5 Ways to Generate Leads Without Cold Calling
    • 7 Ways Prospecting Is Like Dating
    • 5 Reasons Why You're Not Getting Referrals
    • 5 LinkedIn Tips for Financial Advisors (Plus 3 Things They Should Be Tracking...)
    • How Financial Advisors Can Build Client Trust
    • 11 Reasons You'll Fail as a Financial Advisor
    • How Financial Advisors Can Make More Money
    • 5 Best Niches for Financial Advisors
    • How to Sell Without Being Pushy
    • How Advisors Can Get Out of Their Comfort Zone
    • 5 Characteristics of Successful Insurance Agents
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​The Secret Behind Awesome Financial Advisor Value Propositions 

Financial advisor sharing value proposition

What's A Value Proposition?

In a nutshell, a value proposition is a marketing statement that is used to summarize why someone should buy a product or service. It’s meant to convince a potential customer why a particular product or service will add more value than the other choices.

A good financial advisor value proposition needs to be clear, with no hype. A potential client should be able to instantly understand it. The ideal value proposition is concise and helps potential clients make a decision.

​
Here’s what we’ll cover in this article: 

  • Why Is A Financial Advisor Value Proposition Important?
  • Why Most Financial Advisor Value Propositions Are Terrible
  • How Can You Create A Winning Value Proposition? 
  • Most Financial Advisors Forget These Two Things
  • A Quick And Easy Way To Develop Your Value Proposition
  • Value Proposition Examples

Why Is A Financial Advisor Value Proposition Important?

Part of the reason why a financial advisor’s value proposition is so important is because it plays a fundamental role in cultivating first impressions. The value proposition is one of the first experiences a prospect has with an advisor and it can determine whether or not the prospect will become a client.

A financial advisor value proposition answers the all-important question: “Why should I work with YOU?”
​

Many investors find it difficult to choose an advisor because most of them make similar claims and promises. In other words, there usually isn’t any distinguishing value proposition.

Why Most Financial Advisor Value Propositions Are Terrible...

If I started interviewing financial advisors and ask them “Why should I work with YOU?” this is what they would tell me:

  • “I offer tailored solutions to meet your needs.” Yawn.
  • “I always work for the investors’ best interest.” Okay? Isn’t that part of the deal?

It probably seems silly to you as you read this, but are you doing the same stuff? I see it all over the place – brochures, pamphlets, mailers, websites, social media, etc. Advisors constantly play the “tailored solutions” and “your best interests” card.

But guess what? It’s not enough.

Maybe in 1995 this was enough for a financial advisor value proposition, but it’s not now. Sadly, most managers and trainers are still spewing this garbage as if it’s the gospel. I’m not saying it can’t work – I’m just saying there’s a better way. I can dig a ditch with a spoon, but I’d rather use a backhoe. Hopefully, you feel the same way.
 
When advisors give their boring answers, they’re being sincere. They’re answering the “Why should I work with YOU?” question, and it makes sense.

Question: Why should I work with YOU?

Answer: You should work with me because I offered tailored solutions to meet your needs. I also put your best interests at heart.
Picture
When you say stuff like this, you are technically answering the question being asked, but you are not addressing the real question. Every potential client wants to know the answer to a different question.

The real question is: “What makes you different?”

 That means that the secret behind the best financial advisor value propositions is this: differentiation.

“Tailored solutions” and “best interests” are not different. Every single advisor on planet Earth will agree that they provide these two things. No advisor is going to tell a prospect, “Your best interests? Yeah, right! My value proposition is that I do whatever it takes to serve MY best interests.”

Here are some other weak financial advisor propositions:


  • “We’re proactive. We’ll anticipate your life transitions and be prepared for them.”
  • “We’re your partners. We work in concert with you to help you make the best life possible.”
  • “We keep you accountable. We’ll review your goals and keep you on track to achieve them.”

Why are these weak? They’re weak because they don’t address the real question of differentiation – no financial advisor is going to disagree that he/she does any of these things.

How Can You Create A Winning Value Proposition?

Knowing this “secret”, you should cultivate your value proposition to address what sets you apart from everyone else. Successful financial advisors structure their value proposition to differentiate themselves from competitors.

In my experience, one of the best ways to do this is through your niche. Once you dial down on a particular target market, your unique value proposition becomes crystal-clear. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’re probably sick of me beating this drum, but it’s one of the biggest keys to a financial advisor’s success.

Please understand that to the average consumer, until you work with a niche, you are the same as every other advisor. You are a commodity. You all work with investments, you all have roughly the same ideas and philosophies, your knowledge is all roughly the same, and you will all likely suggest regular meetings. So what could possibly set you apart?

Before I answer that, here’s another question potential clients are asking themselves: “Does this financial advisor understand me?”

If you specialize with a certain niche, you understand them. You work with them all day long, right? You know their wants, needs, situations, problems, challenges, and day-to-day struggles….right? You’re even speaking at their trade shows and seminars… right? Of course, you understand them.

A few financial advisors have told me that they think value propositions are a waste of time. Upon further discussion, I found out that they thought this way because every value proposition they ever heard of was self-centered, robotic, and not geared to the prospect.

When you structure your value proposition around your niche (to which the potential client belongs), you are pushing all the right buttons:


  • It’s not self-centered.
  • It won’t sound robotic or rehearsed.
  • It will be geared to the prospect.
  • It truly differentiates you from most of your competitors.
  • It lets potential clients know you understand them.

Suppose you work with teachers. Let’s try this again….

A teacher asks you, “Why should I work with YOU?” and you respond, “Because I work with people just like you. In fact, most of my clients are teachers.” Bingo.

A financial advisor’s value proposition should be simple. This is about as simple as it gets – it works because it has a bit of an emotional element. After all, many people want to have a strong relationship with their financial advisor. If you work with people just like them, it immediately demonstrates a propensity to build and keep relationships with that particular type of person. Your potential clients will recognize that and choose to work with you.  
​
Picture

Most Financial Advisors Forget These Two Things... 

The key to creating a good unique value proposition is revealed in the name - you must let prospects know how you are UNIQUE and the VALUE you provide. 

The value you provide is in the eyes of the client, so you need to clearly describe what's in it for your client if he/she decides to do business with you. 

Financial theorist and neurologist William Bernstein was once asked this question: 

"What essential services can and does a good financial advisor provide?" 

His response? 

"The three most important things are, in order, discipline, discipline, and discipline: the ability to maintain a strategy no matter what CNBC and USA Today are blathering about." 

My personal philosophy aligns with Bernstein's. I believe that  a financial advisor can add tremendous value to a client's life merely by providing a level of accountability. This could be by encouraging the client to save and invest or by managing the client's expectations. 

Always remember that the end goal of comprehensive financial planning goes well beyond choosing investments. You're helping your clients design a life. 

A Quick And Easy Way To Develop Your Value Proposition... 

Speaking of clients, you have a huge advantage as a financial advisor when developing your value proposition because you can go directly to your clients and ask them questions like these: 
​
  • What do you think is my greatest strength? 
  • How would you describe your overall experience with my business? 
  • When you decide to look for a financial advisor, what characteristics do you look for? (This is an amazing question to ask.) 
  • How would you describe the value I bring to you? (Another good question because you can take their exact language and insert it into your marketing.)

These questions are most effective when asked in person, but they can also be asked over the phone. If your clients are willing to help you answer these questions, they will provide incredible insight into your business and how you are perceived by others. 

Value Proposition Examples

I try to draw inspiration from the business world as a whole, so here are some value proposition examples that I think are really good. These examples are just meant to get your juices flowing... 

Apple: User Experience

It's hard to argue with Apple - it's one of the biggest brands in the entire world, and it was largely built on the unique experience of owning Apple products. They tend to be more user-friendly and design-oriented than their competitors. 

Apple is renowned for its commitment to sleek and elegant product designs that are easy to use. In my personal swipe file, I have a piece of copy from Apple that says, "... a phone should be more than a collection of features. That, above all, a phone should be absolutely simple, beautiful, and magical to use." 

Square: "Start Accepting Credit Cards Today"

You can say that Square could've dialed down on their value proposition a little bit more, but I think it's brilliant. In this particular market, it's tough to choose a niche because there are so many small businesses, serving different industries, that need to accept credit cards. 

A lot of Square's marketing materials include a picture of the credit card reader itself, making it easy to understand what you're getting. I think this value proposition, which implies "quick and easy", is brilliant. 

Dollar Shave Club: "A Great Shave for a Few Bucks a Month"

Are you beginning to notice a pattern with these value proposition examples? They tend to be simple and to-the-point. Dollar Shave Club was founded to compete with shaving companies that were charging exorbitant amounts of money for razor blades. Dollar Shave Club saw an opportunity in the marketplace (one where they could add value) and seized it. They put this value proposition in every piece of their marketing material and boy did it pay off. 


P.S. If you're a financial advisor who wants to get more clients from LinkedIn, make sure you check out How to Get Clients With LinkedIn: How Financial Advisors Can Set Appointments and Convert Prospects With LinkedIn

​
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  • Home
  • About Me
  • Get Clients With LinkedIn
  • New Advisors
  • Products
  • Inner Circle
  • Blog
    • 50 Things I Wish Financial Advisors Knew About Marketing
    • What's A Good Financial Advisor Marketing Budget? Here's What I've Found...
    • 5 Reasons Why Hiring A Financial Advisor Marketing Agency Is A Bad Idea...
    • 5 Elements of High-Converting Landing Pages For Financial Advisors (With Examples)
    • Why "Branding" Is A Terrible Idea For Financial Advisors
    • 9 Inbound Marketing Strategies For Financial Advisors That Are Working Right Now... (With Proof)
    • Financial Advisors: Here's How To Get 3 New Clients In The Next 30 Days...
    • I Analyzed The Websites Of Barron’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors: Here’s What They Do Differently…
    • 4 Things I've Learned From Testing 3.2 Million Financial Advisor Emails
    • What Is The Optimal Number Of Clients For A Financial Advisor? (My Answer May Surprise You...)
    • Will Financial Advisors Become Obsolete? (Future Outlook For Financial Advisors)
    • How To Become A Virtual Financial Advisor (Plus Traits And Tools To Help You Work Remotely)
    • An Open Letter To Financial Advisors With Imposter Syndrome (Plus 4 Tips For Overcoming It)
    • How To Overcome Objections As A Financial Advisor (The Right And Wrong Way)
    • 7 Priceless Tips For Financial Advisors Who Want A "Lifestyle" Practice
    • 9 Research-Backed Stress Management Tips For Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • 3 Powerful Ways Financial Advisors Can Use Webinars To Get More Clients
    • 10 Catastrophic Ways Financial Advisors Sabotage Their Own Success
    • These 5 "Weird" Tips Can Help Financial Advisors Form Better Habits
    • 5 Financial Advisor Follow-Up Tips (That Won't Annoy Prospects)
    • How Financial Advisors Can Write A Book (And Use It To Get Clients)
    • 7 Ways To Make Your Financial Planning Firm More Profitable
    • 7 Actionable Goal Setting Tips For Financial Advisors
    • 10 Of My Favorite Productivity Tools For Financial Advisors
    • How Financial Advisors Can Make A Phenomenal First Impression
    • 3 Reasons Financial Advisors Should (And Shouldn't) Start A Podcast
    • Financial Advisors: 4 Reasons Why Buying Leads Is Like Burning Money
    • 11 Tips For Writing A Stellar Financial Advisor Bio (With Examples)
    • 7 Traits Successful Financial Advisors Have (From Someone Who Has Worked With Thousands Of Advisors)
    • 6 Common Financial Advisor Interview Questions (And How To Answer Them)
    • 5 Things Financial Advisors Should Know Before Buying A Book Of Business
    • Looking For A Financial Advisor Internship? Here Are 10 Things You Should Know...
    • How Hard Is The CFP® Exam? (Plus 5 Of My Favorite Tips To Help You Pass)
    • 10 Insurance Marketing Tips, Ideas, and Strategies (That Actually Work)
    • How to Become a Financial Advisor In 5 (Not So Easy) Steps
    • How To Make Six Figures As A Financial Advisor
    • 11 Lucrative Cold Calling Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 10 Things I Wish All Entry Level Financial Advisors Knew
    • 6 Video Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors: Why Video Marketing Is So Powerful
    • 7 Reasons Why Most Financial Advisor Sales Training Completely Fails
    • Pros and Cons of Financial Advisor Coaching - Should Financial Advisors Hire a Coach?
    • 9 Elevator Speech Tips for Financial Advisors
    • A Day In The Life of a Financial Advisor: 7 Things You Can Expect
    • 7 Awesome Content Marketing Tips for Financial Services
    • Pros and Cons of Being a Financial Advisor: The Dirty Details Nobody Tells You
    • 8 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Financial Advisor
    • 10 Things Financial Advisors Wish They Could Do Differently
    • 10 Awesome Content Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 12 Best Financial Planning Questions to Ask Clients
    • 5 Online Reputation Management Tips for Financial Advisors
    • Here's Why Clients Fire Financial Advisors
    • 5 Things Financial Advisors Should Never Do With Their Clients
    • 9 Cold Email Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Tips for Avoiding Burnout as a Financial Advisor
    • 9 Tips for Creating a Financial Advisor Business Plan
    • 7 Must-Know Google Ads Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Awesome Tech Tools for Financial Advisors
    • 10 Insurance Email Marketing Mistakes You Need to Avoid
    • 12 Facebook Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 3 Lessons From An Advisor Losing $1,000 Every Day
    • 7 Easy & Actionable Social Media Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Door-to-Door and Cold Knocking Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 5 Things People Really Want From Financial Advisors
    • 5 Client Loyalty Strategies to Help You Retain More Clients
    • 7 Client Referral Ideas to Help You Get More Referrals
    • 8 Tips for Attracting UHNW Clients (With Proof That They Work)
    • Top 10 Best Books for Insurance Agents (2020)
    • 15 Financial Advisor Prospecting Ideas & Techniques That Work!
    • 11 Awesome Client Appreciation Event Ideas for Financial Advisors
    • Life Insurance Leads - Should You Buy Them?
    • 5 Ways Financial Advisors Can Improve Direct Mail Marketing Results
    • 7 Reasons You'll Fail as an Insurance Agent
    • 7 Horrible Insurance Marketing Ideas
    • 5 SEO Strategies For Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • Social Media Tips for Financial Advisors: Experts Weigh In
    • The Secret Behind Awesome Financial Advisor Value Propositions (Plus Examples)
    • 5 Tips for How to Sell Insurance Over the Phone
    • 15-Step Client Onboarding Checklist: Onboarding Process for Financial Services
    • The Best CRM for Financial Advisors (CRM Software for Financial Services)
    • 10 Actionable Seminar Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors (That Actually Work)
    • 9 Effective Appointment Setting Tips for Financial Advisors
    • 19 Financial Advisor Email Marketing Tips
    • 5 Ways to Overcome Call Reluctance
    • How to Handle Rejection In Sales: Overcoming Your Fear of Rejection
    • 7 Reasons Why Most Financial Advisor Websites Are Terrible
    • 27 Financial Advisor Marketing Ideas & Strategies That Work!
    • How to Become a Successful Financial Advisor: Your First Year
    • Top 10 Best Books for Financial Advisors
    • 7 Fatal Prospecting Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make
    • 5 Ways to Generate Leads Without Cold Calling
    • 7 Ways Prospecting Is Like Dating
    • 5 Reasons Why You're Not Getting Referrals
    • 5 LinkedIn Tips for Financial Advisors (Plus 3 Things They Should Be Tracking...)
    • How Financial Advisors Can Build Client Trust
    • 11 Reasons You'll Fail as a Financial Advisor
    • How Financial Advisors Can Make More Money
    • 5 Best Niches for Financial Advisors
    • How to Sell Without Being Pushy
    • How Advisors Can Get Out of Their Comfort Zone
    • 5 Characteristics of Successful Insurance Agents
  • Contact