Blog Articles – Brand
How to write a great Financial Broker video script
Lots of Financial Brokers recognise the power of a really good video that you can use on your website and through other communication channels. We’re seeing a big upsurge in enquiries about them. While of course the look, style and general production quality of the video are really important, [...]
The power of storytelling
A number of people commented to me after I recently shared an article from the New York Times. To my mind, this is one of the best case studies I’ve ever read about the power of working with an excellent financial planner. This is not a story about the [...]
6 “no no’s” on LinkedIn
I’m a big fan of LinkedIn and have been for the last decade. While some people (too quickly) dismiss it as just another route for recruiters to target your staff, I believe it offers significant benefits to financial planners in building and engaging a valuable network. However it’s not [...]
Does running a niche business make sense?
This is a question that occupies a lot of thinking time of many advisers today, as they contemplate their future client acquisition strategies. While we are seeing some advisers setting minimum hurdle sizes with new clients (either in assets under management or agreed fee levels), let’s be honest, many [...]
Will 2021 be better for advisers?
2020 has been a year like no other. It has created unexpected and unique challenges for financial advisers in terms of the daily running of your business, interacting with clients and growing your business. There was no clue coming into 2020 that it was going to be a year [...]
What advisers value in the advice they give
I took the opportunity this week to grab a coffee and have a good read of an excellent piece of research that was issued by PortfolioMetrix at the start of the summer. The research is called “The insider’s guide to the value of advice” and can be accessed here. [...]
How do you build trust?
I recently shared the most relevant findings for financial advisers in the Edelman Trust Barometer 2020, in which we saw continuing challenges for the financial services industry in relation to trust. However we also saw that trust in the financial services industry is growing faster than any other sector, [...]
What are your goals for this year?
2020 is well underway and everyone is hard at work to make this year your best year yet. Some advisers take a very structured approach to business planning, others prefer a bit more of a "seat of the pants" approach! The latter group give a bit of thought to [...]
Are you happy your value and cost propositions are right?
Lots of the conversations that we’re having with financial advisers are in relation to the ongoing value you are providing, and the cost being charged for delivery of that value. However if we are to be completely truthful, it doesn’t always start out from that point…. Quite a number [...]
Are you asking the right questions when buying a book?
We have written before on this very topic, but as there is lots of activity currently in the Irish market, we’ve developed our latest thinking to help you ensure that you get maximum bang for your buck when buying a book of business. The last few years have generally [...]
8 years on – what has changed?
I recently passed the 8th anniversary of leaving corporate life and setting up StepChange, with the aim of helping financial advisers to grow their businesses and to build durable, long-term value in them. So what's changed in the last eight years? The market is fundamentally different today Eight years [...]
Turbo charge your business in 2020
What am I doing, talking about 2020 already? Well I’m not asking you to wish your life away, but quite a number of financial advisers have observed that July and August are quieter times for them. And this quiet time offers an opportunity to do some planning for your [...]