Strategies for Advisors to Differentiate Themselves

My greatest error when I started into this business? Thinking that doing good work would be enough to drum up word-of-mouth introductions. It was, until people stopping actively thinking about me as much as I desired. What can Fractional CFOs and FP&A advisors do to make connections easier and an ongoing part of business development? Here are the 6 activities I encourage: 1) Networking Don't just look for companies that need your help. Look for the people who know the people who need your help. Networking is a proactive activity to connecting with high-quality people with the sole intention of learning from them and helping them. It is not about passing out business cards and adding them to an email list. 2) Partnerships Seek a win-win-win scenario. If a company needs help, make it easy for others to refer you. If you are the right provider, you win. But so does the client and so does the referral source. Few of us have the time to send out cold emails, join 12 calls every day, all while doing client work. Teaming up with others who trust us and can market on our behalf increases the odds of connecting with great prospects. 3) Social Media We no longer have to meet people in person to show that what we do. But just as we wouldn't pass around business cards at a networking event, we shouldn't bombard people with constant pitches. A presence on social media doesn't need to be clickbait marketing and trying to hook people into consuming empty calories. Instead, it's an opportunity to showcase experience and expertise. 4) Sales Sales used to feel icky to me, because I felt that I was pressuring someone to buy into me. But sales isn't icky if what we're selling is the antidote to someone's pain. If we fail in selling the cure, we force prospects to buy a sub-par service from someone else. 5) Workshops and Speaking There is no better medium for business development, self-development, marketing, and networking than workshops and speaking. It forces us to develop confidence and mastery in our craft. It allows us to demonstrate our authority and expertise. But we can do this all within the context of service to others. They have come to learn something new and we can be the ones to offer those lessons. 6) Masterminds Masterminds allow people to come together to learn from and challenge each other. As an advisor, we don't have to be the foremost expert in the room. We just have to be able to run a great facilitation and share wisdom. ---------- Some people think that Fractional CFO work is all about word-of-mouth introductions, delivering a recurring accounting package, and coasting once they have a bundle of clients. But clients change. And that means that over time: Needs change Scopes of work change Demands on our time change We might no longer be the right fit Doing great work is not enough to build a sustainable and growing financial advisory practice. That's table stakes. Active marketing is the key to sustainable growth.

What's your plan for targeted accounts that seem like they're married to your competition? We all know the standard answer: Persistence. But persisting by merely continuing to pitch products is just throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks. Instead, find a way to 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒔𝒉 yourself with the prospect where you'll stand out and be remembered in a positive way. The best way to distinguish yourself is as someone who is more resourceful, more knowledgable, and more informed about the specialty(s) you serve including current concepts than any of your competitors. It's about finding something that works for you that you can do consistently. Let me give you an example... My background before medical sales included graduate work in Anatomy. While my main interest was the study of Anatomy itself (big Anatomy nerd here), grad school was about reading and dissecting academic research papers as much as cadavers. Like most grad students in the sciences, I became good at being able to read and summarize a paper. Flash forward to medical sales. How many medical reps can read and critically summarize a scientific paper? Not many. When it occurred to me that pitching products to competitive surgeons was doing little to differentiate myself from every other rep, I tried something new... I would attend orthopedic conferences and summarize the presentations. When I returned to the territory, I called to schedule appointments to give a quick overview and leave behind a written summary of the conference (BTW, no surgeon declined to meet with me regarding this). It wasn't just me talking. I'd ask questions: "What is your approach to avoiding extensor lag? Here's what some of the surgeons at the conference advocate. What are your thoughts?" Long story (endless), this is how I showed I was different. My leave behind was "If you need some help researching an issue or locating a journal article or white paper, call me." What if the academic approach isn't your jam? Find something else. Are you good at using A.I.? Do you have experience with practice marketing (maybe sharing some of the practice marketing genius of some of your Linkedin contacts who post daily like Seth Turnoff and Matthew Ray Scott). There are countless ways to distinguish yourself, but if all you do is continue to pitch products, you'll miss golden opportunities. BTW, in case you were wondering, these activities do lead to more product conversations, but with a VERY different leve of interest. There are things you can do your competitors either can't or won't. Find your distinction.

Lately, the number one question I have been asked is ”How do I get my message out?” This comes down to two main things: 1. You know what your differentiator is. 2. You have simplified your message. There are many other ways to get your message out, but when you boil it down to the core, these two things is how you get your message out. So, what is your differentiator? If you're not sure, that’s your first priority. Because if you don’t know what sets you apart, your ideal clients definitely won’t. Here are 4 ways to uncover it: • Talk to your best clients (they’ll tell you what you’re best at) • Audit your process (your unique value is likely hiding there) • Revisit your origin story (there’s gold in how you got here) • Work with a brand strategist (yes, this is a shameless plug if you need help) Then, once you’ve got your differentiator, simplify it. Here’s how: - Test it on a 12-year-old (seriously) - Stop talking like an advisor. Start talking like a human. - Read it out loud, then cut it in half People don't need more mumbo jumbo. They need clarity. If you're done blending in and want to articulate your value in a way that sticks, this is exactly what we do at Niki Clark Marketing. DM me and we’ll talk through how to sharpen your message. Your differentiator’s already in there. Let’s make sure the right people hear it.

"Just let your work speak for itself" is terrible career advice. Here's what to do instead 👇 I see talented professionals miss opportunities every day because they are conditioned to believe this myth. Here's the reality: Great work that no one knows about is doing a disservice to you and your company. It's like being a talented musician performing on a random street corner when you could be in a concert hall – your music deserves the right stage. Here's the 6-step framework my clients use to build visibility authentically: 1) Create Your Leadership Map - Identify key stakeholders who should know your work 2) Assign Sentiment - Document how each person thinks about you 3) Identify Holes - Find gaps in your visibility across teams 4) Fill the Holes - Share your work strategically and purposefully 5) Arrange Strategic Meetings - Have meaningful conversations that benefit both parties 6) Track Details - Keep a simple system to maintain relationships Think of this framework like having a professional booking agent - instead of hoping people notice your work, you're strategically sharing value with those who need it most. 💭 Who are the top 3 people in your organization who should know more about your work? Have a question about one of these steps? Drop a comment below👇or DM me #CareerStrategy #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #Networking

Why some advisors seem to easily get leads from digital marketing while others don't? I can usually look at someone's digital footprint and tell within minutes whether their capturing leads from their efforts or not. But first, let me back up --- did you know that 2/3 of Google searches now end without a click*? We type something into Google like "How much will my social security go up in 2025?" ... And Google just gives us the answer - right at the top of the page. We no longer need to click into a website for soooo many queries. And the way we search is shifting dramatically too. Instead of going to Google to discover brands and service... to now going to Google once we have ALREADY discovered the brand or service - and just "googling" the exact name of the company or person...(which then leads the business to think - people are finding us from Google in droves!) Businesses are attributing traffic to their website from great Google SEO. But it's more complicated than that. So, what are the advisors who are getting marketing right doing right? 🔴 They are doing 3-4 of these Marketing Tactics really well: 1. Creating content - and crucially, putting it where their audience is spending the most time 2. Focusing on VIDEO (short form, vertical for social, long-form, horizontal for Youtube, website and blog) 3. Getting Google Reviews (HUGE for local search aka "Financial advisor near me or "financial advisor Cleveland, OH"). 4. Asking clients -  "How are you searching for things right now?" "Do you ever search directly in Youtube or on a social network- for what?" "Do you ever go right to an AI tool? For what types of searches?" (Know that how each AI platform finds answers to give varies greatly - but they all seem to look for things like reviews, media mentions, niche-specific info on your website, and your location for local searches) 5. Incorporating real time answers through tools like LiveChat/Chat Bots on your website (YES this can be done compliantly - because answers can be pre-loaded and approved ahead of time - watch the full video to see how) 6. For advisors serving Boomers - they are taking advantage of Facebook Groups and Facebook targeted ads 7. Utilizing Youtube. EVERYONE watches Youtube whether you are 9 years or 99 years old. 8. Engaging ONLINE. Replying right away to comments on your post. Leaving comments on other's posts. Sending weekly email marketing drip campaigns that don't read like a boring corporate earnings report. BEING human and showing you care online - the same way you do offline. *According to data compiled from Rand Fishkin at SparkToro For way more context on this shift and full insight into all the 8 Marketing Moves I suggest Advisors Make in 2025 - check out the full interview with Joshua Brown Which of these 8 has been working well for you and your business this year? Which do you want to up your game on in 2025? Watch here: https://lnkd.in/eSeQyetK

How do you differentiate when everybody knows everybody? We live in a network-based ecosystem with LinkedIn, conferences, circles, and groups. Crossing paths with former colleagues or business partners within a particular industry is common. However, I also meet with individuals who state that their network is small and that it's hard for them to land their next role. The reality is that you don't have to be friends with those in decision-making roles. But you must be able to differentiate yourself from the masses. After all, when someone is looking to hire you, they are looking for results more than familiarity. Their choice of candidate or vendor also impacts the hiring manager's career success. Whether you are an individual looking for your next role or a company seeking clients, your differentiation will increase your chances of being selected. Four factors are at play - credibility, believability, trust, and value. 1. Credibility: How well do you showcase your credibility? Having the right expertise is only a start. Your brand must show that you have been around the block, learned from successes and failures, and know how to work around gray areas. A deeper understanding of the nuances of the role you are applying to or the project you pitch dramatically helps. Generic resumes, LinkedIn profiles, or company pitch decks will not help much. 2. Believability: Is your brand believable? If you have only 8 years of experience as a doer or expert and are applying for a position that demands 15+ years of well-rounded leadership experience, how much is that believable? Look at it from the hiring manager's perspective. There is little alignment if you claim big swings in savings and work for companies whose total revenue is a fraction of the hiring manager's annual budget. 3. Trustability Trust generally takes time to build. However, it's highly misunderstood. You don't have to work with a person for many years before you gain their trust. Trust building happens in stages through small, consistent, disciplined actions. While I may trust someone I have worked with for many years with something, I am willing to trust an unknown candidate with a much bigger budget and responsibility based on the interview process, their career trajectory, references, their homework through the interview preparation, and how they respond to my questions. 4. Value: It is of little value. Another highly misunderstood term is value. Although one may be an expert in a particular field or technology, there is still no clear and direct mapping between that experience and the company's points or opportunities. Also, given shifts in the company's priorities and focus, what is of high value will continue to change. Are we observant and proactively adapting our approach to those changes? This is one reason why someone considered highly valuable at the time of hire can sometimes find their value to the organization diminish. #datapreneursdaily