1. Get a Website
This one is the most obvious of all. If you don’t have a website, you are wasting possibly the biggest opportunity available to bring in new clients as well as engaging your existing clients.
Websites can also save time. Instead of clients calling you every time they need a fax number or some other mundane piece of information, they can simply visit your website for all the info they need.
Some advisers say they would prefer to let their client call them, as there may be opportunities for further business that can come from a phone call. That may be true, but a well designed website will engage your clients in a ways that we simply cannot do over the phone.
Top Tip: Get yourself online right now, even if it’s a basic one page website to start with.
2. Go Paperless
I have visited dozens of financial planning firms over the years that have serious office space devoted to files. This is just money down the drain, big time! Think about what you could do with that space. Put on another adviser, sub-lease the space to an accountant or other professional etc.
There are other benefits as well. Every time one of your clients calls, do you have to run to the filing room to find their file? With a good paperless system all of your clients’ documents are just a few mouse clicks away. And with the right security in place your client’s information will be as safe as ever.
What would happen to your precious paper files in the event of fire or flood? They’d be gone! A properly backed-up paperless system will be secure no matter what happens.
There are also huge savings on paper, ink and toner cartridges, not to mention reduced servicing bills on your printing equipment.
Getting a paperless office in place is easier than you may think, and the sooner you start the better.
Top Tip: Plan out your paperless system before you start, otherwise you could end up with a mess.
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3. Send a regular email newsletter
How often do you contact all of your clients? Once a year? For many clients they’d be lucky to get that!
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An email newsletter is an extremely cost effective way of keeping in contact with your clients (and prospective clients) and staying top of mind whenever they think about financial matters. You may not have time to write and distribute such a newsletter, but there are professionals out there who can provide this service for a reasonable fee. And in my experience, the return on investment is almost second to none in terms of marketing.
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Top Tip: Start collecting client email addresses from today and build your database.
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4. Build a Brand
Branding is a complex subject and I won’t go into too much detail now, but building a brand is something you should be doing from day one in any business.
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Don’t be just another professional services provider like every other financial adviser, accountant and lawyer out there. Set yourself apart with appropriate branding that reflects what you and your business are all about.
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Do you have a logo or corporate colours? Do they represent you well? Do they look professional? Are you using them consistently across all contact points you have with your clients? If not, start today.
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Top Tip: Get your logo right and start using it everywhere.
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5. Track Everything
If the only way you measure your business is by the amount of money you have, then you’re not doing enough. All good businesses should be tracking everything from where their leads come from to how much their average client is worth.
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By tracking everything in this manner you will quickly be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses in your business, and redistribute your efforts to ensure your business is running as well as possible.
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Tracking also make goal setting far easier, and we all know that goal setting is vital for any successful business.
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Top Tip: Even with basic Excel skills you should be able to build yourself a handy tracking spreadsheet.
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6. Create Content
Content is King! At least that’s what they say in the world of internet marketing. As advisers, we all have a huge amount of knowledge and experience, but for most of us it is all in our head. Google can’t search our heads (yet!) so they don’t know how knowledgeable or experienced we are.
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Turning your knowledge and experience into content, then storing and distributing it online can have massive benefits for your business.
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Today, if someone has a question about insurance or finance, they are less likely to search the Yellow Pages for an adviser, and much more likely to type their question straight into Google.If they find their way to your website via Google, and your website answers their question, then they will already see you as an authority on the subject.
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Once they are ready to take the next step, you are likely to be the first person they contact.The more relevant content you have, the more Google will like you, and the more people it will direct to your site. The more people who are directed to your site, the more leads you will have, and ultimately the more clients you will have.
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Top Tip: Set aside an hour each week to write an article.
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If writing isn’t your strong point engage the services of a ghost writer.
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7. Determine Your Ideal Client
Identifying your ideal client should really be the first thing any new or existing business does. Your ideal client should determine the type of marketing you do, your branding and the way you interact and communicate with your clients.
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Top Tip: Sit down and determine your ideal client tonight.
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8. Review Your Marketing Strategy
For many advisers their marketing is a mixture of various components which have been added over the years. But how do you know if your marketing is working? How do you know which marketing money is being spent well and which is being wasted?
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Now is the right time to document all of your marketing activities and take a good look at what is and isn’t working. Don’t keep paying for the same listing year after year just because “you’ve always done it”.
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The internet has changed marketing enormously over the last decade. If you’re still relying on the Yellow Pages, it’s time to catch up…
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Top Tip: Don’t be afraid to change your marketing to suit the changing world.
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9. Review Your Office Procedures
It doesn’t matter if you’re a sole trader working from home or a large firm with 100 staff, there are always things that you could be doing better. Many processes and procedures within our businesses have evolved over time, and often there will have been changed brought about by staff movements or regulatory changes.
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The problem with this is that we can end up with convoluted processes which may be costing us more time and money than they should.
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You should step back and take a look at what processes are taking the most time and effort. Are there things that we should be doing more, less, or differently? Don’t have that old attitude of “but this is what we’ve always done”.
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Top Tip: Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can be better at identifying issues and areas for improvement, so don’t be afraid to involve someone from outside of your business.
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10. Document Your Office Procedures
Getting your processes and procedures down on paper can be a time consuming process, but it may be one of the best investments you’ll ever make. If someone had to step in and take over the running of your business tomorrow, how easily could you explain all of your processes to them? What if you were stuck in a hospital bed and couldn’t explain a thing?
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Without properly documented processes your business could quickly spiral out of control, leaving you with a huge mess if and when you were able to return.
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Other benefits to having documented processes include easier staff training and better regulatory compliance. And when it comes time to sell your business or bring on an investor, having documented processes will make your business much more attractive.
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Top Tip: If you don’t have time to write them yourself, engage the services of a professional.Get started today!
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These tips have been proven useful by real advice businesses just like yours. Many of them you should be able to implement on your own, but if you need a hand I can help you regardless of how small or large your business is.
For more information visit ShaneMoore.com.au
