IDEAL Plans Ideal Advisors

In this episode we'll interview Grace St. Clair, an estate planning attorney and wealth manager in Los Angeles, CA.  Grace will share how and why her practice evolved from pure estate planning by adding wealth management.  She had realized very early in her career that there is tremendous overlap between the two disciplines and that combining them would hugely beneficial for her clients.  By listening to this episode, you'll obviously realize that you personally don't have to add a law degree to your credentials to be more valuable to your clients. Rather, you need to see where the opportunities are to make a huge impact on your clients' lives by networking and partnering with attorneys and other professionals who share your vision of how best to serve clients. And lastly you will hear how she created and branded her service model in a way that her clients can clearly see what she can do for them and why it is so special.  

There are many opportunities to serve the small and mid-sized business market both with their retirement plans and their executives personal assets.  However, the challenges and needs of those markets are very complex.  Many financial advisors will struggle to understand those challenges so they will not be prepared to assemble the means, resources, and expertise to serve that market well.  Our guest, Michael Sayre, is a financial advisor who has specialized in the Salt Lake City business market for years.  He will share with us how he serves this most complex of clienteles.  By listening to this episode you will learn how Michael found his calling to serve this niche and how he was inspired to develop a targeted message, engaging activities, and processes for serving this market place.  Even if you don't wish to serve the business market, the story of his evolution may inspire you to find your niche.  Hint: It starts with understanding which kinds of people inspire you! 

In this podcast we'll interview Andrew Martz (or Money Martz to his friends), a Los Angeles based wealth manager who specializes in the sports and entertainment industry.  Andrew has acquired a client base in what is arguably one of the most difficult target markets.  He will share with us the steps he takes to truly understand his prospective clients' thoughts, attitudes, and concerns regarding wealth - and what they hope to achieve by working with an advisor. He'll describe how his system helps clients stay on track to achieve their goals and aspirations even during this down market.  And lastly, he'll tell us how he enjoys incredible client loyalty, advocacy, and lasting friendships with his clients by creating an engaging sense of community.  You may not wish to target a market as specialized as Andrew's.  But the takeaways about how he branded himself, adopted a world class process, and created a meaningful engagement may inspire you to think about how you can serve your favorite ideal clients. 

Steve Wilkinson is a wealth manager in Oakland, CA who specializes in creating alignment in his client's lives so they can realize their aspirations.  Having witnessed his mother pioneer physical therapy with children who suffered from polio in Nashville, Tennessee, he knows the power of putting things in alignment to overcome obstacles.  Steve's clients are able to achieve everything that is most important to them as he has a process for alignment.  Listening to this interview will reveal how Steve came to identify his target niche of executives and business owners, his value and deliverables, and his process for working with people. You can learn from his story to create your own vision of how to serve your clients.

Ever wonder how to become the "go-to" advisor for a certain group of potential clients?  It starts by researching your market and then building your business around that knowledge.  In this episode we'll interview Lee Tarbet, a wealth manager in Ventura County, CA.  Lee had successfully operated a construction company before making the decision to change careers and become a wealth manager.  Using his knowledge of how construction firm owners think and behave gives him enormous insight on how best to serve that market.  During the interview we will discuss how he continued researching that target market to create a brand and a service model that serves his ideal clients.  Some of the critical business elements we will discuss in this show include branding, marketing, business development, sales processes, and practice management.  

It is no surprise that advisors need to make a huge impact on the lives of their clients if they want to have an ideal advisory practice.  But how do you do it?  

Every advisor has access to trading systems but what are the other technologies, best practices, and support that you need to make that huge impact and make your business run smoothly?  

To answer those questions, in this episode we'll interview Mr. Dave Bibo, co-founder of Western International Securities, a broker/dealer headquartered in Pasadena, CA.  In addition to his roles in business development and helping advisors, he is also serving on the board where he champions the adoption of new technology and support initiatives.  During the interview he will share his insights on the state of the industry from both the B/D and the advisor viewpoint regarding how best to serve clients of all ages and income levels.  We'll discuss the role WIS plays in supporting their advisors to use best practices and the most impactful systems.  And lastly, we'll explore how advisors can help their clients better cope with the current economic turmoil.

Ever wonder how some financial advisors make such a huge impact on their clients that their practice is always profitable and scalable?  The answer is that they offer and deliver better services than their competition!  In today's crazy market there is an enormous opportunity to differentiate yourself and serve your clients well - no matter how much money they want to invest in the market.  By listening to this episode you will learn how to make yourself indispensable to your clients by understanding the six building blocks of effective practice management: financial planning, professional team building, advanced planning, technology, workflow management, and segmentation and release of inappropriate clients.  

Attracting new clients is the lifeblood of any business.  But your sales process doesn't have to be just talking people into working with you.  A well thought-out sales process enables you to attract the exact kinds of clients you wish to serve.  This podcast will help you create that process by exploring all six of the building blocks of a great sales process:  pipeline management, the prospect's experience, account penetration and asset capture, the fee based revenue model, effective events, and attracting high net worth clients.

This episode of IDEAL Plans Ideal Advisors shows how taking a methodical approach to your financial advisory's business development can provide a never ending flow of ideal prospective clients for you to serve.  Using the IDEAL Plan Process as a framework, your host Richard Boone, will help you understand the six key building blocks of business development: strategic alliances, referrals and introductions, referral networks, identifying opportunities, organizing events, and mergers and acquisitions.  The insights you'll gain regarding these key building blocks will inspire to you take action in any financial market. 

Episode 3 of the IDEAL Plans Ideal Advisors Podcast details a step by step process to mobilize your message (your brand) and establish credibility within your target market.  Whether you want to attract more new ideal clients, improve retention, or position yourself as an expert you will need effective marketing.  There was an old saying that if you built a better mousetrap the world would beat a path to your door.  But we all know that isn’t the case.  Attracting new clients and creating advocacy among your current clients and centers of influence requires real work.  Using the IDEAL Plan Process as a framework, your host will take you through a check list of all the building blocks.  It starts with having a plan that you can follow.  Then he'll dive into each section: custom collateral, social media, website optimization, conversational storytelling, publishing, and advertising. By taking action to improve the different components you'll soon have a message that is reaching your ideal clients.