Your Value Proposition Has Little Value

What on Earth?

This marketing approach is well-intentioned and might be meaningful to the firm, but the assumption is that they’re equally meaningful to the prospect.

They’re not.

They will fall on deaf ears.

Why?

Because people don’t care about your business; they only care about their problems.

They’re attempting to portray themselves as being “not your typical advisor.”

By using feel-good, high-concept buzzwords (which come from the corporate world), or portraying yourself as average everyday people, the idea is to become more approachable, likeable, non-threatening, and unlike typical advisors... because these qualities are supposed to differentiate you and make you attractive to potential clients.

But that’s a flawed idea for two reasons:

1. Other advisors attempt to do the same.
2. The customer sees advisors as the same, because the advisory profession has become commoditized.

Ironically, claiming that you’re different in a profession where everyone else is claiming to be different makes you appear just like them.

And trying to portray yourself as “average everyday people” is what other advisors are also claiming that makes them “unique.” Before you even meet a prospect, they’ve already made assumptions about you based on the problems they need solved.

If it’s a medical problem, they’re looking for a serious medical expert.

If it’s a financial problem, they’re looking for a serious financial expert.

Differentiation is not about being different for its own sake. Differentiation is about how much trust and authority you project in terms of the problem your client needs solved.

It’s about being able to articulate your ideal client’s problem more clearly and more directly than other advisors.

Clarity generates trust, and being able to trust you (not necessarily like you) is the only value proposition your clients care about.

In the highly competitive and commoditized advisory profession, it’s super critical that you embody this truth in your business.

Consider these three important strategies:

1. Fall out of love with your business

Instead, fall in love with the depth of your prospect’s issues. Your prospects don’t care about your business or your team. They only care about their problem. They care less about how you solve their problem; they care more about but whether they can trust you to solve it (an important difference!).

2. Avoid business trends, jargon, and buzzwords

These only have currency in the corporate world and are too abstract and disconnected from normal people dealing with normal challenges of everyday life.

3. Focus deeply on your prospect’s problem

During a sales conversation, most advisors don’t always listen well. Instead, they’re waiting for their chance to offer solutions. By re-orienting yourself around your prospect’s problem and leaving out any mention of the solution, you eliminate multiple meetings and get paid clients in one meeting.

If these suggestions sound like common sense, unfashionable or impossible, your prospect sees things very differently than you.

The more clearly and directly you differentiate yourself based on your prospect’s problems, the more you become a trusted authority – the only choice for them.

Ari Galper is the world’s number one authority on trust-based selling and is the most sought-after high-net worth/lead generation expert for financial advisors. His newest book, “Trusted Authority” has become an instant best-seller among financial advisors worldwide – you can get a free copy of Ari’s book here and, when you click the “YES” button in the order form, you’ll also receive a complimentary “get new clients” lead generation consultation. Ari has been featured in CEO Magazine, Forbes, INC Magazine and the Australian Financial Review. He is considered a contrarian in the financial services industry and in his book, everything you learned about selling will be turned upside down. No more chasing, no pressure, no closing.

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