Having worked with the best of the best for over 20 years in the financial services industry, Laura offers the latest insight & instruction and shares the most overlooked marketing and prospecting techniques used by her clients every day to get the most from leveraging LinkedIn and other platforms for professionals. Build a Stellar LinkedIn Profile | Get Warm Introductions | Deepen Client Relationships | And More
Showing posts with label Wealth Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wealth Management. Show all posts
Life has never been more predictable, the delightful surprise that occurs when we least expect it attracts attention like never before. Yes, a holiday gift is pretty much anticipated, however a personalized gift that is unique to your client’s interests, passions and family is sure to truly delight this holiday season.
I’ve coached thousands of financial advisors on how to acquire new clients and make existing relationships even stickier. I’ve noticed one common theme among the most successful – they practice ‘love affair marketing’, they know their clients and their families (pets too!), and they care greatly about them.
Gifting must be personal! I’ve put together a time-saving holiday gift guide that contains unique gifts (and direct links to the items) in different categories all under $100 to adhere to regulatory limits. If you have a favorite, let me know by emailing info@lauravirili.com - I’ll add it to the list.
Be sure to check out the additional videos in this series on my YouTube Channel (be sure to subscribe) or directly from my site, LauraVirili.com, to learn how to Kill it Online & Off
Financial Advisors and other business professionals who are killing it on LinkedIn know how to perform advanced searches to find exactly who they are looking for, create warm lead lists, get introductions and turn prospects into clients. You can easily find Centers of Influence (COI), C-suite executives, business owners, doctors, media executives, women-owned businesses, money-in-motion, your niche market and the list goes on and on…
Step 1: Get Familiar with Advanced Search
First, you want to get familiar with Advanced Search. I always coach advisors to go into Advanced Search and play around with it. You're not going to break it, and if you are set to ‘anonymous’ mode, people aren’t even going to know you are looking at them.
Greatly improve the accuracy of your LinkedIn Advanced search results thru the combination of Boolean modifiers in the Keywords, Title and Company fields.
Learn how to get targeted results and create a warm lead lists that you can save!
Download the printable Targeted Advanced Search cheat sheet that includes Advanced Search Terms!
If you liked this post, please Like, Comment and/or Share. Want me to cover a certain topic, or have a question, email me info@lauravirili.com – your Q could be the next topic for my show!
Be sure to check out the additional videos in this series on my YouTube Channel (be sure to subscribe) or directly from my site, LauraVirili.com, to learn how to Kill it Online & Off.
Life is about relationships and connections. Word of mouth still reigns supreme. Actually, word of mouth is more important than ever before and is now the only reliable way to grow your book of business. Meridith Elliot Powell said it best when interviewed on Ande Lyons’ Possibility Partners show…
“[Today’s] consumers are highly skeptical, well-informed and squarely in control. What you sell in this economy (no matter how amazing or incredible, unique or spectacular you think it is) [has] become a commodity.” – Meridith Elliot Powell
Sorry to refer to you and your AMAZING service as just a commodity, and your potential clients as consumers, but let’s think about that for a sec…
Sure, you’ve more than likely established deep relationships (as well as trust) with your existing clients, but until such a relationship exists with a prospect, that prospect is nothing more than a consumer shopping around for the best financial advisor, comparing YOU to all of your competitors.
Granted, they may be treating you and your service as a commodity, but there’s no doubt they’re taking it very seriously since it’s one where their financial future (and their family’s financial future) is riding on making the right choice. Now, we all know that most people will buy a product or use a service without hesitation if a friend already owns or uses it and is clearly happy with it. And with that in mind, our approach is typically to ask our existing clients for referrals (any referral) - possibly invite them to bring some friends or acquaintances to an intimate event or outing – but we’re shooting in the dark.
LinkedIn not only shines some light, it practically gives you x-ray vision!
Step 1: Your LinkedIn Network – Make it an Introduction Machine
LinkedIn is only as powerful as you build your network to be. Your first and second degree connections, alone, could provide most of what you need.
Learn who should you be including in your network, and best practices for making those requests…
Step 2: Your 2nd Degree Connections – The Sweet Spot on LinkedIn
All of your clients should be 1st degree connections and these clients have 1st degree connections of their own - those people are your 2nd degree connections, the sweet spot! Before you meet with a client, go through your client’s connections to identify who you’d like to be introduced to. Then before the end of your meeting, have a conversation about these individuals and ask your client if they could provide you that warm introduction, as well as the recommendation that will set you apart from your competition.
Learn how easy it is to identify ideal prospects and how what to say…
That’s all there is to it for sourcing the right names for a warm introduction and gaining the best opportunity for hitting the ball out of the park!
Be sure to check out the additional videos in this series on my YouTube Channel or directly from my site, LauraVirili.com, to learn how to Kill it Online & Off.
Time Block, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. You can get lost on LinkedIn – be disciplined, get in and then get out. Perform three daily tasks and you will be amazed at the activity it will generate!
Review & respond to messages/invites in your LinkedIn mailbox - Review invitations from folks that have asked you to become part of their network. Accept or decline. Did you know there is a little known feature on LinkedIn that allows you to ‘Reply (Don’t Accept Yet’) – this feature is found only when viewing invitations from the Message Center. If there is someone who has asked you to connect with them and you are unsure as to whether or not you want to include them as part of your network, you can use this feature to say something such as:
“Thank you for asking me to connect with you on LinkedIn. Can you share with me how we know each other or why you would like to connect on LinkedIn?” If you don’t hear back from them then explaining how they can help you or you help them, you more than likely do not want to connect with them.
As an advisor you can really stand out by sending a follow up note once someone accepts your invite or you have accepted theirs. After connecting with them send them a LinkedIn message and say something such as:
When referring to a connection request you sent: “Hi Joe, thank you for accepting my LinkedIn invitation. If there is anything I can do for you please let me know. I look forward to chatting with you at some point. Best, Laura (insert phone number)”
When referring to a connection request you received: “Hi Sima, thank you for asking me to connect on LinkedIn, I am happy to have you as part of my network. I look forward to chatting with you at some point. Best, Laura (insert phone number)”
Review the ‘Who’s Viewed Your Profile’ - if someone interesting has checked you out, you may want to in turn check them out. You can even send them a message:
When viewed by someone you do not know: “Hi Jackie, it looks as though we share many common connections. Therefore I would love to make you part of my LinkedIn network and possibly grab coffee if you are open to it. Interested? Best, Laura (insert phone number)” When viewed by one of your connections: “Hi Sal, hope all is well in your world! I would love to catch up over coffee or lunch – are you available on Thursday? Best, Laura (insert phone number)”
Review Connections > ‘Keep in Touch’ - Each day make sure you are keeping in touch with those that mean something to you; clients, prospects, friends and family. LinkedIn enables you to differentiate yourself and show that you care. How? Through Connections > ‘Keep in Touch’ see video below as well as cheat sheet.
If you can’t access this YouTube video through your firm’s firewall, you can also check it out on my website lauravirili.com or view this from your mobile device.
Be sure to check out the additional videos in this series on my YouTube Channel or directly from my site, LauraVirili.com, to learn how to Kill it Online & Off.
So, you have a profile on LinkedIn, but have you taken the time to ensure that it’s attracting more business by differentiating you from everyone else? Does it make someone who has never met you before feel connected and comfortable with the idea of doing business with you?
We all know the importance of making a great first impression - it’s paramount. And more than likely, the first time someone gets to know you, it will be through your online presence, so if your profile simply states the kind of work you do and it has a picture that says, “I just grabbed whatever I could find” (or you have no picture at all – gasp!), no one’s going to care, if they even notice you in the first place.
Think about a high-net-worth individual comparing two advisors. One has a complete and compelling profile, from an engaging business casual photo to a well written summary, highlighting who they are and who they serve best, as well as contact information. The other has an incomplete profile with a stiff, unapproachable photo, a sentence or two lifted from their advisor website for their summary, and no contact information. Who is the high-net-worth client going to reach out to? For all the deets on winning profile pictures (including some Do’s & Don’ts), take a look at this short video…
Now that you’ve got their attention, let’s make sure you’ve got the words to back it up. Your LinkedIn Summary is your opportunity to describe what separates you from other advisors and it has all the power to engage or deter.
Unfortunately, people have limited attention spans and within seconds an individual will determine whether they would like to engage with you or click away, never to return. Your LinkedIn summary is prime real estate to differentiate you from the competition. It should be engaging & succinct, passionate & personal. And it’s essential to build a stellar LinkedIn profile that is in-line with who you are in the real world.
The Summary section gives you 2000 characters to differentiate yourself – to tell your story! Your summary should not be a carbon copy of your advisor website, but rather compliment it. Nor should it be written resume style. Your summary is your opportunity to humanize yourself and connect with individuals in a unique way online.
Want to Build a Persuasive & Compelling Profile with Minimal Effort? Check out this short video…
Once you've followed these steps to build a profile that's stellar, be sure to check out the additional videos in this series on my YouTube Channel or directly from my site, LauraVirili.com, to learn how to Kill it Online & Off.
