The Advisor Solutions Podcast

Have you ever wondered how successful advisors keep reaching the next level? Some people might say that it is just luck, while others might say it’s about skill. I believe that it really comes down to one simple but powerful thing that they apply each and every day. It’s all about having efficient and productive business habits! You see, those who are successful seem to have daily habits that continue to create more success, while those who have bad habits tend to stay on a production plateau. Now, the real question is, do you feel like you are stuck on a production plateau? If so, know that you are not alone. Many financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have business habits that lead to successful outcomes. They typically don’t understand the power that habits can play in their day-to-day lives. Rather, they are conditioned to continue applying the same bad habits, which keep them on a production plateau. This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to create business habits that are fruitful. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps to incorporate into your practice, empowering you to strengthen your client relationships.

Do you feel a little lost in your business during the holiday season? We all know that the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's is often a blur.  Then it’s January, and you have to play catch up, as most likely, the past six weeks haven’t proven productive. Many financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a strategy to finish a year out strong. They have never thought about this time of the year as an opportunity to learn from the past, take action in the present and prepare for the future. Why not have a strategic plan to make the most of the holiday season and go into the new year knowing you did everything you could? This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to have an effective business during the holiday season. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps to incorporate into your practice, empowering you to strengthen your client relationships.

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.

Have you ever sat down, grabbed the phone to start prospecting, and hesitated to dial because you were unsure of how individuals might respond or even worried about what to say? Or maybe, you've thought about all the potential objections a prospect could throw at you and wondered if reaching out is even worth the risk. In either case, know that you are not alone. Many financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers, at some point in their careers, face the biggest challenge when it comes to making calls, which is called reluctance! The secret to conquering call reluctance is to know that it is common but entirely conquerable. You just need a proven process! This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to overcome call reluctance. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps to incorporate into your practice, empowering you to strengthen your client relationships.

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a conversation with a client, unsure how to guide them toward the right decision without feeling pushy? Or maybe you’ve had a situation with a prospect where you knew a deal was slipping through your fingers, but you weren’t sure how to save it? In either case, know that you are not alone. Many financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers face challenges when negotiating—whether handling objections, closing a deal, or guiding clients through tough decisions. And often, these conversations don’t go as planned because we don’t realize that negotiation is an art and, thus, a skill that can be learned and mastered. This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to master the art of negotiation. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps to incorporate into your practice, empowering you to strengthen your client relationships.

Do you feel connected to your clients? Or, maybe a better question is, do your clients feel connected to you? If you don’t have a systematic way of connecting with them, the answer is probably “no”. And if that's the case, know that you are not alone. Many financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers lack a consistent way of connecting with clients. They have never seen creating a client connection system as a necessary task, let alone something to implement. As a result, some clients may not feel appreciated, which can lead to a decline in loyalty and trust. This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to connect with clients. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps to incorporate into your practice, empowering you to strengthen your client relationships.

Do you ever feel like your life is out of balance? Do you find that you spend so much time on your business that the rest of your life, such as time and focus on family, friends, and even hobbies, seems to take a back seat?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t take the time to balance out their business and personal lives. They have never viewed the topic of building work/life balance as something essential to achieving overall success. As a result, many eventually burn out. This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to find work/life balance. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Are you consistently attracting ideal clients? Do you have a system to get in front of your target market or, even more importantly, someone who could be an “A-Client”? If not, know that you are not alone. Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a process for consistently attracting their ideal clients. Unfortunately, they have never learned a step-wise approach to being able to identify, much less attract, the type of clients that they have always wanted. Instead, they typically utilize a hit-or-miss approach to building and growing their client base. As a result, they have fewer ideal clients than they would like. This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to attract ideal clients. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “Time flies when you are having fun,” but have you ever thought about why it flies so quickly? Do you know what it takes to enjoy your business and what you do nearly every day? Do you know what energizes you about what you do professionally?   Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t understand what it takes to consistently experience fun while working in and on their business. You see, when you love what you do, it no longer feels like work. Rather, it feels more like a hobby. And, at the end of the day, you don’t feel drained but energized. This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to identify what brings them joy in their business. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Breaking bad news is never easy, especially when it comes to money, the market, or not getting the coverage that your client wants. But one thing is certain: at some point in your career, you are going to have to break bad news to someone. The real question is, has anyone ever expressed to you the best way to do that? Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a specific strategy to share bad news. The topic of “how to break bad news” benefits from a stepwise approach for an advisor to make difficult situations less challenging to discuss. Rather than merely telling people what is going wrong, having a process of how to break the bad news is essential. The delivery of bad news is important as a client might feel shocked, defensive, and, in some cases, angry- and you don’t want to add to their angst because of how they heard about it.   This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to create a better connection when discussing difficult subjects. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Are you confident in your business? Are you confident that your business is optimized and that you are running it in the most efficient and effective ways possible? If not, know that you are not alone. Many financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers lack confidence in some facet of their business. The reason is that they’ve never learned a step-by-step approach to increasing their confidence level. Rather, they focus on aspects of their business that are already working and neglect or avoid elements of their business that are not. Unfortunately, having this philosophy will eventually catch up to you. Why not learn how to boost your confidence and address these issues head-on? This episode shares practical strategies successful advisors and agents have used to build their business confidence. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

Are you feeling burned out in your business? Does it seem like the more you do, the more still needs to be done and it feels like you can never catch up? Or maybe you are already burned out and have no idea how to bounce back. Does this sound like you? If so, know that you are not alone. Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a process for rebounding from burnout. The reason is that they’ve never learned a step-by-step approach to recovering from burnout when they experience it. Rather, they take a vacation and come back to the same chaos, repeating the cycle. At the end of the day, you are going to feel drained or you are going to feel energized. Of the two, which one would you prefer? If you answered "feel energized," then you know that having a process to achieve that would be a game changer! This episode shares practical strategies that successful advisors and agents have used to bounce back from burnout. These are not just theoretical concepts but actionable steps you can implement in your practice.

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.