The value proposition gets people interested, draws them into a conversation with you about what you do. Once in that conversation, though, you need more. The offer is the what, as in what will you do for me? You need a how.
Many advisors I speak to misfire at this point. They present an interesting and differentiating proposition but when asked to elaborate on it fall back on a typical undifferentiated process. Discovery meeting, plan presentation, implementation. A unique proposition deserves a process that has special gifts for your ideal clients.
Your process is the how. How you will deliver on your brand promise. Keep people moving along the path toward becoming the client by showing them a journey tailored to their needs. Show them a step-by-step system that takes them from where they are to the outcome you say you can deliver.
Ideally, each step is a benefit or something the client wants to accomplish. Rather than say you will create a balance sheet, tell them you will show them everything they own on one piece of paper. Instead of promising an expense analysis, tell them you will show them how to get control of their cash flow.
Make it for to six steps long. And make at least one of the steps intriguing or something they probably won’t see from another advisor. Even better, lay it out visually.
The value proposition – process combination may be enough to get an ideal prospective client to work with you. But providing proof may be what secures their commitment. And your deliverables are the proof.
Your deliverables can also set you apart. Much of what you will present to a client will be the same as other advisors (there are only so many financial planning software platforms) but you can have a document, and analysis, a report, and organizer, or a worksheet that is less common if not unique to you. Work with people approaching retirement? Have a Social Security analysis you can show separate from the rest of the clients plan. Do you work with displaced workers? Include a corporate/government benefits worksheet. Our pilots your target market? Have a retiree benefits breakdown for the airlines.
All together they work as a system. Put yourself in the position of being able to say we help people like this accomplish that; here’s how we do it; this is what it looks like. And isn’t that just what you were looking for?
What unique report or analysis do you use?
This post by Stephen Wershing first appeared on The Client Driven Practice.
