By Peter Kaufman – Director of Creative Services, Sage Marketing
When my phone rings at Sage Marketing, the first thing out of most FA’s mouth is, “I need a brochure. Can you do it for me?”
“Sure we can,” I say. “But why do you need one?” That usually leads to a stunned silence.
“You are a marketing firm, right?”
“Yes,” I answer.
“I want marketing, and marketing means brochures, right?”
“That’s where we differ,” I say. I then proceed to ask them some pointed questions:
- What are you good at?
- What are you passionate about outside of work?
- How have you grown your business without a brochure so far?
- Once this boxload of brochures is delivered to your door, how are you going to get them into the right hands?
- Do you expect brochures, by themselves, to radically grow your practice?
I know it’s heresy for a marketing firm to say no to a paying project but I think there is more value in getting to know a client first, rather than just shove another brochure on to an unsuspecting world.
Whether you are an established advisor or just getting started, there is something unique
about you. (Yes, your mother was right.) It might be that you are a wrestling referee or a boat enthusiast, or you hiked the Appalachian Trail…whatever it is, this information can be used to grow your business.
Stop listening to gurus!
How many of you can think of “systems”that promise you riches if you only drip on prospects with a letter campaign? How many of you think that a brochure will solve all of your growth problems? It won’t.
Do a little math. From where you’re sitting right now, how many other advisors are within 10 miles of you? Probably a few hundred if not thousands. If they’re all listening to the same gurus, you’ll all be dripping on the same people. That doesn’t make much sense. For a whole lot less money (sometimes zero) you can differentiate yourself and your practice, and actually enjoy doing it.
Over the past few years, we’ve helped advisors run skeet shooting tournaments for charity, horse shows, high-end boat events and a host of fun, interesting ideas that sound nothing like marketing. What do they all have in common? They all put advisors in direct contact with their target audience. Every time.
You’re probably saying, “Oh sure, that works great for the big producers and their yachts and fast cars, but I’m barely hanging on. What can I do?” You can do plenty. Much like you do with a new client, you ask questions…lots of questions, right? That’s what we do. And we’ve never had an advisor that was so boring and uninvolved with the outside world that we couldn’t figure out something unique to help their business grow.
Choosing to work with a marketing firm is a big step. If you’re unfamiliar with what to ask them, here’s a quick tip to make that first call more productive:
How are you going to differentiate me from every other advisors in my town?
That’s it. Make sure you get an answer you’re happy with. Marketing is not a magic
wand…it’s not voodoo. It’s hard work that matches what you’re good at inside the office, with what you’re passionate about outside the office. If you can get that straight, you’re on the road to successful marketing.
And if you want a brochure that you can print on demand? We’d love to help you with that, too…if it makes sense!
Peter Kaufman is the Director of Creative Services for Sage Marketing. Call or text him anytime at 804-239-6254, or email: peter@sagemarketingus.com.