The New Rules for Approaching Financial Advisors
There are a new set of rules for approaching financial advisors and professionals, especially in this COVID environment. Clients are demanding more value and a better experience from their advisor. Fee compression is affecting thousands of advisors and advisory firms. Some financial advisors no longer have individual products or insurance lines as a core expertise in their practice. For instance, some advisors have insurance as an ancillary focus, if they have it at all. Some have chosen to focus on other lines or revenue. Broker/dealers and Brokerage General Agencies (BGAs) stand ready, as they always have, to solve these needs and serve as an objective, consultative resource. The advisory landscape has been evolving for decades, and broker/dealers and BGAs have to evolve their marketing and consulting offerings in turn.
Finding a Good Center of Influence Relationship
One question many financial advisors will ask is “How do I get more referrals from my centers of influence (COIs)?” or “How do I go about finding a good center of influence relationship?” It is enticing for financial advisors to expand their network but many soon realize setting up a strategic alliance or a professional COI relationship does not automatically turn on the flow of referrals. There needs to be a marketing and business development strategy in place, clear expectations, and proper due diligence.