Speaker 1 0:08

This is the Ultimate Advisor Podcast, the podcast for financial advisors who want to create a thriving, successful and scalable practice. Each week we’ll uncover the ways that you can improve your referrals, your team, your marketing, and your business operations, helping you to level up your advising practice, bring in more assets and create the advising practice that you’ve dreamed of. You’ll be joined by our hosts Bryan Sweet, who is moving fast towards a billion dollars in assets under management, Brittany Anderson, the driving force for advisors looking to improve their operations and company culture, and Draye Redfern who can help you systematize and automate your practices marketing to effortlessly attract new clients. So what do you say? Let’s jump in to another amazing episode of The Ultimate Advisor podcast.

Brittany Anderson 1:06

Welcome back to your Ultimate Advisor Podcast. This is once again with you, Brittany Anderson. And I’ve got with me Draye, Redfern and Bryan Sweet. And we are rounding out, you know another conversation. I think we love all of these topics, as Draye said before, but really rounding out what you can do to make your business stand out. Now, some say that expectation is the root of all heartache. And this is actually a great example of that, if people don’t know what to expect, that’s where expectations go unmet. So if they come into your firm, and you know, you’re onboarding them, and you’re transferring assets in and whatever the case is, if they don’t know the steps from A to Z, you may have some gray matter there. And you may have, you know, maybe a processing timeframe isn’t met, you know, maybe what they’re expecting, as far as having the whole thing transfer and close. And all that good stuff is a lot faster than what’s actually realistic, when a simple conversation and a simple process in place to lay out expectations for people could have avoided that frustration. So really, what we want to hone in on is how you can create a unique process that allows you to communicate exactly what they can expect coming into the business. And this can apply to multiple things. So just to get your mindset in the right space. This can be for an onboarding of a new client, this could be internal processing, where maybe there’s a beneficiary change, this could be something where you’re bringing on additional assets from an existing client, this could be a marketing process, and it doesn’t have any need to have anything to do with your clients. Because your team also wants to know what to expect. It’s not just singularly focused on clients. But really thinking about this from that perspective and understanding that processes. They’re not just important, but they are essential to the continued success of your business, when there’s such a thing out there as growing too fast. And you can be an amazing person, you can have an amazing service offering an amazing product, whatever it is, and this is across the industry is not just our specific, but if you don’t have clear expectations for what your clients are going through, and those expectations on their end, then go unmet. That’s a problem. And that’s when you start seeing churn, that’s when you start seeing turnover for your clients and your your team members alike. So it’s important to understand that it is absolutely not good when someone expects one thing, and you deliver less than that. So let’s try to avoid that. Let’s not do that. Let’s go above and beyond Bryan, I know you have some great insight on kind of how the dream architect was formulated. And you know, you’re a huge process believer. And we joke here that we have a process for how to make a process, we literally have a process for how to run the microwave. So if you need any process, we are your people. But Bryan, I thought you could shed some really good comments on just kind of how we’ve shaped that with the dream architect overall and how we do business at Sweet Financial.

Bryan Sweet 4:01

Yeah, you’re right, we we do have a lot of processes. But I think that’s really one of the keys to any success that we’ve had. But as it relates to the dream architect, I gotta go back and give a little credit where credit is due. I’ve been a member of strategic coach for probably 22 years now. And Dan Sullivan is the innovator of the unique process. And a unique process is probably one of the things that is really jumped out at me the most. And it took me a long time to really see the impact and it’s probably been the last two or three years where it’s had this amazing effect but for quite a while we’ve had the dream architect process, but whatever happened, the light bulbs went on and it’s literally every thing that we do now. And it’s not just an idea anymore. It’s it’s just really how we do Business and it’s trying to have an impact on people’s lives and get them to think more about possibilities and where life can be. And not just how do I get through the next day or the next week. And we’ve taken that to a really great extent. And we’ve got scripting that we do for the teams to use. When clients on board, we have a process when a prospect comes in, we have the dream architect Tour, where it gives a little history of the firm, and we’ve got, you know, pictures planted at certain places, we’ve got our process on the wall, where my director, first impressions shows and tells a little bit about the purpose of the dream market tech. And it’s all scripted and choreographed, because it’s an event. And we want clients to have an experience when they come to us and leave with the expression on their face, like, Wow, I’ve never had that experience before. And that was absolutely amazing. And I’d love to do business with them, if that’s what they deliver every single time. And so it’s really the basis of everything that we do nowadays. And if you can get to that point, and everybody literally, that’s an advisor has something unique that they do, it’s just that you haven’t taken enough time to think about it, and call it something different. And I can’t tell you how important it is to have your own unique process. Even if you don’t spend a lot of time and naming steps uniquely, if you just call it something different, it’s going to be helpful. Otherwise, what happens is, you’re going to be like every other financial advisor that does planning or does investing. And you don’t call it anything different. It’s not unique to you. Because with the dream architect process, only way you can get it is to come with us. Or as Brittany alluded to, in one of the previous podcasts, we’ve had so many requests from other advisors and people in our mastermind, that we’re actually looking at licensing the process for others to use because we literally can’t service everybody that we can, that we’re working with today. And so seriously, give that some thought everybody’s got certain steps they take to get their clients through when they walk in the door to when they start doing reviews. Just simply name them, and then call the overall process, something that’s different. And then start marketing that to your clients and use it for everything that you do. And it’s really, really important that once you develop the process, then you have to market it because if no one knows you have something unique, then it’s not going to get as much traction and the marketing maestro, Mr. Draye Redfern can tell us how to do that.

Draye Redfern 8:14

Thanks, Bryan. So there’s there’s a lot of things here. And I wholeheartedly agree with everything Bryan said, because otherwise, if people come in, they don’t know what game they’re playing with you. They don’t know whether they’re playing risk, where they’re fighting multiple battles on multiple fronts. They don’t know whether they’re playing Monopoly, and they’re going around and around and around and around and around and around the same board until somebody eventually gets to the end or wins, or whether it’s like Chutes and Ladders where there’s a clear path to the end. But there’s also some shortcuts or some ways that may help them faster by having the right advice. And we want you to be the chutes and ladders kind of advisor, we want you to have a clear starting point for them and a clear ending point for them. That is their goals, their dreams, their ambitions. And the first thing that we oftentimes recommend when it comes to this marketing wise, is to not necessarily name the process. First are some people that works better, but I’d say like that’s 10% of people, for most people, the 90% is outline the process first. What do you do? What do you say? Like Who are you serving? Who’s the avatar? What’s the demographic? What pain points do they have along the way? At what points are their breakdowns in, maybe it’s their confidence, or maybe it’s their certainty or maybe it’s the uncertainty of not knowing if they’re gonna have enough money for retirement, and then map all of that out. And once you have that out, if you could whittle it down to, you know, four to I wouldn’t go more than eight steps usually, then that is a very clear process that you can say this and then we walk you through step two, which is this. Then after that, once we’ve reached this certain point, then we walk you through step three, it allows you to have much more structured conversations that give the prospect or the client much more certainty that you know what the heck that you’re doing. and really just creates a lot more sort of cohesiveness in the conversation as you go. So once you have that sort of process completed, then name it. And maybe it’s the wonderful widow process. Or maybe it’s the delightful divorce process. If someone’s going through a divorce, and you’re going to help them is delightfully as possible with their finance, I don’t know what it is, and I just ad lib those. But the idea is, is to find something that actually fits your market, and build the process around that and then name it, if you do it that way, it makes it a lot easier to basically reverse engineer the results and the steps that you want to provide to them. And that helps, as we talked earlier, to make those expectations significantly more clear, so that they know what they can expect as that process goes on. And it just makes everybody happier. So all of that to say, Brittany, I’m sure there’s a few things that we could maybe circle back on here.

Brittany Anderson 10:56

Hey, Brittany here, stopping and pausing for a moment to talk about something that we’ve had so many of you inquire about, and that is our ultimate advisor, mastermind. Now, I’m going to start by saying if you are not a growth minded individual, if you are not somebody who’s focused on taking your business to the next level, if you’re not focused on engaging your team, and helping them to help you in turn, level up the business, the service model, how you provide that wow experience to clients. If those things are not your focus, just fast forward right now, because the ultimate advisor mastermind would not then be for you. However, if you are looking to take your business to the next level, if you want to experience exponential growth and feel supported along the way, if you want to start working smarter and not harder, if you want to help your team members to work within the God given talents that they were provided, and use those skill sets in a way they haven’t yet to help support you in your business to help them realize their biggest goals, their biggest dreams. If you want creative approaches to marketing, I know that can be an intimidating word. But we’re not talking here about the fancy Facebook stuff, or you know, the latest and greatest, but rather looking at how you can market what you do, how you can express how you’re different, and how you can truly differentiate yourself in a crowded market space. If those are problems you’re looking to solve, then you absolutely want to go check out ultimate advisor mastermind.com To learn more about how we can help you on your path and journey to growth. You know, I think one of the biggest things to think about is when you are looking at processes when you’re looking at processes in your business. And you know, we talk a lot about, you know, having one for your full, you know, experience with you and how important that is. But sometimes that can be really overwhelming when you’re first starting in the process game. So the thing that I like to recommend is that when you’re looking at, okay, what needs to actually be documented and put to paper, I would start with anything that could make or break a relationship with a client. So the first one that I usually go through with people is to say, all right, your onboarding process, when you bring a new client on, that had better be so solid was such clear expectations laid out, because that first 90 days you have with a new client, you literally make or break the relationship, right. So you don’t want to break that because it’s a heck of a lot of work to onboard a client, there’s a lot of manpower involved, there’s a lot of moving parts, you want it to be such an amazing experience, because they are then going to turn into number one advocates for your business, which is not a bad thing to have. But number two, they’re going to trust, right. And in our industry, in particular, trust is a really hard thing to build, but it’s a really easy thing to lose. So that’s where I recommend hone in on that onboarding process if you don’t have it already. Because that will then Kickstarter jumpstart you into kind of the next and that’s really just the flow of the business. You know, we’ve talked about this before, but whenever we have a new client come on board with us, typically what we hear is that they were not hearing from their previous advisor. Now in our ears, that doesn’t necessarily mean their advisor was a bad person or didn’t care or whatever. What that probably means is they did not have processes in place to help them you know, have a fluid system for keeping in touch with our clients. And that’s a problem. So when you look at your overall process, I mean we haven’t drilled down into how many times you know certain clients are seen throughout the year. What is the review look like when they do come in, those are all things that are documented. And it just flows, you don’t even have to think about it. Like literally when we think about once a client is on boarded, we don’t have to really think anymore about how we’re going to see them. Because we know. And obviously, a review is customized according to their plan, and all of that good stuff. But for the most part, the framework of it, it’s the same every time. That’s what allows us to have expanded capacity. That’s what allows us to have expanded capabilities. And that’s what allows our team to have confidence in what they do. Because they don’t have to sit around and wait for the advisor to tell them what they’re supposed to do. Or wait for me to be like, Oh, hey, Brittany, what am I supposed to do today? I mean, I say that a little facetiously. But the reality is, is that I have encountered multiple businesses where that’s actually the case, where the primary and we’re not talking about just entry level businesses, where the primary literally dictates the advisor dictates what needs to be done on a day to day that is not sustainable, that’s going to either cause you to burn out, cause you to lose your mind or cause your team to leave. And I don’t think we want any of those things to happen. So I really want to push on the pain point of why it’s so important to have these processes in place. And like Brian and Draye both said, once you get to the point of having a process and again, like Draye said, just sit down and think about what’s the experience, like what happens when somebody comes on board, even the easiest way to start documenting a process is to actually document it while you’re doing it. You know, the biggest Lie we tell ourselves, what’s the saying The biggest Lie we tell ourselves is I will remember that you will not remember, you might have the best memory on the planet, you will not remember there will be a step that gets missed. Because we’re not perfect. We’re human, right? So you want to do what you can to try to avoid some of the mistakes or the bottoms falling out that don’t need to be made, still sit down and just look at okay, this is what we do. This is how we bring on a client. This is how we’ve done in the past, how do I put this to paper? Right? Or how do I put this into, you know, whatever process management system you decide to use. But really a simple way to do it is just to start documenting have a Word document on one screen, you’ll be working on another and just start putting down the flow of what you do. That’s where it comes to light. And then you can get creative and say okay, like Draye said, who’s our avatar? Who do we serve? What is our mission? If you listen to the last couple podcasts? What’s our mission? Oh, who? Are we trying to make a difference in their lives? And how can we name the process to really resonate with those people? So you kind of back into that a bit and really just figuring out, you know, what do we want to be known for? What the heck do we do here that’s cool and unique and different? And how do we make a difference in people’s lives, it makes it really easy to start naming things and creating and all of that good stuff along the way. So before I round out with a few key takeaways, Bryan, Draye, I know you there’s more you got something to say,

Bryan Sweet 17:48

Yeah, this is a great topic. And I want to reinforce one thing that you said, because I, as I listened to you, I went well, I really need to emphasize this because you said, you know, sometimes the overall process is very overwhelming if you’re going to start with maybe the onboarding process. And I I couldn’t agree more matter of fact, we survey all of our clients after the on boarding process and basically find out you know, how we are doing and how we rate etc, etc. And I will tell you, the biggest thing that happens is because we do have a very detailed process, the things that clients like the most than they typically don’t get, they know exactly the timeframe for what everything is going to happen. And they know why it’s going to happen. And so they expect this to happen on day 12 this to happen on day 27 this to happen on day, whatever we send a gift in between. So there’s a little surprise and delight, but they get exactly what you tell them. And you can’t start a relationship off any better than doing exactly what you told them. When you told them you do it. And if you want to solidify a relationship, that’ll do a lot to you know, make that very sticky client.
You know, this analogy popped in my head, Bryan, as you were talking, you know, if you think about your onboarding, and the importance of what Bryan just said, delivering on expectations, think about if you’re married, or you’re in the dating game, or whatever, in those early stages, you’re like on your A game, right? You’re delivering on everything said for that person because you’re like, I’m trying to close this deal. I am trying to lock them down. I like this person. So I think it’s a I mean, it’s kind of a fun analogy, but it’s really it’s true, right? You’re in the dating phase is you’re in those courting phases, like show up as your best self and make it so that it is impossible for them to have anything bad to say because you’ve delivered on everything that you said you would. It is so darn important there. So the Huge takeaways from today’s episode of the few top takeaways, I should say, is, number one, figure out which processes are lacking. Or on the flip side, if you’re starting from the ground up to decide which ones impact your clients the most, those are the ones you need to start with, because those are the ones that can actually hurt your business and, and hurt your sustainability as a company as an entity as a business overall. So that is really important. The second piece is to, you know, once you’ve got your unique process defined, and you have those steps in place, just like Draye walked through naming it based on your ideal avatar and your target niche, that’s really important too, because again, that’s going to be a piece that you can use as a standout. Because nobody else can do it. Just like the Dream Architect at Sweet financial, we have it trademarked like that’s ours, that’s ours until we go to license it, right. And even then it’s still something that we’re creating, because we have the passion and the vision for it. And then others are gonna be able to plug in and use the same thing. So just get creative and decide what it is that you really want to be focused on. And then finally, I think Bryan could not have said it better, but just making sure you’re delivering on expectations. And that’s really the point of this. And you would be amazed at how many businesses how many advisors don’t take that fully to heart, on making sure that they are delivering on what they say, if you’re some of the unique ones that do that. And that actually, you know, deliver, you’re constantly living up to those expectations. That in itself is a standout, you know, set aside all of the fun marketing, all the cool ideas, all of the uniqueness and the mission and all that good stuff. If you deliver on what you say, and you stand by your commitments that will stand alone by itself and help you stand out. Because again, like we’ve talked about before, the flip side of it is very, very apparent and very obvious, and we don’t want that for you. So that is going to round out today’s episode of The Ultimate Advisor Podcast. We will catch you back here next week. Hey there, Brittany Anderson here. If you are loving what you’re hearing on our ultimate advisor podcast, don’t keep us a secret. Share us with other advisors that you think would benefit from the messages that you are hearing. The easiest way to do that is to simply send them to ultimateadvisorpodcast.com. And if you want to learn a few other ways that we could potentially serve you as an advisor, go check out ultimateadvisormastermind.com. As always, we are so happy to have you here with us as part of the Ultimate Advisor Community and we look forward to a continued relationship

Brittany Anderson 19:15

You know, this analogy popped in my head, Bryan, as you were talking, you know, if you think about your onboarding, and the importance of what Bryan just said, delivering on expectations, think about if you’re married, or you’re in the dating game, or whatever, in those early stages, you’re like on your A game, right? You’re delivering on everything said for that person because you’re like, I’m trying to close this deal. I am trying to lock them down. I like this person. So I think it’s a I mean, it’s kind of a fun analogy, but it’s really it’s true, right? You’re in the dating phase is you’re in those courting phases, like show up as your best self and make it so that it is impossible for them to have anything bad to say because you’ve delivered on everything that you said you would. It is so darn important there. So the Huge takeaways from today’s episode of the few top takeaways, I should say, is, number one, figure out which processes are lacking. Or on the flip side, if you’re starting from the ground up to decide which ones impact your clients the most, those are the ones you need to start with, because those are the ones that can actually hurt your business and, and hurt your sustainability as a company as an entity as a business overall. So that is really important. The second piece is to, you know, once you’ve got your unique process defined, and you have those steps in place, just like Draye walked through naming it based on your ideal avatar and your target niche, that’s really important too, because again, that’s going to be a piece that you can use as a standout. Because nobody else can do it. Just like the Dream Architect at Sweet financial, we have it trademarked like that’s ours, that’s ours until we go to license it, right. And even then it’s still something that we’re creating, because we have the passion and the vision for it. And then others are gonna be able to plug in and use the same thing. So just get creative and decide what it is that you really want to be focused on. And then finally, I think Bryan could not have said it better, but just making sure you’re delivering on expectations. And that’s really the point of this. And you would be amazed at how many businesses how many advisors don’t take that fully to heart, on making sure that they are delivering on what they say, if you’re some of the unique ones that do that. And that actually, you know, deliver, you’re constantly living up to those expectations. That in itself is a standout, you know, set aside all of the fun marketing, all the cool ideas, all of the uniqueness and the mission and all that good stuff. If you deliver on what you say, and you stand by your commitments that will stand alone by itself and help you stand out. Because again, like we’ve talked about before, the flip side of it is very, very apparent and very obvious, and we don’t want that for you. So that is going to round out today’s episode of The Ultimate Advisor Podcast. We will catch you back here next week. Hey there, Brittany Anderson here. If you are loving what you’re hearing on our ultimate advisor podcast, don’t keep us a secret. Share us with other advisors that you think would benefit from the messages that you are hearing. The easiest way to do that is to simply send them to ultimateadvisorpodcast.com. And if you want to learn a few other ways that we could potentially serve you as an advisor, go check out ultimateadvisormastermind.com. As always, we are so happy to have you here with us as part of the Ultimate Advisor Community and we look forward to a continued relationship.