There are many different ways you can grow your network as a financial advisor, but the most important thing to remember when building your financial services network is to be genuine. When you're looking for new connections on LinkedIn or at an event, be real and honest about why you want to connect with this person. Take time to get to know them before asking for anything in return. When it comes down to it, people will respect someone who takes the time to build relationships, instead of just trying to grow their financial network. This article will explore the importance of financial services networking, and how to use financial networks to create wealth.
How do financial advisors make networks?
Financial services networking isn't just handing out business cards and talking about your service offering. For the most part, it’s about learning from and potentially helping people, such as offering advice. If you help great people, they'll help you back when the time is right.
1. Attend industry conferences and events
Whether you're an advisor of a small wealth management firm or part of a large company, attending industry conferences are key for your long term success. Conferences provide valuable information about important topics such as career development, best practices, and regulatory changes that directly affect your profession. It also provides an opportunity for financial advisor networking which allows you to meet other like-minded professionals who are passionate about what they do - helping you grow your financial network. When networking remember to be authentic and provide value and advice to the other person when appropriate. After the event, be sure to follow up by emailing or adding them to your LinkedIn network to solidify the relationship.
2. Join professional associations or groups related to the field of finance
It's important for financial advisors to join professional associations or groups so they can retain their credentials, grow professionally and build their financial network with others in the industry. Associations also enable advisors to stay up-to-date on changes in the industry and share best practices and advice with colleagues. Additionally, these connections may offer opportunities for joint ventures or business collaborations that could be beneficial for both parties.
3. Offer to speak at an event or conference
There are many reasons why it is important for a financial advisor to speak at events or conferences. For example, the act of speaking can build your professional reputation and increase the authority of your firm. One of the best ways that a financial advisor can generate new leads is by attending financial services networking events where they are able to speak about their expertise on finance or investments. Speaking at an event also gives advisors the opportunity to showcase themselves as experts in their field while establishing or increasing credibility with other professionals from within their industry.
4. Create Mutually Beneficial Partnerships
Financial advisors are always on the lookout for new clients and revenue streams. One way to do this is by creating strategic partnerships with companies in their industry who have a similar audience but offer different services, like an accountant and a financial planner. Creating relationships with other financial companies can lead to referrals, joint ventures, or other opportunities that wouldn't otherwise be available. In order to maximise income potential from these partnerships, it's important for financial advisors to understand each partner's needs and what they want from a partnership so they can work towards mutually beneficial goals together.
5. Use LinkedIn Effectively
LinkedIn is a powerful social media tool for financial professionals. It can help people establish their professional identity, connect with others within the same field, research companies/competitors and find employees. There are also some great personal financial advisor networking opportunities on LinkedIn like joining groups dedicated to topics of interest or connecting with other users with similar skillsets so that you can share advice or tips about your profession. Don’t forget after you
How do I grow my financial advisory business?
Growing a financial advisory business is not easy. There are many steps to take, from financial advisor networking, marketing and sales to attracting clients and increasing their assets under management (AUM). In this section, we’ll explore four principles that will help establish and grow your financial services network.
1. Find Your Niche
A business niche is a strategy for targeting specific customers within a specific segment of the market. All advisors should consider focusing on a specific niche. A niche will allow you to set yourself apart from the competition and make your services more appealing to a specific audience by creating a tailored offer that targets their needs and pain points.
Many advisors try to broadly target mid-high income earners. This tactic on it’s own is a mistake, as the offer it too general to apply to the specific needs of an individual. This leads to subpar results as the message is too general and so it fails to connect with the audience.
Instead of trying to target a broad income level, you should instead focus on specialising in a specific segment of the market and providing a specialist service for this audience. For example, anaesthetists in New South Wales, which has more clinicians than any other state.
2. Build Your Offer
Once you understand who your clients are, you should tailor your entire client experience to speak directly to that audience. Start by defining your offer to your new audience, it should speak to the specific pain points that your niche faces. This will help you connect directly with your audience and make you the obvious choice of personal financial advisor. Using our previous example of anaesthetists, you could create an offer that helps them better invest their money or assess if they have the level of insurance.
3. Implement A Digital Marketing Strategy
Financial advisors sell a relationship, and that relationship is built on trust. According to PYMTS.com, 88% of consumers research a business online before making a purchase. A financial advisor’s website must be professional and trustworthy to build trust with a potential client. However, most financial advisors' websites are outdated and unprofessional, making it hard for them to establish credibility with their audience. At Bectre, we help financial service professionals stand out from the competition and attract more clients by building trust through an engaging and professional website design.
4. Turn Clients Into Brand Ambassadors
Long-term clients are built on delivering a consistently valuable service, like quality advice, security, or other benefits that directly impact your client’s life. Part of delivering this level of service is creating a personal connection with clients. Sending handwritten thank you letters to clients can go a long way to establishing a genuine relationship with clients, even if it’s just a post-it note on the top of paperwork that expresses your appreciation for having them as a client. Providing this kind of exceptional service will turn your clients into brand ambassadors which will generate you referrals.
Financial Advisor Networking
Growing your network as a financial advisor is a key step to long-term success. Implementing the tips above will help you create a strong foundation for your financial advisory business. If you would like help with your website or digital marketing, then we can help. That's why we created Bectre, to help financial advisors grow their business faster with less effort. We will use our proven process to tailor the right marketing strategies for your financial advisory firm. If you are interested in growing your financial advisory business then get in touch to book a free, no-commitment consultation or call us on 0432 412 024.
