Elementality for Financial Advisors | Elements Financial Vitals System™

In the age of email, smart phones, and social media, it's easy to forget the power that comes from directly connecting with people. Prospect events can work, but discovering the best approach often takes too much guesswork. On this Elementality, Carl explains why breakfast meetings make the ideal prospecting event and provides the recipe for putting one together.

Partnerships between advisors, CPAs, and attorneys should be a natural fit because their roles all involve handling the flow of client assets. But just because they should fit together doesn't mean they always do fit together. On this Elementality, Abby talks with Kent Owings of Ironstone Financial about what he does to find success as he works with other professionals.

Do you know what a PINO is? Not pinot, but P-I-N-O. An acronym coined by Chuck Failla, it distinguishes a "planner-in-name-only" salesperson from a fiduciary who is ethically bound to act in their clients' best interests. On this Elementality, Reese welcomes Chuck. Discover how Chuck's career has taken him from conflicted stockbroker to an influential RIA.

Managing wealth has often been compared to managing health. You have honest conversations about priorities, share personal information, and come up with a diagnosis to help reach your goals. And it is all about numbers. On this Elementality, Billy Zerillo, of TerraWeath, explains how Elements helps him as a diagnostics tool for checking a client's financial health.

If you never examine how your clients spend money, there's really no need to make a financial plan. It can be a challenging conversation, but clients need to recognize the connection between spending, budgeting, and saving. On this Elementality, Reese explains to the clients of his RIA why spending and saving are the yin and yang of a good financial plan.

If prospective clients are hesitant, you need to better understand the factors they normally consider before they make a buying decision. On this Elementality, Abby and Jake Larsen, VP of Sales at Elements, discuss the art of selling, the role of financial anxiety, and why certainty is the catalyst that turns a prospective client's hesitancy into action.

It isn't earth-shattering news that the purpose of marketing is to attract an audience. But by casting a wide net, it is easy to forget that the goal is to attract the best clients, not just anyone who will pay attention. On this Elementality, Reese and Emlen Miles-Mattingly of Gen Next Wealth talk about how to make sure you are attracting the clients you want. 

Many of the efforts advisors undertake fail before they reach the finish line—and it's not because of flawed strategies. Too often an advisor lacks the commitment to follow through on what's required to achieve the objective. On this Elementality, Abby and David DeCelle, of Model FA, talk about your need for commitment and consistency as you build a business. As an advisor, commitment and consiste...

Creating a clear understanding of your target market is crucial for effective marketing so marketers segment by demographics, geography, age, etc. But defining a profile of your ideal client can hyper-focus your marketing. On this Elementality, Abby and Grant Botma of Stewardship Financial look at why there are benefits to creating an "ideal client avatar."

Popular culture seems to support the perception that social media is the ultimate marketing solution and email is just plain old-fashioned. But when it comes to return on your marketing investment, the winner is clear. On this Elementality, Carl tells Abby why he believes email is the most underutilized, and powerful, marketing tool available to advisors. 

You already write … a lot. From social posts to daily emails, there is a continual demand for you to organize words to communicate. If becoming a good writer takes practice, you're already practicing. So how do you get better? On this Elementality, Reese explains to Abby why the best writing is open and accessible, and what can be done each day to improve writing skills.

As a fee-only advisor, not taking commissions is central to how you define your services. But here's the dilemma: your clients still need commission-based products like life, disability, and long-term care insurance. On this Elementality, Abby interviews Broc Buckles of BC Brokerage, an independent insurance brokerage for the clients of fee-only planners.

Choosing which social media channel might work best for you can be daunting. And you know putting a little content on each one isn't effective. On this Elementality, Abby talks with Thomas Kopelman about how he became known as "The King of Twitter for Financial Advisors." Discover why he focused on Twitter and how his business exploded since making that commitment. 

To grow an advisory firm, seminars or workshops have proven to be a consistent way to get new clients. But marketing one can be challenging. On this Elementality, Abby talks with Colton Etherton of Out of the Office Planning about his first seminar experience. Find out how hard it was to set up, what issues came up, and what role Elements played in its success.  

Referrals. They're the #1 way to grow, require little expense, and result in extremely valuable clients. So why is it so hard to ask for them? On this Elementality, Carl and Abby reveal how to get referrals without being too pushy. Build your foundation of ideal clients by using an approach that excites current clients to join with you in growing your business.  

"You are here." Any financial roadmap to the future starts by pinpointing the place where you need to begin. By identifying that place for a prospective client, advisors can illustrate why their guidance has value. On this Elementality, Reese and Abby look at why using Elements to complete quick, remote assessments is an effective conversion tool.

The plan-in-a-binder era has ended. Today people want ongoing help with the complexities of their modern finances. But even with a greater focus on the present, preparing for retirement remains a key ingredient to good planning. On this episode of Elementality, Reese explains to the clients of his RIA where qualified plans (Qt) fit within the financial planning puzzle.

"Holistic." "Comprehensive." As an advisor you know these words are used … a lot. Have they been so overused as to render them meaningless? On this Elementality, Reese and Carl look at why explaining that planning is "holistic" or "comprehensive" is crucial to defining what you do—and how the Elements scorecard helps clients visualize what those terms mean.

Financial planning can be hard to describe, but people love it when they experience it. So how can you speed things up and provide prospective clients fast, insightful answers that give them a taste of what planning can do? On this Elementality, Reese and Carl explain how using Elements as an assessment tool allows you to quickly gauge a person's financial status.

The path to financial security is never linear—unforeseen circumstances make every person's journey different. That's why so many people want to know "Am I doing OK?" as they confront life's financial twists and turns. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl explain why consumers are looking for someone who can assess and then monitor their financial vital signs.

The challenges of growing an RIA are myriad. And the greatest obstacle may be trying to market your services while remaining focused on the work your clients expect from you. No one said you have to do it all yourself. On this Elementality, Abby talks with DJ Highum of Snappy Kraken about how to market effectively with plenty of time left to serve clients. 

Not many people can actually speak 'finance.' Unfortunately, it's the language used by planners and can seem like bewildering jargon that confuses clients who simply want to understand how to apply the advice they receive.   On this Elementality, Reese and Carl talk about why Elements uses new terminology that is more relatable—and more motivational. 

Financial stress pushes people to search for advice—they say they want functional solutions, but they also want to ease their anxiety. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl discuss a factor advisors tend to overlook when trying to quiet client financial worries. Good design principles calm tensions, inspire tranquility, and are integral to the Elements Way.

Planning requires a significant focus on money and clients expect you to demonstrate your financial expertise. But they also want to find financial purpose and peace-of-mind. That makes their well-being a critical variable. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl discuss why clients are also looking for guidance about issues that financial calculations can't solve.

Identifying the jobs that need to be done is the first step in delivering a service that prospective clients want. Just remember, for every client there are functional and emotional jobs which are interwoven together. On this Elementality, Reese and Carl explain why proving your value hinges on giving thoughtful attention to a client's emotional needs.