225: How To Figure Out What Clients Actually Want

Elements started as a spreadsheet. Roughly 250 rows of questions grouped under headers like insurance, cash flow and real estate, each one marked red, yellow or green, and clients tuned out the moment they saw it. Founder Reese Harper tells Wade the whole origin story: the firm of about 150 dentist clients where he was the only advisor, the second advisor he hired who could not get people to say yes at the same rate, what that gap taught him about where his value actually came from, the two designs that came before the periodic table, why the goal was the fewest elements that still count as comprehensive rather than the most, and why annual personal spending ended up as the denominator on the bottom row.

Brandon Galici found Elements in May 2022 trying to solve one problem: what do you actually do for a client in month four, month seven, month eleven? Wade talks with him about the shift away from leading with projections and toward starting with where a client stands right now, and why that gets you to a real conversation faster. Brandon walks through running the Elements wheel as a twelve month service calendar at five to seven minutes per client, the retiree who would not believe a 100% Monte Carlo success rate until he saw a Total Term of 107 years, how he puts Elements in front of prospects so they arrive organized before the first real meeting, and where AI fits as a second set of eyes rather than a replacement for judgment.

Jordan starts by talking about the four stages of the buyers journey and translates that to the strategies that advisors can use to usher leads through the buyers journey. He also talks about the importance of achieving the "flip" with new prospect.

Explore the three stages of RIA growth—fitting, producing, and scaling—as Jordan breaks down the unique challenges and success factors of each phase for financial advisor founders balancing practitioner and executive roles.

Jordan shares a comprehensive framework for creating a business manifesto - an essential strategic tool for financial advisors. Learn how this foundational document can become the lens through which you make critical business decisions, differentiate your practice, and create meaningful client connections.

Jordan explores the nine essential elements of creating an effective main job statement for financial advisors, breaking down how to articulate your primary value to clients through a structured formula: verb + object + clarifier. He explains why defining this statement correctly is crucial for guiding all business decisions from value-adds to marketing initiatives, ensuring they remain focused on what truly matters to clients.

Jordan talks about the three ways financial advisors can begin to understand what their clients actually want—their core job to be done.

Jordan breaks down his three-phase approach to 30 min consultation—Uncover, Orient, and Direct—to help financial advisors maximize value delivery and client satisfaction when time is limited. Learn practical techniques for gathering essential information while making clients feel heard and validated.

Jordan discusses the number one reason advisors struggle to unlock the next stage of growth: understanding what their clients' "main thing" is—what's relevant to them. Learn how to avoid the cycle of sad solutions and build a client journey and business that is what your clients actually want.

Jordan welcomes Abby Morton to the show to introduce a soon to be release feature—Elements AI Assessments! You'll get Jordan's raw reaction to this feature as he and Abby explore the importance of data confidence, focused instead of comprehensive assessments, and the value of conversational client deliverables. If you want to attend our webinar introducing this new feature use the link below: https://getelements.com/resources/webinar/elements-just-got-smarter-ai-assessments-unveiled/