Top Advisor Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Are you looking for the secret to unlocking your client’s financial potential and taking your advisory business to the next level?  Of course you are!

In this episode of Top Advisor Podcast, Bill Cates and guest Reese Harper – founder of Dentist Advisors – take a deep dive into the strategic benefits of niche marketing for financial advisors. 

Reese shares his personal success story of targeting dentists and how it led to his hugely successful advisory business.

Reese Harper’s insights on niche marketing for financial advisors, the geographical expansion of his business, and the benefits of a centralized service model will revolutionize the way you approach serving your clients.

Reese and Bill discuss the financial diagnostic tool, “Elements.” This is like an EKG for your clients’ financial lives.

Bill and Reese discuss: 

• Niche Specialization & Mastery: Reese examines the benefits of niche marketing for financial advisors in the dental industry for a targeted advisory approach.
• Strategic Journey: Strategies and takeaway action steps from Reese’s path to cultivating a flourishing niche advisory practice.
  
• Podcast Insights: Reese explains how his podcast has been instrumental in growing his firm.
  
• The “Elements” Methodology: A revelation of the Elements methodology and its profound influence on decision-making and client relationships.
  
• Standing Out: Practical advice for advisors aiming to distinguish themselves in a competitive market through specialization and added value.
  
• … And much more!

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals
• Get a copy of “The Language of Referrals”
• Get a copy of “Radical Relevance”
• Podcast: The Dentist Money Show
• Ep. #62 – The Fastest Way to Win (and Keep) Ideal Clients with Jay Baer, CSP, CPAE

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With Reese Harper:

• LinkedIn: Reese Harper
• Website: Elements
• Website: Dentist Advisors
• reese@getelements.com 
• Instagram: @reeseharpercfp

About Reese Harper:

In 2007, Reese Harper founded Dentist Advisors with the aim of assisting dentists in making intelligent financial decisions and achieving financial independence. Since then, he has consulted with dentists across the country, helping them reach their personal and business financial goals using a scientific, data-driven decision-making methodology and technology he developed called Elements®.

Simultaneously, over the past several years, Harper’s team has been working to transform the Elements methodology into a turnkey system that can be utilized by financial advisors to provide a next-generation user experience and increased value for their clients.

The Elements Financial Planning System simplifies the process for financial advisors to organize and evaluate their clients’ comprehensive financial data at a glance. This enables them to focus on the functional and emotional jobs that drive results for their clients.

Is email marketing for financial advisors dead?  Not by a long shot!

Are there productive and unproductive ways to use email in your marketing process?  You bet!

Email is still an effective and affordable marketing/prospecting tool that – if used correctly – can contribute significantly to your new-client growth. 

Discover the secret to leveraging the potent power of personalized email marketing for financial advisors!

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews James Pollard, the host of The Financial Advisor Marketing Podcast and founder of TheAdvisorCoach.com.

Discover the secrets to cutting through the email clutter, attracting Right-Fit Clients, and leveraging email to increase your revenue without boosting marketing expenses. 

Bill & James discuss:  

• The myth that email marketing for financial advisors is dead and revealing its unparalleled efficiency in the financial advisory realm.
  
• Getting started with email marketing, including the critical steps to follow in order to achieve success.
  
• The crucial role of personalizing your emails and the significant impact it can have on client engagement and relationship building.
  
• The most effective subject lines for email marketing campaigns.
  
• The biggest mistakes advisors make with email marketing.
  
• Strategic calls to action and maximizing conversion rates.
  
• Addressing objections and building trust with potential clients.
• … And more!

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals
• Get a copy of “The Language of Referrals”
• Get a copy of “Radical Relevance”

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With James Pollard:

• LinkedIn: James Pollard
• Website: The Advisor Coach
• james@theadvisorcoach.com
• Financial Advisor Marketing Podcast James Pollard 

About James Pollard:

James Pollard is the host of the “Financial Advisor Marketing” podcast, which boasts over 250 episodes specifically crafted to assist financial advisors in client acquisition.

He is also the founder of TheAdvisorCoach.com, a leading resource in the financial advice industry known for its extensive business-building information. Since 2015, his products and services have aided over 50,000 financial advisors in expanding their clientele.

James’ expertise has been featured in esteemed publications such as Forbes, Financial Advisor Magazine, and The Journal of Financial Planning.

In addition, he has had the honor of addressing financial advisor groups worldwide, engaging audiences ranging from small, intimate gatherings of ten to large conferences with thousands of attendees.

Announcing! Bill Cates’s Newest Book…

The Language of Referrals: The Words & Scripts Financial Professionals Use to Gain More Ideal Clients.

Every financial professional understands the power of referrals and personal introductions.

Marketing experts extol the virtues of building a referral-based business. However, while providing overarching strategies and concepts, they don’t tell you how to actually create results.

In this exclusive interview, Bob Burg (author of Endless Referrals and The Go-Giver Series) interviews Bill Cates – widely known as “The Original Referral Coach” in financial services. 

While discussing the release of Bill’s latest book, The Language of Referrals, Bob and Bill explore the core principles and practical strategies for mastering the art and skill of building a referral-based business. They offer insights into promoting introductions, overcoming objections, effectively getting introduced, and more!

Bill and Bob discuss: 

• Bill’s motivation behind writing The Language of Referrals. “Does the world need another book about referrals?”
• The self-talk and mindset required to produce more and better introductions to quality prospects. 
• The important difference between “referrals” and “introductions.”
• The challenges and misconceptions around asking for referrals and how those can impact an advisor’s ability to produce results. 
• The language of promoting introductions to generate high-quality unsolicited introductions. 
• The importance of being specific in asking for introductions and the language that can be used to make a focused request.
• Understanding and addressing client reluctance to providing introductions. 
• The language of turning a client’s willingness to refer into introductions and solid connections. 
• …And more!

Resources: 

• Get a copy of “The Language of Referrals”
• Get a copy of “Radical Relevance”
• RapidFire Referrals
• The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect with Bob Burg: 

• LinkedIn: Bob Burg
• Website: Burg.com

About Bob Burg:

Bob Burg shares how a subtle shift in focus is not only a more uplifting and fulfilling way of conducting business but the most financially profitable way, as well. For 30 years he’s helped companies, sales leaders, and their teams to more effectively communicate their value, sell at higher prices with less resistance, and grow their businesses based on Endless Referrals.

Bob has regularly addressed audiences ranging in size from 50 to 16,000 — sharing the platform with notables including today’s top thought leaders, broadcast personalities, Olympic athletes, and political leaders including a former United States President.

Bob is the author of a number of books on sales, marketing, and influence, with total book sales approaching two million copies.

The American Management Association named Bob one of the 30 Most Influential Leaders and he was named one of the Top 200 Most Influential Authors in the World by Richtopia.

Bob is an advocate, supporter, and defender of the Free Enterprise system, believing that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people they serve.

According to actuaries, you and your clients are underestimating how long you are going to live.

Therefore, most people don’t plan properly, and most financial advisors aren’t even aware of this. 

This interview with Marc Pace – Founder of the Vital Longevity Institute – has two parts:

• Part 1 – Why most people (advisors included) underestimate their life expectancy, and how you can use this new awareness to better serve your clients.
  
• Part 2 – How you can use this new knowledge to grow your business.  

Mark and Bill discuss: 

• The history of the origins of retirement and what that means to you and your clients.
  
• A story of a nine-year-old running the wrong race serves as a metaphor for how most people have the wrong goals and expectations in life (and financial planning).
  
• The unique traits and habits of individuals who live to be 105 years or older.
  
• How the act of seeking and striving, as well as a sense of purpose, can extend the years of your life and the life of your years. 
  
• The adjustments you’ll want to make in how you approach planning.
  
• The Vital Line program for financial planners, which includes coaching and consulting services to help them change their perception of aging.
  
• CASE STUDY:  How belief-modifying techniques, like the “Possibilities Explosion” tool, significantly boosted a financial advisor’s seminar success.
  
• …And more!

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals
• Ep. #48 – Conversations about Longevity Planning and Preparing for the Unexpected with Steve Gresham

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With Mark Pace:

• LinkedIn: Mark Pace
• The Vital Longevity Institute

About Mark Pace:

As founder of The Vital Longevity Institute and creator of the Vitalign System and the Complete Wealth Planning System, Mark Pace has exposed once and for all the deeply held yet false and ruinous beliefs holding everyone back. Spoiler alert: these false beliefs are the cause of practically every type of suffering in our society.

Mark has been delivering quantum change dynamics that, for the first time in history, counteract the cultural forces preventing people from living their perfect life, the one they deserve, the one they were meant for. He teaches a simple, powerful, proven, and immediately effective daily process for making rapid, permanent, positive changes. And, he inspires people to reset their life clocks so that their future will always be bigger, better, and brighter than their past… no matter how long they live!

Mark’s work is based on 40-plus years of entrepreneurial success, 20 years of research, and over three years of field testing.

Are you producing results with LinkedIn? Or do you wonder why you even have an account?

I’ve run into very few advisors who are seeing a straight line to ROI with their activities on LinkedIn.

Mando Sallavanti is clearly an exception!

Effective LinkedIn prospecting for financial advisors requires more than just creating a profile and posting content. It also requires a strategic approach to engaging with your target audience, building relationships, and converting prospects into clients.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Armando (Mando) Sallavanti III, CFP®, CLTC®, SaaS’s Financial Planner. Mando shares his journey to success as a financial advisor using LinkedIn. Mando emphasizes the power of authenticity and active engagement on the platform, making 70 comments per day to attract potential clients. (Say what?) And he focuses on creating conversations and building relationships by engaging with influencers in his target market.

Bill and Mando discuss:

● His experience of pursuing his natural market, hiring a marketing agency, and using automation on LinkedIn, which didn’t yield results.
● His decision to shift how he approaches LinkedIn prospecting for financial advisors, and how he discovered his target market in the tech sector.
● The importance of using real-life scenarios and examples in content to make it relatable and resonate with the intended target audience.
● The strategy of making a high number of comments on LinkedIn as a prospecting method to generate opportunities.
● How LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards commenting activity and the importance of striking up conversations with others on the platform.
● Tips on identifying influencers within his target market.
● …And more!

Resources:

● RapidFire Referrals
● Ep. #49 – LinkedIn for Financial Advisors: Insider Strategies for Getting Your Posts Seen with Richard Bliss

Connect With Bill Cates:

● BillCates@referralcoach.com
● Referral Coach Homepage
● Hire Bill for Coaching
● Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With Mando Sallavanti III:

● LinkedIn: Mando Sallavanti III
● asallavanti@financialguide.com

About Mando Sallavanti III:
Mando Sallavanti III is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) based out of MassMutual Greater Philadelphia. Mando made a mark as the youngest-ever Blue Chip Council qualifier in the company’s history in 2021. His notable accolades include securing titles such as “Rookie of the Year” and “New Advisor of the Year” in 2021. With a primary focus on serving individuals in the Tech sales or SaaS sectors, Mando has skillfully leveraged LinkedIn as a pivotal tool in his professional journey, boasting an impressive following of over 19,000 individuals.

Armando Sallavanti is a registered representative of and offers securities and investment advisory services through MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. Supervisory Office: 2 Bala Plaza, Ste 901, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. Tel: 610.766.3000. Sallavanti Financial Services Co. is not a subsidiary or affiliate of MML Investors Services, LLC. or its affiliated companies. MassMutual refers to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (Springfield, MA 01111-0001)

Alice Tang, a highly successful financial advisor known for her passion for supporting millionaire women and helping the next generation achieve financial success.

It’s no secret that the affluent women’s market is a lucrative, ever-growing niche in the financial industry. This episode touches on this topic AND a whole lot more!

In this episode, Bill Cates interviews Alice Tang, ChFC®, MIM, Vice President and Partner at BPG Wealth Management LLC. Alice is a highly successful financial advisor known for her passion for supporting millionaire women, and helping the next generation achieve financial success. 

This interview offers valuable insights into leveraging Centers of Influence, LinkedIn, strategic networking, and podcasting. Alice and Bill dive into the importance of strategy and discipline when targeting this unique demographic, and Alice shares practical advice for building authentic connections, creating impactful conversations. and nurturing relationships.

Alice also shares her inspiring personal journey from growing up in Hong Kong to becoming a successful financial planner in Oregon. She reveals how her podcast serves as a relationship-building tool with clients and shares tips on leveraging LinkedIn for business growth.

Bill and Alice discuss: 

• How Alice’s journey led her to focus on successful women and inspired her initiative, Women’s Million Dollar Conversations – featuring interviews with affluent women ($1M+) sharing insights on finance and empowerment. 
• Using podcast interviews as a way to build relationships with potential clients, and how it can lead to clients becoming guests (and vice versa). 
• Strategies to help financial advisors successfully monetize a podcast. 
• Her systematic process for maintaining productive relationships with key centers of influence. 
• The importance of having a strategy and being authentic on LinkedIn. 
• The need for discipline and consistency for engaging on LinkedIn, and creating meaningful conversations with others in the community. 
• … And more!

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals
• Ep. #49 – LinkedIn for Financial Advisors: Insider Strategies for Getting Your Posts Seen with Richard Bliss

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With Alice Tang:   

• LinkedIn: Alice Tang
• YouTube: Alice Tang
• BPG Wealth Management
• Ask Alice Tang
• Women’s Million Dollar Conversations

About Alice Tang:

Alice Tang started her second career as a financial advisor in 2000. Many of Alice’s clients are female business owners and executives. She strives to be a leader and inspiration to professional women. Alice helps her clients define their relationship with money with a goal to achieve financial freedom by executing her financial planning process and leveraging tax-advantaged strategies. Her vision is a community full of confident and happy retirees, and it starts with women taking charge of their money. Alice has frequently spoken on the topic of “Why Women need to be In Charge of their Money” and “Your Network Your Prosperity – How to Build a Strong Network by Paying It Forward”.

It’s not an accident that Productivity and Proactive start with the same three letters. 

Pro can mean For and Forward. I’m all for moving forward, how about you?

If you’re like most advisors, there are days where you feel very productive and know that you are moving your business forward. You probably have other days (too many?) where you’re simply being reactive.  You’re doing things you know you need to do, but those days don’t often feel as rewarding.

Is it possible to go from a reactive practice to a proactive practice? 

Is it possible to decrease your time working, while simultaneously increasing your revenue?

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Brian Margolis, Founder of Productivity Giant and author of “The Index Card Business Plan.” 

Brian and Bill explore the power of using pillars to maximize financial advisor productivity. Brian explains the three categories of pillars and shares strategies for overcoming internal resistance. He also emphasizes the importance of focus management and shares real-life success stories of advisors who have implemented The Pillar System.

Bill and Brian discuss: 

• The three pillars essential for financial advisor proactivity: activity/consistency, learning/effectiveness, and strategic.
  
• How to identify skills with the highest ROI – so advisors can make intentional choices related to focus and skill development.
  
• The role of support staff in helping advisors maintain the right habits for success.
  
• The concept of focus management, which emphasizes the need to protect and manage one’s mental energy.
  
• Real-life case studies of success where established advisors have transformed their businesses by focusing on specific pillars adapted to them – including one advisor who doubled their yearly AUM growth while working one less day per week.
  
• The value of the Friday night feeling, indicating the satisfaction of completing key tasks as a reliable measure of success
  
• …And more!

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals
• The Index Card Business Plan by Brian Margolis

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With Brian Margolis:

• LinkedIn: Brian Margolis
• Website: Productivity Giant

About Brian Margolis:

Brian Margolis is a former environmental scientist turned entrepreneur. He is the founder of ProductivityGiant.com and author of the book “The Index Car Business Plan for Sales Pros and Entrepreneurs”

Brian’s Pillar System helps sales pros and entrepreneurs create a strategy so simple, it fits on an index card…but so powerful it’s helped create 7-figure earners and has been licensed by some of the largest companies in the world to train their teams.

Brian has been a partner or consultant in multiple ventures ranging from startups to national brands. He has worked with everyone from Shark Tank Entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies. Both his accomplishments and failures span a variety of industries.

In addition to his above work, and appearances on some of the largest business and sales podcasts in the world, he is still in the trenches having done thousands of individual coaching sessions with sales pros and entrepreneurs.

Are you winging it when it comes to serving your client all along the client journey?

Or do you embrace and follow a clear strategy for enhancing client and prospect experiences and establishing strong relationships with them throughout the entire client journey? 

Attending to all phases of the client journey will always be the fuel to your success.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Kalli Fedusenko, Founder of KalliCollective. They explore the crucial aspects of building relationships with clients and prospects via the powerful client journey process. She Kalli delves into the stages of the client journey and the power of online platforms in your marketing. Also, KellyShe also discusses surprising topics to share that resonate with clients.

Bill and Kalli discuss: 

• The different stages of the client journey and what to monitor.
  
• Viral content delivered by advisors – specific success examples.
  
• The links between the client journey, client experience, and marketing.
  
• Why to keep sending your clients back to your website (where YOU control content and experience) rather than just your social media.
  
• Strategies for boosting website engagement and follow up.
  
• The importance of making your website your content hub for prospects and clients.
  
• Why personal content creates the biggest impact with clients.
  
• Specific examples and case studies showcasing successful results.
  
• The value and risks of posting stock content.
  
• Strategies for making it easier for clients to refer advisors.
  
• …And more!

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With Kalli Fedusenko:

• LinkedIn: Kalli Fedusenko
• Website – KalliCollective

About Kalli Fedusenko:

Kalli Fedusenko is the founder of KalliCollective, a firm specializing in marketing for the financial services industry.

With over 10 years of experience in the financial planning industry, a former position as Digital Marketing Coach For The FPA, and being formerly licensed with the series 7 & 63, Kalli can provide you with an insight and understanding into your practice and objectives. She specializes in brand strategy, web content strategy, video content planning, and more. This powerful combination of creativity and strategy makes Kalli the most effective guide to give your brand a voice.

Family legacy planning involves more than just helping your clients accumulate assets.

Creating a lasting legacy for your clients means crafting a set of values, purpose, and financial knowledge that lasts for generations.

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates interviews Randy Jones, Wealth Management Advisor at Financial Growth Partners. Randy shares his insights on family legacy planning, emphasizing the need to connect all aspects of a client’s life to create a comprehensive financial plan. He introduces his legacy system for creating generational wealth and discusses the interconnectedness of money and time. Randy also shares the importance of creating a family constitution to guide future generations.

Bill and Randy discuss: 

• Randy’s unconventional path to becoming a wealth management advisor.
  
• Purpose Driven Financial Planning – it’s not just about the money.
  
• Randy’s approach of family legacy planning that evolves and grows with clients.
  
• Randy’s Legacy System and why to focus on our legacy to our future generations.
  
• The different assets individuals have, including physical, intellectual, ethical, and material assets, and their importance in building a legacy.
  
• The distinction between flashy wealth and true wealth.
  
• The significance of early financial education and instilling values in children.
  
• What you need to know about The Family Constitution and The Synergy Consortium.
  
• … And more!

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With Randy Jones:

• LinkedIn: Randy Jones
• Website: Real Randy Jones

About Randy Jones:

Randy Jones has been in the finance industry for 26 years. As a wealth management advisor at a financial services company, Randy has access to all the same products and programs as any other financial advisor, but that’s not why people come to him.

They come to him for a plan. Randy’s plans are not in a leather-bound book that you put on a shelf in hopes of reading someday. They are plans that you can live, and they change and grow with you and your family.

In life, you have other assets that mean more to you than money. Yet, for most people money has/is/will be more of an obstacle than an asset. You can change this if you are willing to change the way you think. You first must ask yourself “Do I want another product, or do I want a plan?”

Randy helps you create your experiences. He teaches “It’s better to givethan to receive.” He helps you live your dreams, appreciate life, and live in the wow!

Have you ever wondered if the hosts of financial advisor podcasts actually get new clients from it?  Is all the effort worth it? 

And, by the way, do many of your prospects and clients seem to have limiting beliefs and mistaken assumptions about money?

In this episode, Referral Coach Bill Cates and his guest Misty Lynch, CFP®, author of the book Demystifying Money and host of the Demystifying Money Podcast have a lively discussion on these two (and other) topics. 

Misty shares her journey from a financially struggling family to becoming a top financial advisor, highlighting the power of a positive money mindset. 

She explains how her unique blend of financial planning and life coaching helps clients overcome financial challenges and make informed decisions. 

Additionally, Misty discusses the power of financial advisor podcasts, and reveals how podcasting has helped her acquire more ideal clients and bring great value to many listeners.

Bill and Misty discuss: 

• Her personal story of how her interest in finance started in grade school and was solidified by her parents’ financial struggles.
• Her decision to marry become both a Certified Financial Planner AND a Certified Life Coach. 
• Why she wrote her book Demystifying Money and how it serves as a credibility builder, lead magnet, and referral tool.
• How she went from hosting a Radio Show to her current podcast, and how it helps her attract ideal new clients.
• The two effective strategies to monetize financial advisor podcasts.
• Her experience as the host of the television show HeartBroke, a money-makeover show with ten different couples – revealing their money mindsets and improving their financial situation.
• …And more!

Resources: 

• RapidFire Referrals
• Demystifying Money (Book) by Misty Lynch
• Demystifying Money Podcast with Misty Lynch
• Ep. #2: The Benefits of Narrow Target Markets for Financial Advisors with Adam Cmejla CFP®
• Ep. #9 – Attract More Ideal Clients Using Reputation Marketing with Malcolm Ethridge CFP®, CRPC®
• Ep. #23- Defining a Target Market Strategy That Brings More Perceived & Real Value with Don Hilario
• Ep. #27 – The Exponential Power of an Effective Financial Advisor Website + Podcast + Target Market with Jeremy Keil, CFP®, CFA, CIMA®

Connect With Bill Cates:

• BillCates@referralcoach.com
• Referral Coach Homepage
• Hire Bill for Coaching
• Enroll in The Cates Academy

Connect With Misty Lynch:

• LinkedIn: Misty Lynch
• Website: Misty Lynch

About Misty Lynch:

Misty Lynch, CFP®, is a personal finance expert and the Owner and CEO of Sound View Financial Advisors, LLC. Misty hosts the unscripted reality show HEARTBROKE and the Demystifying Money podcast. She is also the author of DEMYSTIFYING MONEY and a personal finance expert and resource for media outlets, including The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, CNBC, CNN, Investopedia, Real Simple, Student Loan Hero, and many others.

Investopedia named her one of the Top 100 Financial Advisors in 2021, and US News and World Report called her one of the 9 Women in Finance to Follow “because sometimes you need life advice, not just financial advice.”