Have you ever wondered how successful advisors, agents, and wholesalers consistently achieve success? Is it luck or is there a strategic process behind it? If you guessed it’s all about having a strategy, you’re absolutely right! Here’s the real question: Do you have a strategy for success? And are you learning from others to avoid reinventing the wheel?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers overlook one of the most valuable resources for taking their business to the next level: building a podcast library. Podcasts offer a treasure trove of insights, advice, and real-life success stories that can help you navigate the complexities of your business. You can learn from my twenty years of coaching advisors, agents, and wholesalers by tuning into The Advisor Solutions Podcast. You can also learn from your peers by hearing stories about those who have faced many of the same challenges you have but have learned the solutions to overcome them; this not only saves you time but also provides you with proven strategies to take your business to the next level! This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to build their podcast library. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice

Do you have a “success” library? Do you have a collection of books, audios, podcasts, or other media that you can reference to help you create more success in your business and your life?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t consistently feed their minds with the information they need to reach the level of success that they want! They have never viewed having a “success” library as a process of learning from others, so they find solutions to the challenges they have in their business and life. It’s important to feed your mind. Just like your body needs the right food to stay healthy, your mind needs the right type of information to be healthy as well. If you feed your mind with negative things, such as only watching the news, you most likely will have a negative attitude about life, and that can spill over into your business as well. This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have learned from others to reach the next level in their business. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Have you ever heard the saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”?  Well, that might be true for some things in your business, but if you find yourself stressed out much of the time, it’s most likely because you are doing too many things yourself and that’s a recipe for burnout!  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t master the art of delegation! They don’t take the time to look at it as a way to decrease stress and increase enjoyment in their business. As a result, they don’t have a process for what to delegate and how much they are willing to delegate so they can get their time back. Remember, the key to advancing in your business is not always doing more but doing the right things. By understanding what to delegate and how to delegate, you can scale your business without overburdening yourself. The secret to success is not working longer hours but working smarter and focusing on the tasks you love!   This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to create various levels of delegation depending on the task and the team members' competencies. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Have you ever heard the saying, “I do my work at the same time each day, unfortunately, it’s always at the last minute.” When it comes to prospecting, do you find this is your motto? There will always be a reason to procrastinate when it comes to prospecting until you eventually feel like you don’t have any more time to put it off. Can you relate to this? If so, know that you are not alone!   Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t understand what it takes to continue taking action regarding prospecting! They don’t know because they have never viewed the topic of “prospecting procrastination” as a learned behavior or a series of myths they buy into to avoid prospecting, which they think will be painful.  Your mind will tell you whatever it needs to avoid a painful situation. The problem is that if you avoid prospecting long enough, you will soon find that you don’t have a sales pipeline, and that’s even more painful in the long run. Also, prospecting only seems painful because you are buying into all of those myths or things you tell yourself that are not valid! This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to break through prospecting procrastination myths to be more motivated to prospect. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Do you have a positive attitude about prospecting? Are you excited about bringing the next prospect into your pipeline, or do you dread the entire process? If you relate to the latter, know you are not alone! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t understand what it takes to be successful at prospecting, a positive attitude. Creating a positive prospecting attitude allows you to be fully engaged and enjoy prospecting to the point where you can’t wait to add another prospect through the pipeline. You see, everything begins between your ears. I can teach you all the tools, techniques, strategies, and solutions to put people into and move through the pipeline, but if you don’t have any desire to prospect, you simply won’t. And that desire comes from having a positive attitude about prospecting. This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to create a positive prospecting attitude and build mental strength. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Do you ever have a client that you really like? You click with them, and it feels like you’ve been an old friend for years. And, you’d like to have more clients just like them. So, you muster up the courage and say, “I love to work with people like you. Who do you know that I could introduce myself to?” The client instantly looks shocked and replies, “I can’t think of anyone, but if I do, I will let you know.” The problem is, they never let you know. Can you relate to this? If so, know that you are not alone! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a systematic way of attracting referrals! They don’t take the time to understand each of the possible challenges that can clog the attracting referrals section of the pipeline, nor the solutions to tackle those obstacles. As a result, they go into the referral conversation with an advisor’s perspective rather than a client’s view.  This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to unclog the pipeline when requesting referrals. These are not just theoretical concepts, but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Do you ever have a closing appointment with a prospect and are so excited to explain your recommendations that you can’t wait to begin telling them what they are? You start with some small talk but quickly turn the conversation towards what you want them to do. And, the next thing you know, you’ve explained all of the features and benefits, so you ask for the order only to find that they need to “think about it” or “talk to their spouse.”  Then, they leave your office, and when you follow up with a phone call, unfortunately, they either say they are still “thinking about it” or they don’t even pick up the phone, much less call you back! Can you relate to this? Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a systematic way of closing an appointment! They don’t take the time to understand each of the possible challenges that can clog the closing appointment section of the pipeline or the solutions to tackle those obstacles. As a result, they go into the closing appointment, telling (or selling) to the prospect instead of helping them want to buy. This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to unclog the pipeline with a Closing Appointment. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Do you ever have a first appointment with a new prospect only to realize later that it was also a last appointment? The prospect didn’t want to meet again to hear your recommendations. Instead, they said they needed to speak to their spouse first or check their calendar. In reality, they didn’t see the value in meeting again, and when you followed up, they never returned your calls. Can you relate to this? If so, know that you are not alone! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a systematic way of connecting with a prospect during the first appointment! They don’t take the time to understand each of the possible challenges that can clog the first appointment section of the pipeline, nor the solutions to tackle those obstacles. As a result, they go into the first appointment telling prospects about themselves rather than taking time to ask about the prospect. This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to unclog the pipeline with the First Appointment. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Do you ever wonder why some people seem to grow their business year after year while others might be stuck on a production plateau? It could be as simple as them knowing one thing you don’t know: how to unclog the pipeline.  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a systematic way to unclog their sales pipeline. They don’t take the time to understand each of the possible challenges that can clog the pipeline or the solutions that exist. As a result, they slow down or stop prospecting altogether, hoping they get an occasional referral or have an occasional client add additional assets. This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to unclog the pipeline in Stage #1: The Initial Contact. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Do you ever think about your business as a journey of experiences? From the day you started your business to today, you have been on a journey to build, grow, maintain, and run your business. Each part of the journey has been an experience—whether it’s prospecting, client servicing, managing staff, managing upper management, or even managing yourself, you’ve created different experiences. The big question is, have you created the ultimate experience for prospects, clients, staff, management, and yourself? Or are you busy in your business and haven’t given the journey, and the experience you and other people are having any thought? Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t take the time to enjoy the journey, much less create positive experiences for themselves or others! They don’t understand the process of making their business, their lives, and the lives of everyone around them better. As a result, they keep doing the same things and having experiences that are not fulfilling. This episode shares how successful advisors and agents learn how to identify experiences to make your business more enjoyable!

Do you want to get to the next level with your business, but you are unsure how? The answer might lie in finding your business's red flags. You probably have a number of red flags or clear warning signs of danger in your business that are holding you back from reaching the next level of success. But, if you don’t know what they are, then you will never be able to overcome them. Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t take the time to unearth their business red flags! They don’t have a way to identify what is holding them back much less a way to overcome it. As a result, they keep doing the same things and they just think that it’s normal that they are supposed to have these challenges. This episode shares how successful advisors and agents learn strategies to identify and overcome red flags.

Do you want to work harder or work smarter in your business? I think we all want to work smarter! The bigger question is, do you know how to work smarter? Do you have proven strategies that have worked for successful advisors and agents that work for you?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have specific strategies for working smarter in their businesses. They are so busy working “IN” their business that they don’t take the time to work “ON” their business. As a result, they keep doing the same things that they have always done. In order to get to the next level, they feel like they have to just keep doing more of what they are doing. The problem with this type of mentality is that it just means working harder and not smarter! This episode shares how successful advisors and agents learn strategies to work smarter in their businesses.

Do you ever feel like you have too much to do? You know that you want to grow your business, but you don’t know how to scale it as it grows. Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a method for scaling their businesses. They have never realized that specific strategies can create scalability. To effectively scale your business, you need the right people, products, technology, and systems in place to create the growth you want without chaos or overwhelm. Your scalability is your ability to maintain a good performance as your business grows. You want to be scalable because it means you have the ability to attract the right talent, clients, and eventually buyer(s) for your business when you decide to retire.

Do you like a good story? Most people do! But, do you feel that you can tell a good story? Do you have a framework for telling stories that can capture your prospect’s or client’s attention, pull them into the story, and help them understand what they need to do in order to be the hero of their own story?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t understand how to create a great story much less compile an entire storybook that they can utilize. The reason is that they have never viewed the topics of stories and storytelling as a process for adding value and helping prospects/clients understand what the advisor knows which are the solutions to challenges that prospects/clients need in order to obtain their financial goals. The best way to do that is to have an architecture for telling stories to position the advisor as the guide and the prospect or client as the hero! This week’s episode shares how successful advisors and agents use a specific story telling framework to connect with prospects and clients to build a business storybook.

Do you know your clients well? Sure, you know who they are and what they do. You might even know a lot about their lives and what relationships they care about the most. But do you know what their relationship is with money? Do you know their money mindset? And do you know how to help them have a healthy relationship with money? Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t understand how their clients view money. They don’t know it because they have never really learned The Psychology of Money, a fascinating field that explores how our beliefs, emotions, and behaviors around money shape our financial decisions and wealth-building choices. Also, they don’t know their clients' money mindset and personality type. The role of a financial advisor extends beyond just managing portfolios and providing investment advice. It also involves helping clients develop a healthy relationship with money. This relationship is crucial as it influences financial decisions, impacts financial health, and ultimately shapes the quality of life. But if you don’t understand the various ways that people relate to money, how they form their mindsets and personalities, or how to help clients have a healthy relationship with money, then you are doing yourself and your clients a disservice.  This episode shares how successful advisors and agents understand how clients and prospects form a complex relationship with money.

Picture this, your best friend wants to bet on the football game that you are about to watch with him or her. Neither of you is a fan of either team so it doesn’t matter to you who wins or loses. But you know one thing that your friend does not: one team is known for running elaborate plays while the other doesn’t even have a playbook. Which team will you bet on? I think it’s obvious, the one who is prepared!  This leads me to the question, do you have a pipeline playbook? Do you know exactly how many people are in your sales pipeline at any given time? Do you have a strategy (or a play) for systematically adding people to the pipeline and moving each person to the next step? Do you have a strategy (or play) for every type of tactical situation that could happen in each stage of the pipeline? Do you know what clogs are in the pipeline and how to unclog them?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a pipeline playbook! This is because they have never viewed “Building a Pipeline Playbook” as a stepwise process for knowing what to do in every possible situation and how to have a strategy to put people into and through the pipeline. This episode shares how successful advisors and agents can utilize a stepwise approach to understanding, creating, and maintaining a sales pipeline by having a pipeline playbook.

Are you on a production plateau? Most people are or will be at some point in their careers. In fact, your business can go only three ways: up, down, or on a production plateau. And two out of three aren’t good! The big question is, do you know how to get beyond a production plateau?   Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a step-by-step method for getting to the next level with their businesses. The reason is that they have never really viewed getting beyond a production plateau as a stepwise process that you can do over and over again. In addition, have you ever heard the saying, “What got you here, won’t get you there”? Unfortunately, that is true when it comes to kickstarting your business, and here is what I mean: To get to the next level, most likely, you need to do some things you’ve never done before. In other words, prospecting the way you did when you were a rookie is not the best strategy if you are now a veteran. This episode shares how successful advisors and agents learn a stepwise approach to getting to the next level with their business.

Do you know your value? Sure, you might say that your value is your expertise or your product knowledge and how your products and services can help prospects and clients. But isn’t that what everyone would say about their value?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t understand their real value or how to express it to others! The reason is that they have never really viewed the topic of their value as something that they need to understand fully. The importance of knowing your value and articulating it to clients and prospects is to convey confidence in using your services over using someone else!  Have you ever heard the saying, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get!”? Do you know who said that? It was Warren Buffet! Ad, what he was talking about was buying stock. What I’m talking about is helping you become known as a valued advisor. This episode shares how successful advisors and agents should know their value, show it, and communicate it!

How do you measure success in your business? Do you measure it only by one set of measurements, accomplishing goals? For example, the goal is to gather twenty-four million in new assets in a year. If you achieve it, you succeed, but if you don’t, you fail. It seems pretty straightforward.  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers measure success in only one way- accomplishing the goal! And, as strange as this might sound, it’s actually the wrong way! The reason is that it’s not only the destination that should be reached to succeed but the many milestones along the way that must be celebrated to also enjoy the journey! If you don’t accomplish milestones along the way and don’t view the milestones as “mini-wins,” then you won’t put much value on those milestones. If you don’t place value on those milestones, then you probably don’t care about them because you aren’t evaluating and measuring each step along the way to see if they are fruitful. If you don’t set and reward yourself for milestones set and reached, the by-product at the end of the year is most likely far less success.  You have to put in the work, evaluate as you go, and tweak the process until you reach your goal(s). This episode shares with you how successful advisors and agents map out, measure, and master milestones!

Have you ever wondered what your peers and colleagues struggle with the most? Often, advisors and agents are so busy growing, running, and maintaining their businesses that they don’t take the time to see what others are doing and learn from them. Interestingly, all advisors and agents have challenges and need solutions. In last week’s episode, I mentioned that was my one-hundredth edition of the Advisor Solutions Podcast! Whew…it means one hundred weeks of writing, recording, editing, and posting these podcasts. Hitting this BIG number has caused me to pause and reflect on my listeners who have subscribed to this podcast over the past two years. I hope these podcasts have helped you as much as other advisors and agents I have heard from. And, what better topic to talk about today than “The Best of the Best,” episodes that I have recorded so that you can learn about what your peers in 24 different countries have listened to the most! This is the second in a two-part series where I share some excerpts from the ten most downloaded episodes with you. This episode teaches how successful advisors and agents have used The Advisor Solutions Podcast as a solutions library for their business!