It is about 1/3 of business life until you have built your Ideal Client Community, which takes four years, or less.

No, I don’t think so. I’ve never seen this work. And, if it could, it would probably be much more expensive than you could probably afford to pay someone to build your business for you.

Absolutely not! In fact, for most Financial Advisors getting started in their natural market is other poor people. This ridiculous advice is why the failure rate for new Financial Advosors is so high. It’s exactly the advice I got in 1985 when I started as a 26 year-old rookie. Thank goodness I ignored it. The result was that I developed for myself what has evolved into Values Based Financial Planning™. The genesis of Values Based Financial Planning™ was survival for me so I could get wealthy clients to switch from their long-time relationships with their Financial Advisors to a much better professional experience with me. It worked for me then and it will work for you now, but you have to actually do what we teach you to do without modifications.

It’s not imperative to do this immediately, but as soon as you can make it work, sell your desk and replace it with a round table. Work at this round table when you don’t have clients in your office and when you do have clients transition to your client meeting workspace. For many years my “desk” has been a medium size oval dining room table. It works great. In the meantime, use the end of the conference table in the conference room you described.

It is client acquisition time for self referrals.

Mark Little thoroughly covers this at the Values Based Financial Planning Office™ program at the Academy 2, in Module 8 of Mastery Series™ 3, and on the Trusted Advisors Toolkit™ Basically you want to know 3 things: - Their experience and expertise in their subject - Who their Ideal Client is (and does it line up with your Ideal Client Profile) - How effective their staff is at delivering their client service experience. Just like any job interview process, ask direct questions about these things, verify it’s true by going through their process yourself and checking references.

Your Predictable Minimum Annual Recurring Revenue is a time and money calculation based on your personal financial plan and how many hours you want to be working when you Ideal Client Community is completely built. The way we have it structured is that in 4 years, or less, you will be working 32 hours a week, or less and your business will be generating all the business revenue necessary to pay for an exceptional client experience and all of your business expenses, paying your taxes in full and on-time, and creating the personal income you want to pay for the present lifestyle you and your family want to have, and funding your future goals, especially your own financial income In 4 years or less you will NEVER again have a single concern, worry, or stress about money whatsoever. Virtually gone. Do you understand the significance of the promise we’re making if you seriously commit to and implement what you are learning from us? Your cash flow will be predictable and your business...

Do NOT temper your goals. What most people tell you is false based on their limiting beliefs. That’s why this industry is full of posers who don’t make enough money to do for themselves what they are supposed to be helping their clients do. You have a Success Road Map® and you should have Financial Road Map®. You must sit down with your spouse and get clear about your Ideal Life. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What does it taste like? Can you taste it? How badly do you want to be living your Ideal Life? What are you doing when you are living your Ideal Life? Who are you doing these things with? Who are you being? How much money do you need to fund your Ideal Life? Will you do the work required to achieve it? You can have your Ideal Life in 4 years, or less. We will help you build an Ideal Client Community, By Referral Only, using the Values Based Financial Planning™ turn-key business model.

Preferably, a flat fee. Almost certainly not from insurance sales as they generate a commission that does not recur.

I’m not crystal clear about the question. Schedule this time on your calendar wherever it works for you and just be sure it’s 8+ hours in Client Acquisition

Go to www.trustedadvisortoolkit.com and complete the Kate Wilson case study. The crux of your Deliverables Team is a best-in-class subject-matter-expert in financial planning, money management, insurance, tax, and legal.

Your calendar is an extremely important tool in the area of time management … and the better you manage your time, the better you manage your results. By putting things on your calendar, you’re making an appointment with yourself to do those things that you know need to be done. The only question becomes whether you’ll honor your commitment. By putting something on your calendar, you’ve made it “real.” You’ve allocated the time and determine when that time will be honored. Then, it’s only a matter of whether you’re willing to honor your commitment. Either way, you’ll benefit. If you complete the action item, you’ll be on target to accomplish your Goals. If you don’t … you have a clear understanding of why you’re failing short of your Goals. As Bill Bachrach says, “The success of what you’re currently doing is based upon the foundation of what immediately preceded it.” If you do the work, you’ll get the results. If you don’t do the work, ask yourself, “Why?” Then, compare the...

No … the “Do Not Call” legislation does not apply to phone appointments that are conducted in accordance with the principles of Values-Based Financial Planning.™ The legislation is specific to telemarketing organizations and you are not a telemarketer. Just because you use a phone in the normal course of your business does not imply that you are a telemarketer. Your call to referred parties is not a sales call. It is a service call, which you are committed to make whether the recipient ever considers engaging your services. You are calling as a service to provide a better understanding of the contents of the book. You are not calling about your professional services or to discuss your fees. Even if the recipient of the call wishes to engage your services, you cannot establish the relationship over the telephone. The individual must schedule an appointment with you, and you must both reach a subsequent agreement to work together (which requires willingness on the part of both...

Values-Based Financial Planning™ is predicated upon the fact that people have Values and Goals that are meaningful to them, and those Values and Goals should be respected and used as the basis of their financial strategies. Unless your Clients lack personal Values and Goals, the principles of Values-Based Financial Planning™ apply to creating an inspiring experience for them … no matter whom they are or where they live. If you are experiencing problems in implementing the principles, ask yourself: “Am I applying all of the principles exactly as they are taught … or am I picking and choosing among them based upon my own degree of comfort?” “Am I projecting my fears or biases upon my Clients … or are they actually resisting the experience?” “Am I conducting myself with confidence … or am I allowing my self-doubt to surface during my meetings?” Your problem is likely to be related to your present level of skill and confidence rather than to the principles themselves (since...

First of all, believe it or not, a big part of your problem is that you use the term “customer” to refer to your clients. Customer is a transactional term that is most appropriate in a retail sales environment. Ie: Walmart has customers. Trusted Advisors have clients. Your mindset has to shift in order to succeed with a Trusted Advisor, client-centered method like Values-Based Financial Planning™. I understand that you may need some survival clients, but you probably need fewer than you think if you’ll seriously, consistently, and diligently apply what you are learning from us. As for your business model...scrap it. Your brand is that you are a Values-Based Financial Planner™ who helps your clients get their entire financial house in perfect order and keep it that way forever. Values-Based Financial Planning™ is a complete turn-key business model. You need to decide if you are going to use our method – which is proven to work brilliantly, or yours – which has no significant...

You are the Trusted Advisor. The accountant may or not be on your team, not the other way around. Remember, it’s you who are going to make sure they get their entire financial house in perfect order and keep it that way forever… not the accountant. Explain how you work to your clients and get them on board. As you continue your journey and work through the Trusted Advisor Toolkit and attend the Values-Based Financial Planning Office™ for further Leadership development your skills and confidence in this area will improve.

Instead of thinking of them as referral sources, think of them as people who would benefit from Values-Based Financial Planning and having their Financial Road Map® done. Have them come in to experience the Financial Road Map® for their own benefit. Some of them will become clients and some may not. We do not advocate non-clients being referral sources for obvious reasons. Namely, it doesn’t make much sense for a person who doesn’t do business with you to refer others to do business with you. Focus on helping what you might have traditionally in the past viewed as “Centers of Influence / referral sources” get their own financial house in order and, after they become a client, follow the referral process that we teach.

1. Every client has to pay you enough so they are profitable. Your Ideal Clients pay you enough so you can have a finite number of them and make enough of a profit so after you pay your business expenses and your taxes you have plenty left to pay for the present lifestyle you want and fund you future goals, including your own Financial Independence. 2. Your next step is to complete your own personal financial plan so you know how much money you need to fund your present personal lifestyle and how much you must save for your future lifestyle. Then you gross that up for taxes. Again for business expenses and you have the number that represents what your business revenue goal. Now you can create an Ideal Client Profile that is consistent with your personal and professional goals and implement your plan to build a community of Ideal Clients. The notion in your question is that not all of your clients need all of Subject Matter Experts is interesting because the checklist for getting...

I suggest that you set a fee that you can live with for at least 3 years. And, of course, you can periodically increase your fee.

Also part of Mastery Series™ 3, Trusted Advisor Toolkit™, and Values-Based Financial Planning Office™. Essentially you ask other professionals who they believe are the best in class in the category of professional you are looking for. The same names coming up repeatedly indicates that someone is well-regarded by their peers and other relevant professionals. This is how you build your list of candidates to be vetted for your Deliverable Team.