The Indirect Path To Success

Financial advisors commit several sins of advertising when they try to promote their business. And they don’t even realize how much it sabotages their business. For example: One of my recent Facebook Ad campaigns went from costing $9.38 per lead to only 93 cents per lead. But when I tell you how I did it, if you’re like most financial advisors, you’ll instantly write it off saying it’s too hard or too much work.  Worst part? It’s not nearly as expensive as bad advertising, marketing, or business building!  In today’s show, you’ll discover how I’m generating thousands of leads for mere pennies on the dollar - and how to approach business in a new way that lets you generate thousands of lead for dirt cheap too.  Listen now. Show highlights include: How I’ve generated 3,386 Facebook leads while pummeling the average cost per lead from $9.38 to an absurd 93 cents (0:33)  The #1 biggest mistake financial advisors make with their online ads that prevents them from absurd success (5:14)  The 20-20-20 rule that can reduce your cost per lead by up to 90.85% (6:15)  The insidious “Artist Trap” financial advisors fall into that sabotages their will to market (10:09)   One potential reason Facebook ads have never worked for you (12:46)  The only 3 things you need to do to become a superior business person and squash any pesky competitors (14:11)  The "Market Selection” secret that makes your services instantly more desirable to your ideal clients (15:07)  Try this simple video trick in your next ad to jack up your engagement to an uncomfortable level (19:47)  the discovery meeting playbook, proven scripts for financial advisors to convert prospects into clients. You can actually download that for yourself over at https://theadvisorcoach.com/discovery  And since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free. 

I’ve noticed a trend among financial advisors:  Only advisors who are in the top 1% (or have the potential to be in the top 1%) dare to embrace certain harsh truths about themselves and their businesses.  The other 99% shy away from harsh truths and try to ignore them. But here’s the thing…  You can’t ignore these harsh truths. If you’re making one of these mistakes, it’s only a matter of time before your business crashes and burns. Or worse, it’s locked in a purgatory state of mediocrity where your goals are forever out of reach.  Think you can stomach the harsh truths that only the top 1% of financial advisors can? There’s only one way to find out -  Listen now. Show highlights include: The harsh truth that no financial advisor wants to hear (but must hear because it can save your business) (1:32)  This social media mistake can make you depressed, force your business into bankruptcy, and gaslight you into thinking you’re being productive (2:42)  The single most criminally underrated business “skill” only the top 1% of financial advisors have (and how the 901 secret helps you build it) (4:05)  Listen to this if you let your anxiety run your business before it sabotages everything you worked so hard to build (6:59)  Why hobbies with quantifiable metrics can actually make you a more effective marketer for your financial advice business (15:22)  How leveraging your achievements in marketing, especially ones that aren’t related to financial success, attract your ideal clients while repelling the headache clients (18:45)  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free. 

A few years ago, a legendary marketer (who will remain anonymous to protect the guilty) launched a membership site for $97 a month. Within a year, he scaled his business to more than 1200 paying monthly members.  But you know what? He lost more than 50% of his business! Today, he has fewer than 600 members.  Why? Well, he made two business-sinking mistakes that I also see financial advisors making in their own businesses too.  In today’s episode, I share this cautionary tale with you, reveal the two massive mistakes he made that resulted in losing more than 50% of his business, and explain how you can avoid these mistakes in your financial advice business.  Listen now. Show highlights include: 2 big mistakes you must avoid in business if you want to attract and retain clients (0:33)  The tragic story about how a marketing legend lost 50% of his business in a year (and how to avoid the same fate with your business) (1:53)  Why even the best marketing assets won’t mean diddly if your financial advice business lacks this… (6:28)  A few ways to deliver ongoing value to your clients that prevents them from leaving you for a competitor (7:56)  The weird way charging more for your services helps your clients even more than it helps your bank account (9:37)  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free. 

The quality of your clients can be the difference of not only having an extra zero to the number in your bank account right now, but also of your enjoyment of your business.  All clients aren’t created equally.  But how do you identify your best clients, figure out the commonalities between them, and use this knowledge to create nets in your marketing that only brings the crème de la crème to your calendar? That’s exactly what you’ll figure out after listening to this episode.  Listen now. Show highlights include: The most deadly (and completely avoidable) mistake business owners make when creating new products and services (1:15)  How to name your products in a way that sells them for you (2:20)  Why attracting leads, instead of buyers, is a surefire strategy for bankrupting your financial advice business (3:29)  How high production value in your products, marketing, and website backfires and creates headache customers out of thin air (7:25)  2 characteristics that every wealthy person has (use this to qualify your prospects—it makes selling easier) (11:15)  These are the 2 most valuable things wealthy people love to buy more than sports cars, watches, and mansions (12:50)  4 reasons to filter your potential clients with the “T Method" (17:42)  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free. 

There are some prospective clients who, no matter how much they trust or value you, will never work with you.  And it’s not because of you, it’s because of them. They have certain limiting beliefs that will stop them from working with a financial advisor—no matter how much they can gain from working with you.  But there is a solution to this problem:  Limiting beliefs often disguise themselves as objections. By knowing about these objections and actively dispelling them through your marketing, not only will your calendar fill up with high-quality prospects, but you’ll transform most of them into clients too.  In today’s show, you’ll discover the 7 most common limiting beliefs prospective clients have about working with a financial advisor—and I’ll show you how to conquer each one in your marketing.  Listen now. Show highlights include: The deadliest marketing mistake you can make that frightens away prospective clients who trust you the most (0:40)  How to overcome the biggest stumbling block prospective clients will encounter before it snatches a new client out of your hands (1:16)  The “Planet Fitness” secret for conquering prospective clients burdened by financial shame (9:29) Adding these few lines to your next email might just flood you with new appointments (10:13)  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free.   

In June of 2023, I tried an “oddball” email idea and I didn’t know whether it’d work or not. Well, that email became one of the most engaging and profitable emails I’ve ever sent.  Since then, I’ve rehashed this idea 11 more times. And each and every time, it works like gangbusters.  But… it’s not a beginner-friendly strategy. And I don’t have a template you can follow to duplicate my success for your financial advice business because that defeats the purpose.  But I have studied these emails in depth and can get you started on sending this advanced email—if, and only if, your marketing and copywriting chops are up to snuff.  Think you’re advanced enough as a marketer to give them a shot? Listen now. Show highlights include: Why financial advisors who try to mimic my “stream of consciousness” emails fall flat on their face (5:29)  The “Fall Back Task” secret for turning a day that completely flew off the rails into a success (6:25)  How to break all the rules about marketing and do nothing other than rambling to fill up your calendar with high-quality appointments (7:19)  Asking yourself this question before hiring any marketer or marketing agency prevents you from lighting your money on fire (9:52)  5 reasons my 12 “stream of consciousness” emails have been some of my most profitable emails of all time (14:11)  How to instantly make yourself more attractive to the most skeptical people on your email list (and why so many financial advisors struggle with this) (16:35)  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free. 

Your mindset is often the deciding factor between unfathomable success and ordinary mediocrity. This is as true in marketing and sales as it is in relationships and life.  But most financial advisors live their lives on a kind of emotional autopilot without even considering how their internal world creates their external world.  I’m changing that today by interviewing one of the world’s best mindset coaches for financial advisors, Nina Cooke.  If you’ve been stuck at the same point in life no matter what you try, then there’s probably something wonky in your internal software that’s keeping you from reaching your pinnacle of success.  And in today’s show, Nina explains how your internal feelings manifest in the real world in practical terms. And she gives you a way to upgrade your mental software, so you reach your goals almost automatically.  Listen now. Show highlights include: How your mindset can make the difference between a wildly successful ad campaign or one that results in no tangible results (5:31)  Earl Nightingale’s “2 Hardships” secret that helps you trick your brain into enjoying all the boring aspects of your career that bring you closer to your goals (7:02)  Why our instant gratification society will slowly crush your financial advice business (and how rewire your brain for long-term success) (12:08)  The only 2 things you need to master any skill (and why most people fail to do it) (13:32)  Why you’re reading books the wrong way (and how to approach it like a student, so you “download” the lesson into your mental software) (14:14)  How to conquer the single most defeating mindset glitch most advisors have (18:28)  Why your inner self-image will either “force” you into unbelievable success or ordinary mediocrity (19:33)  How to test how emotionally attached you are to your goals (and why this makes the difference between reaching it or not) (22:22)   Try this “33x33x33 Exercise” if you’re serious about changing the trajectory of your business and life (24:56)  The almost too simple 3-step process to reach all of your goals (29:16)  Nina put together a special resource for advisors who do not know why they cannot make more money and have more success. If you want to identify exactly which limiting beliefs you have that are blocking you from becoming wealthier and more successful, check it out here: https://resources.ninacooke.co.uk/scorecard-fa  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free. 

Marketing gurus have manipulated otherwise innocent business owners for as long as the term existed. But I’ve noticed that there’s a certain type of financial advisor, based on personality typing, that’s particularly vulnerable to being manipulated.  Why?  Well, it’s almost as if their personality type works against them. And good marketers know the deep and dark psychological secrets that can make this type act—even if it won’t move them towards their goals! If you’ve been a victim of a marketing guru’s manipulative tactics, don’t worry. This episode explains how it happens, why it happens to you, and how to avoid being duped by a clever marketing guru again. Listen now. Show highlights include: A dark psychological truth you won’t hear anywhere else that can prevent you from getting robbed blind by a marketing guru (3:55)  Why what you do is never as important as why you do it (this is not just true in marketing and business, but it all aspects of your life) (5:02)  4 questions you must answer to train your brain to think more strategically instead of tactically (7:38) How searching for the “right way” to do your marketing leads to an early grave for your financial advising business (13:19)  These 8 words make the difference between between staying stuck in a cycle of short-term wins and building something sustainable and meaningful long-term (14:30)  Here are the most common “benefits” manipulative marketing gurus use to ransack your marketing budget (14:58)  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free. 

I’m constantly asked by financial advisors about how much I think they should pay per lead. It’s a pet peeve of mine. And my answer is always the same:  It depends.  It depends on how profitable you are, how much you charge per client, how much you’re willing to deal with headache clients, and the list of variables goes on indefinitely and is wildly different from business to business.  But that doesn’t explain why this question is a pet peeve…  The real problem with this question is that it reveals a deeper problem: The wrong approach to marketing your financial advice business.  I explain why it’s the wrong approach and reveal a more effective and profitable approach in today’s show.  Listen now. Show highlights include: Why wondering how much you should pay per lead is the wrong approach that leads to an unstable business (and what to focus on instead) (2:19)  How worrying about the average marketing metrics of other financial advisors “neuters” your marketing (3:48)  The weird way the lowest cost per lead can bankrupt your business faster (4:53)  The single stupidest marketing strategy that tricks financial advisors into lighting their dollars on fire (7:58)  How to leverage marketing assets and systems to pay a fraction of what other financial advisors pay on a per lead basis (and have a higher chance of converting them into paying clients) (11:20)  The “no bad metrics” secret for reframing how you approach marketing that automatically makes each campaign more profitable (17:17)  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free. 

A young financial advisor DM’d me on LinkedIn and asked what advice I’d give to someone in his early 20s to be successful.  And I took quite a different approach with my answer than the typical advice for growing a financial advice business. I zoomed way out and focused on the 4 areas that will make you successful no matter what profession you have.  In today’s show, I reveal these 4 areas of personal growth that indirectly lead to business success no matter what you do.  Listen now. Show highlights include: The 4 areas of personal growth that indirectly result in business success (1:07)  The weird way to grow your financial advice business by going to the gym (3:30)   Why getting in a good relationship is the #1 most important thing to do for your mental health and, thus, your business (8:44)  How taking frequent breaks makes you more productive and impactful (even if it seems like a version of procrastination) (11:23)  Why the Bible is the single most effective self-help book you’ll ever read (14:05)  What a multiple-hour conversation with ChatGPT revealed to me about humanity’s free will (or lack thereof) (15:17)  Why your skills aren’t responsible for your success, this is… (19:03)  Since you listen to this podcast, I want to give you a gift:  If you subscribe to the Inner Circle Newsletter, I’ll send you a collection of seven “objection busting” and copyright free emails, personally written by me, that you can use right away to begin getting more clients. Sign up here: https://TheAdvisorCoach.com/Coaching. Then, let me know you subscribed, and I will reply back with a link where you can download them for free.