The Efficient Advisor: Tactical Business Advice for Financial Planners

It feels like every entrepreneur lists “freedom” as one of their goals in working for themselves. But often, I find that Advisors are burning out from being in the tornado of their business. Handling the most pressing matters that are popping up and working reactively instead of this vision they had of a proactive and strategic practice. In today’s episode we flip the script and I am interviewed by my friend Matt Delzingaro, host of Coffee with Delzie. In this episode we dive into:Where do advisors start when it comes to creating systems and processes?What are the three SIMPLE solutions I suggest?What exercises does an Advisor need to do to really identify where and how to scale?This is a fun episode because we get into lots of detail. Matt does a great job interviewing and asking a lot of questions! And, I love getting into the nuts and bolts of building a scalable business that you run… instead of it running you. ---------------------------------LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE: Connect with Matt Delzingaro here on LinkedIn. Connect with Libby here on LinkedIn.Grab the 37-Point Tax Checklist Here!Email  your receipt to efficientadvisor@gmail.com to get your BONUS.Check out my Episode with Steven #040: Tax Returns--What to ACTUALLY Do with Them to Add Value Check out Steven's tax content here! Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

In today’s episode I’m going to give you a super simple CEO tool that you can use in multiple different ways in your office. This is a quick exercise that you can use in several different formats… to create that unstoppable momentum in your business.If you have been listening to this podcast for a while, you all know how much I love me a good CEO Day. A day where you step out of the office, preferably quarterly, and really spend some structured time working ON your business. Doing the things that CEOs do. Reviewing & revamping processes, analyzing financials, adding in that 1% better experience for your client, assessing your team and your own leadership… All the things to make sure you’re driving momentum to the right activities. This easy exercise will help you:START doing activities that drive impact and value,STOP doing the activities that aren’t delivering results, andCONTINUE doing what’s working and perhaps double down on that.If your goal is to run an efficient practice that’s effective, then you’ll want this tool in your toolbox. _________________________Connect with Libby here on LinkedIn.Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

When I’m coaching advisors, one of the top goals they share is that they want to become more efficient. So I ask, what does working more efficiently look like for you? How will you know when you’ve arrived there? Is it just a feeling? Do you have an overwhelm scale? How do you actually measure efficiency? It’s one of those things that can be hard to measure… but I figured it out!In today’s episode I’m going to share with you some KPIs that actually measure if your practice is becoming more productive. These easy-to-track things are what I used in my business to measure success in the efficiency category. I did all of my goal setting around these 4 productivity KPIs. Seriously. That is it. I didn’t really set goals for revenue, or inflows, or new clients. In my mind, those were all things I could INFLUENCE, but at the end of the day I didn’t actually have any control over. The only thing you can control is your actions.  I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use these other metrics for growth or business planning… you do you… but, I’d like to offer up a couple of more unique KPIs that could enhance your business planning and help you to measure if you’re actually being more productive in the time that you are in the office. AND - today I’m going to share with you a downloadable version of this KPI tracker. I haven’t done a free download in a while so HERE YOU GO! Listen in, and I’ll tell you where to go to grab this KPI Cheat Sheet. -----------------------------------------------------------------------LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE: >>GRAB YOUR FREE KPI DOWNLOAD HERE<<Connect with Libby here on LinkedIn.Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

You’ve hosted a workshop or a webinar. Prospects came. You crushed it. People seemed interested. Maybe you even had a couple specifically say to you… "Please call us to set something up! We’ve been needing to do this for years". Yay, a warm lead!! You follow up a couple of times… to no avail. So, now what!? Today I am going to share with you a simple way that you can let a prospect know that you are done following up with them , that you’re still interested, not desperate, but here if they want to talk. AND how do it in a way that is polite... but calls them into action. Introducing what we called in my practice: The Lost Cause Letter. This was an integral part of our follow up process for years… that undoubtedly drove results. It's my favorite simple trick that moved a lead into an actual meeting.  And now, it's yours. ----------------------------------------------Connect with Libby here on LinkedIn.Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

Almost every day I get an email or a message asking me "Libby, where do I even start in building out my systems and processes?"We first have to ask, "What are the most critical processes that you need?" Essentially... there are seven. Every practice has the same 7 processes that need to be in place. It doesn't matter if you have 2 team members or 8. It doesn't matter if you're an RIA or a hybrid. You have these 7 processes and you need to be intentional about how you execute them. In today's episode I break down these 7 key processes and highlight some of the micro-processes that exist within each one. --------------------------------------------------LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:Episodes referenced: Episode #044: The First 100 Days - How to Design an On-Boarding Process to Increase the Life of Your Client Relationships#058: Specific Ideas to Add Value Your Clients Each and Every Meeting#68: 13 Easy Value Adds that You Can Implement Right NowLibby's on the Rethink podcast talking about referrals (iTunes Link) Connect with Libby here on LinkedIn.Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

As business owners, we all know we’re supposed to track data… and use it to do something. But what do we track and how do we use that data to make informed business decisions?Our guest, Erica Pauly of Track That Advisor, joins the podcast today to discuss the power of tracking various metrics in your financial planning business, and how to use that data to tell a story. In this episode Erica shares:What 5 things should advisors actually be tracking What 5 data points advisors commonly use, but shouldn’t!How to turn data points (stars) into a story (constellation) that makes senseHow frequently advisors should be interpreting their dataSimple ways to get started in tracking key informationThis is the perfect episode to air right at the beginning of the year! I love a good fresh start when it comes to tracking. If you’ve tracked data and just don’t know exactly what to do with it, or maybe you don’t know what to track to actually make a difference in your business, this is the episode for you!----------------------------------------LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE: Get Erica's Book here FOR FREE!Connect with Erica here on LinkedIn.Check out Track That Advisor and their services here! Curious about the Efficient Advisor Group Coaching & Mastermind? Get on the waitlist here for more information on the next session coming soon.    Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

Your prospect says they enjoyed meeting you, but that they are going to interview several advisors and get back to you... how do you make sure that YOU stand out as the obvious choice?Do you leave it up to fate? No. Do you send them on their way and just say your prayers? No. Do you stalk them until they file a restraining order? Also no. In today's episode, I share some proactive and some reactive strategies you can use to ensure that you are the advisor of choice. You do actually have some control over the outcome of this scenario, believe it or not, and there are concrete tactical things you can do to come out on top!--------------------------------------------------LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:Curious about the Efficient Advisor Group Coaching & Mastermind? Get on the waitlist here for more information on the next session coming soon.    Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

Financial advice has changed a lot in the last several decades… and it’s going to keep evolving and changing. So today, we’re talking about the future. My guest, Adam Holt, and I are going to make sure that you are positioned to crush your business now AND stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the future of advice. In this episode we get into the nitty gritty of:How planning has changed from salesperson that gives advice to an advisor that sellsWhat elements of planning will NEVER changeHow to strike the right balance between technology and human connection What is the next big trend in the planning worldWill robo advice replace advisors? Which ones will it replace?What not to be afraid of in the future of your businessAnd a whole bunch of other inspo on why it’s great to be an advisor, build a business, and increase your acumen I’ll be honest, Adam and I did not have an agenda, outline, or any plan of what we were going to discuss today. I know… no agenda? So unlike me. We connected months ago over the tech tool Asset Map that Adam built and I just knew it would be a fun and interesting conversation. So let’s start of 2023 with hope, excitement, and tactical advice over where you are going to take your business to in the future. --------------------------------------------------LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:Connect with Adam here on LinkedIn. Check out Asset Map here. Curious about the Efficient Advisor Group Coaching & Mastermind? Get on the waitlist here for more information on the next session coming this August.    Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

How do you feel about charging for a prospect meeting? Yes, literally the first time you ever meet with someone,  having them pay you for your time. I know! It sounds foreign and crazy right? What if I told you that advisors do this ALL THE TIME?! And, there is a way to do it where you deliver immense value in that meeting so you can feel so good about having them pay you right off the bat. So much imposter syndrome kicks in. I have to determine if we are a good fit for each other? I need to demonstrate value first? I’m not even sure how I can deliver actionable advice in our very first meeting. I KNOW! All the imposter syndrome and head trash kicks in. and I’ve got you. Today I am interviewing Jamie Schilanski of  Schilanski & Associates - a firm in Anchorage, Alaska that does exactly this. They charge day one of their client relationships. I never did this in my own business so when I hear a concept you know me… I jump on the mic and interview the snot out of someone who’s doing something unique, innovative or different in this business. With the new year right around the corner, this might just be the new thing that pushes you to try something a little different next year. And who knows, it might change the way you do business forever like it did for Jamie and her family firm. --------------------------------------------------LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:Email Jamie at lifestyle@theperfectria.comLearn more about Jamie's family firm at Schilanski & AssociatesCheck out PlanYourFederalRetirement.com to see more of Jamie's funnel.  Curious about the Efficient Advisor Group Coaching & Mastermind? Get on the waitlist here for more information on the next session coming this August.    Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.

Each week I am going to recap the implementable ideas from this week's full-length podcast.  Consider me the accountability partner you didn't ask for, but always needed!  Here are the Action Items to Tuesday's podcast: Creating a Distraction-Proof Practice with Guest Paul Kingsman------------------------------------------------------LINKS FROM THE SHOW: Buy Paul's Book Here: The Distraction-Proof Advisorwww.TheDistractionProofAdvisor.com www.PaulKingsman.comCurious about the Efficient Advisor Group Coaching & Mastermind? Get on the waitlist here for more information on the next session coming soon.    Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.Check out more FREE resources and our FREE video library at http://www.theefficientadvisor.comLooking for all the resources from this episode? Check out this episode’s webpage for show notes, transcripts, downloads and more!Learn more about the Group Coaching & Mastermind HERE!Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE!   Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don’t get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.