If you haven’t noticed, we love to talk about your niche on Top Advisor Marketing Podcast. Having a real and focused niche enables advisors to make a larger impact in their area of interest, and grow their business exceptionally well. In today’s episode we are diving back into niche financial planning with Marci Bair, President of Bair Financial Planning, and soon to be published author of the Social Responsibility Tool Kit.

With over 25 years of experience working with female executives, LBGTQ+ communities, and progressive businesses, Marci understands just how crucial a niche is to building a sustainable and profitable business. But how can you take this one step further? Matt and Marci dive into how you can undergo assessments and certifications to provide proof that you are operating a unique and one of a kind financial planning service. With a background in sustainable and socially responsible investing, Marci offers her unique input on the various ways you can undergo ESI/SRI certifications to ensure your business is not just planning, but operating in a financially sustainable fashion.

If you’re interested in learning how you can take your ESI/SRI business to the next level, or just want to know more about developing a strong niche market, listen in with Marci and Matt today!

LINKS: Marci Bair | Sustainable & Socially Responsible Investing 101 | Socially Responsible Investing Brochure

A major component of what we teach on Top Advisor Marketing is that marketing isn’t sales. And sales isn’t marketing. In order to best showcase this for our audience we’ve brought on an incredible new guest who’s breadth and understanding of sales is sure to leave you feeling educated and fired up about catching that next sale. Today Matt welcomes TedX speaker, author, and owner of the Sales Whisper, Wes Schaeffer.

Wes broke out on his own in the world of finance in 2009. Since then he has developed a sales teaching system that is designed to ensure advisors are able to make those big sales with integrity (and without the hard close and profanity). Wes and Matt dive into some of his sought after techniques to improve your sales strategy and system. Included in this episode is a FREE copy of Wes’ sales agenda. This product is the same one he uses every time he enters into a room with a prospect.

Never forget, the only way to grow your business is to grow your sales! Close 2018 with a strong final push and listen in with Wes today!

LINKS: The Sales Whisperer | Wes Schaeffer| Meet Wes |FREE Sales Agenda

Did you know that fewer than one in four CFP® professionals are women and it’s been that way for at least a decade? Financial planning can be a great place for women to work, grown and thrive. So, why is it not attracting more women?  Its an industry about building relationships, problem solving, having control over your work and problem solving. All characterstics of a great field that should be appealing to both men and women.

Yet the continued male dominance has created a disparity in interest. Fortunately, on today’s espiode of Top Advisor Marketing Matt welcomes Bridget Grimes and Katie Burke, co-founders of Equita Financial Network, and two females in finance seeking to correct for that difference.

Bridget and Katie designed Equita to provide the support women aren’t getting from the male led firms that dominate the industry. Equita provides a variety of support systems to women financial planners including networking, scholarship opportunities, peer to peer mentoring, and professional development. It also has a fee structure system designed to reward women as they grow their firms. All of these strategies have been thoughtfully implements to help women become increasingly successful in the financial field.

In addition to running the Equita Financial Network, Bridget is a newly minted author of Corner Office Choices, and both Bridget and Katie manage their own financial planning firms.

To learn more about how Katie and Bridget are changing the way women work in finance, be sure to listen in today or check our Bridget’s new book, linked below.

LINKS: CORNER OFFICE CHOICES | Click here to listen to an exercpt of the book on iTunes | METHOD FINANCIAL PLANNING | WEALTH CHOICE

When you look around the room at financial conference, it’s probably come to your attention that there just isn’t much diversity in the crow around you. You may not even need to be at a conference to notice the lack of diversity in the financial sector, you may be able to tell simply from looking at your office.

If this sounds like you, first off you’re not alone. And second, there are professional who can help you, such as this week’s guest, Robyn Pollack.

Robyn is the president and founder of Trellis Consulting. As a business strategist with an expertise in diversity and inclusion, Robyn increases financial return by teaching organizations to leverage their D&I Initiatives more effectively.Through years of experience working with businesses as a restructuring attorney, Robyn understands first-hand that business goals, objectives and strategies can only truly be achieved in a culture that is grounded in cultivating and valuing all stakeholders equally.

Learn more today on how you can ensure you’re promoting inclusion and diversity in your work place!

LINKS:  MINDSET | ROBYN POLLACK

Do you feel as though your firm might be missing something? Or more specifically, someone? For decades now, many of us in the financial service industry have ignored 51% of the population, AKA the women. Matt is joined today by Barbara Provost of Purse Strings, LLC and Provost Consulting to discuss how you can change this and what opportunities there are for advisors to best serve women.

Barbara is an expert on women. With a doctorate in education she has spent the past 25 years building financial education products. Her experience and background create an ideal space to assist women in growing in their relationship with money, along with connecting with to properly vetted professionals.

If you’re interested in how you can create a more female accesible practice to help women manage their wealth (who, by the way, are  about 20 trillion dollars), Barbara has incredible thought leadership and insight to offer. Listen in today!

LINKS: www.pursestrings.com |  www.bprovost.com | Barbara Provost

One word we hear on repeat in the financial industry is niche. For many that means targeting a very specific population, whether that be people from a certain industry, company, or lifestyle. But have you ever considered breaking into the niche of sustainable finances? For many, SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) may just be a buzzword, but for today’s guest it’s a way of life and business.

In today’s episode, Matt is joined by a woman who not only walks the walk, but has also built a successful business when it comes to niche marketing and sustainable finance. Social advocate and financial planner Kim Griego-Kiel joins Top Advisor Marketing Podcast to share some of personally history with sustainable investing, along with the fundamentals.

Kim is the president of Horizon’s Sustainable Financial Services, and has been in the sustainable investing industry for over 20 years. Kim walks Matt through the fundamentals of how a sustainable financial services business operates, and how other advisors can adopt similar practice to create lasting client relationships and portfolios.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can create a strong portfolio that reflects your client’s values and passions, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

LINKS: www.HorizonsSFS.com| KIMBERLY GRIEGO-KIEL

In today’s episode Matt is joined by the coach to the advisors, Stephen Wershing of Client Drive Practice. Together, Matt and Stephen discuss the important difference between a target market and niche. While everyone has a target market (that is a group of people you are specifically trying to attract to your practice), many advisors are still falling short of developing a strong and sustainable niche in their target market. A niche on the other hand is a unique experience you create to attract some of the individuals in your target market. Stephen and Matt dive into the particulars of what it takes to develop a strong and viable niche to drive people to your firm, and develop a strong referral marketing system.

LINKS: LinkedIn | Becoming Referable Podcast| The Client Driven Practice | Stop Asking for Referrals

In today’s episode, Matt brings on one of Top Advisor’s inhouse social media expert, Julia Ritchie to share her recent findings on updates to all our of major Social Media Platforms. Julia has an advanced degree in digital media and communications, and has been an important addition to our team. With changes to everything from user interface, to ad formats and new features, Julia and Matt explore the changes that will be impacting your summer social media experience. If you’re interested insuring that your posts continue to please the algorithm, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.