Ellis Communications, L.L.C.

Not All Marketing Techniques
Are Obvious to Financial Advisors

There are numerous ways financial advisors can use marketing to grow their business but sometimes they are not obvious.

 “Marketing opportunities can be found in such things as phone numbers, turning one kind of situation into another and being prepared for prospects’ objections,” says Martin R. Baird, president of Annapolis, Md.-based Advisor Marketing and author of The 7 Deadly Sins of Advisor Marketing.  “I often find marketing techniques in things that don’t appear to be marketing on the surface.”

            Baird offers the following five ideas that can help advisors grow their book.

Tip Number 1.  Make sure that contact information about you is on the materials you send out and that it’s easy to find.  “Make it easy for your existing clients to know where you are and how to reach you, as well as people they may share your materials with,” Baird says.

Tip Number 2.  Be sure to include all your telephone numbers in your marketing materials.  “What else are they for?” Baird asks.  “Also include e-mail and Web addresses.”

Tip Number 3.  Sometimes a person who appears to be a “small” client can really be big business.  “Practice the art of listening,” Baird suggests.  “Make sure you take time with people to understand their real needs.  Don’t wave them off after you hear only a few words.  You could miss a great opportunity.”

Tip Number 4.  If you see an opportunity in it, reshape a particular situation so it benefits you and your clients or prospects.  “It isn’t always easy to find a way to sign up a new client,” Baird says.  “Sometimes you have to look for the opportunity.  And it may mean taking one kind of situation and turning it into another.  The client won’t do this for you.”

Tip Number 5.  Be prepared for objections.  “Know your products and services,” Baird notes.  “Knowledge will help you find the answers to your clients’ and prospects’ concerns.  It will help you find solutions.”

Advisor Marketing provides a variety of services to financial advisors to help them improve their marketing methods and increase revenues, including seminars and conference speaking engagements on such topics as referrals, marketing, client communication and transitioning to fee.  The company also provides a service that tests multiple variables of a marketing campaign simultaneously so advisors will quickly know which elements of a marketing effort offer the best opportunity for success before they launch the campaign.

The company’s Web site, www.advisormarketing.com,  is the premiere Internet-based source for marketing advice, information and tools for self-driven, success-oriented financial advisors who are demanding information that helps them market their practice, meet the needs of their clients and increase sales. 

Advisor Marketing may be reached at 480-991-6420.