Advisor Marketing Success By Focusing On “You” Not “I”

Whenever I need to improve a sales letter, yellow page ad, magazine ad, or web page, I first zero in on something simple. Does the ad speak about the advisor or firm? Or does it speak about what’s in it for the client? What’s the ratio of  “I” or “mine” versus “You” or “yours”?

Let me ask you a question: Do you read this website to learn about me or learn how to grow your financial planning practice with better marketing?

My mom might read this site to learn something new about me. Maybe. The rest of you read this because you want more clients, you want more assets under management, and you want to reduce the hassles of running a financial planning practice so you can enjoy your life more?

Seems so simple but 99% of ads out there don’t get this.

I first learned this concept from Jay Abraham in 1989. He taught me everyone is tuned into the same radio station: WII-FM. Remember WII-FM in your marketing and you’ll find success.

What does WII-FM stand for? “What’s In It For Me?”

That’s what you care about when you read these articles or get my living trust seminar product or hire me to redesign your website.

Your clients, and especially your prospecs, don’t care about your problems. They really only care about their problems:

  • Their retirement income…”Will I have enough?”
  • Their financial goals…”When can I retire?”
  • Their children’s college  fund… “How can pay for college for all my kids?”
  • Their long-term-care risk… “What if my husband gets Alzheimers?”

Let me show you a political example of when this I/You concept is lost. It features President Obama. His campaign for president was a marketing tour-de-force. Master Clayton Makepeace called his budget proposal “The best sales copy ever on the worst product ever.” So he has staff who know their marketing. It seems that they took the day off a few days ago when the President gave this speech. Here is a 2 minute clip to make my point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9UIpW_3P5s

You need to avoid the “I/my” approach in your marketing or your prospects will avoid you.

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