Written by: Grant Barger | Tangible Alpha
Why the advisor in the future will have to own a client-centered purpose to survive and thrive in the digital age of transparency.
In order to stay relevant and become irreplaceable, advisors must own the perception of their value. This is a summary of why and how you should and can thrive as an advisor in the future by building your business on purpose today.
Shared purpose aligns the interests of all parties in the era of collaborative services.
Your shared purpose
You must own the words that define your purpose so you may exude your authentic value 24/7 in the digital age. The reason is multilayered but for now, just understand that for your ideal audience to discover you and begin to think about a trusted relationship with you, your shared purpose must be published and you have to own every word. This can't be a value proposition, an elevator pitch, a slogan or a company catchphrase. You must own the words to own the perception of your value.
Your principles and values must become a mainstay in your digital footprint
Your principles and values for a life well lived
Claiming to have a client-centered purpose is something anyone is capable of doing... your purpose must be backed by significant tangible evidence that you are who you say you are. The next stage in the development of digital trust is publishing your principles and values. What are the driving factors in your daily life? How do you conduct yourself personally? What are the guidelines you have set to ensure your life is well lived?
The "list" of these elements can come off as being very stuffy and sanctimonious if you simply hold your head high, look down your nose and state them as your irrefutable laws... that is not necessary. You can publish you values daily in softer tones within the content that develops your digital footprint as well as your 24/7 client experience. This will simplify your content development protocol in the future. (More about that later)
Your beliefs and opinions... they are why you get paid
Genuine Concerns and Fundamental Truths
Your beliefs and opinions are the reason people seek your counsel... If you do not publish your beliefs in a very specific fashion, your value will become undermined by the slightest miscue. I would state "can" but the truth is, it "will," no question about it. Sabotage of your character and reputation is only one Tweet away in this digital age. The beginning of what you wish to be a sustainable business contains a foundation of very specific elements that mustn't be trifled with. Your opinions and beliefs will evolve over time... and they should be published in a timely fashion as fundamental truths and genuine concerns. You must become known for the quality of your questions and not your answers. (More later... that's a big one)
"Sabotage of your integrity is only one Tweet away in this digital age. It takes 1000 Tweets to build a reputation and 1 Tweet to ruin it." #TangibleAlpha
The Experiences of your life have made you who you are
More than your business experience
Your intangible memories must become a testament to how you got to where you are today. Documenting your experiences to back up your beliefs, opinions, values, principles and purpose is more than just a good idea. It is critical to be able to make your story available 24/7 for your ideal prospects to see and hear. Your story also reminds your clients in their 24/7 client experience why they trust you.
Your experiences are not doing you any good as memories, they must become tangible and published within your digital footprint. This is a critical component in the progression of your Tangible Alpha because it helps to connect the dots quickly. If your story is to be believed, you must make it tangible.
Your expertise is part of what differentiates you from perceived peers
Features and benefits of your intangible value
How do the features of your intangible services benefit your clients in a tangible way? In other words, what are the benefits your ideal audience can become rest assured that they are receiving for their money they pay you for the trust you have instilled into their minds and hearts? The features of your authentic value are wrought from the knowledge you have acquired through your experiences in life as well as in business.
The skills you have crafted are the benefits your ideal audience enjoys, profits from and ultimately, pays you for. Your expertise must have some broad foundational underpinnings that are easily understood by your clients and prospects... but not any and all clients and prospects. You can't be all things to all people, which means the expertise you provide is for a specific audience. This too, is a critical component... defining your expertise. Time is too precious to be wasted on the wrong clients.
The standards of expected excellence begin and end with you
Setting and maintaining behavioral expectations
In the era of 24/7 collaborative services you are not going to survive with the mentality of "wowing" your clients in the quarterly meeting. Those days are over. To survive and thrive in the digital age you must set and maintain client expectations 24/7. The most simplified and efficient way to accomplish this is to establish your own set of behavioral standards first.
Publishing what your clients can expect from you in the form of your promised behavior is a prerequisite for trust. The elements of your authentic value, the value your clients are craving, the value you can control the most, must be deliverable. (this expands your relevant value beyond the scope of the black box of portfolio alpha)
By promising your behavior and setting the standards of excellence you are creating tangible value out of your authentic value that otherwise goes unnoticed and is largely underappreciated.
The positioning of the perception of your value is entirely up to you. By setting the standards of excellence up front you empower yourself, your staff and your trusted partners to demand the same behavioral standards of excellence in return. This is how you build a sustainable business in the era of collaboration. The ones who agree with you from purpose to expectations...those are your ideal clients. There has never been a greater opportunity in the history of financial services, to take advantage of this concept and empower your business with this strategy, than right now... in the digital age of transparency and the era of collaborative services.
The foundation of your Tangible Alpha is built by design. Through the course of several decades of close collaboration with top advisors the model has been designed for simplicity as well as harmony. The moving parts of your business that require definition by you are being sought out by your ideal audience 24 hours a day. In the same fashion, your clients are able to seek a more trusted source of wisdom from their smartphone from their easy-chair 24/7. To remain relevant and become irreplaceable you must own the perception of your value and that value must be made tangible .
This quick summary has walked you through some of the why and how ... just exactly what must be accomplished by you goes beyond this summary or any tactical concepts. For you to succeed moving forward, you must have laser focus , a tried and true system for success, and the discipline to follow through with the daily tasks required to ensure your success by design . Now is the time for you to start building your business on purpose. #TangibleAlpha