Become Their Trusted Financial Advisor
By Keeping Yourself Visible With FREE Advertising!

We just finished a call with a successful financial advisor who is earning about $150,000 per year.  He called because he is traveling all over his county and state selling his annuity, life insurance and financial products.  He’s working 60 hours or more each week.  Like many of the advisors we talk to, while he’s making a good living, he’s tired of traveling all over the place, chasing prospects, trying to make a sale. 

Are you in the same situation as this advisor?  How many more people could you see, (or how much more free time would you have) if most, if not all of your prospects were in your local community? 

How much of your hard earned money are you spending on direct mail campaigns, dinner seminars, etc. trying to generate leads?  How much more effective would these lead generation methods be, if the people you were contacting immediately recognized your name as the financial expert in their area?    

How much of your precious time are you spending on the phone following up on those leads, trying to set an appointment?  How many more appointments could you set with those prospects, if those people already knew about you and the valuable services you provide? 

If you want to make it easier to attract people to you, set more appointments, close more sales, and spend much less time traveling around, then the people in your local community must see and believe that you are the Trusted Financial Advisor that they must see.  It’s not enough for you to call yourself a financial advisor.  It’s not enough to have legitimate designations after your name.  It’s not enough to be with a great company and have great products.  It’s not enough to be doing what’s right when you are with your prospects.  You can be the very best at what you do, but if no one knows it, or has ever heard of you, you’re going to have a tough time achieving the success you desire.

If you want to make your life a whole lot easier... if you want to keep more of your hard earned money... if you want to be closing a high percentage of your sales... if you want to have more free time... then you must work at becoming the most recognized and trusted financial advisor in your local community.

And, that’s about constantly getting your name out there, showing them you understand their concerns and demonstrating how you are helping people just like them, to solve their current financial problems.

If you are the financial advisor that they read about all the time, and are recognized as the financial expert in your community, then aren’t you going to be the person they want to see?

Now, you have the choice.  You can pay to run expensive ads in your local newspaper, TV or radio station.  Or, you can look for ways to get free publicity.

The Power Of Free Publicity
What is free publicity?  It's free advertising!  It's any mention, listing, or blurb about your product or service in a magazine, newspaper, newsletter, book, manual, directory, or on TV or radio.  But more importantly, it's much more profitable than paid advertising.

How come?

Paid advertising is less credible because people instantly know they are being sold something.  However, free advertising has built-in credibility. 

You might now be asking how this is possible.

Here's an example: Let's say your local newspaper gives your product or service a positive review.  This is positive advertising because the readers probably trust that newspaper, and will therefore trust the review.

So how can you get thousands of dollars worth of free publicity?

Here's how:

1. Become a Local News Story
If you live in a small town, you will especially have an advantage in breaking into the local media. Your local newspapers, TV and radio stations have to come up with lots of news to give out everyday.  Capitalize upon this and become news!  Many newspapers are especially interested in featuring stories about businesses.  Call or email your local newspapers and tell them about your business and they may very well be interested in writing a story on you!  You should also consider contacting other magazines, newsletters, websites, email newsletters, and so forth, which are directly related to your line of business.

Try to look at your business from an outsider's perspective.  Why are you special?  How does your business improve the lives of your customer?  Maybe you are the first one in your area to do what you are doing.  Maybe you are about to celebrate an anniversary or milestone in your business.  Have you recently received an award?  Find something special about your business that is newsworthy.  You are excited about your business, otherwise you would not be doing it.  Share that excitement.  Do not expect someone else to decide what it is about your business that is exciting.  Make it something that sparks the journalist's interest.

Get your prospect to call you by always including your bio and contact information, with an offer of your free informational booklet, (or free report) and your monthly newsletter.

2. Send Out Press Releases
Stories about your services in the media are more believable and powerful than any paid ad you could ever run.  People generally trust the media, and statistics show that most people first hear about a business through local media, i.e. TV, radio or newspapers.

But in order for a press release to generate free publicity for you, it must be well crafted, newsworthy, timely and full of benefits for the audience of a particular publication.  Most importantly, it must relate to a publication's target audience.

People are largely unaware that much of what they read in the local and national newspapers is in fact carefully planned PR. They are therefore more receptive towards it and moreover believe it almost without question.
 
Photographs improve editorial take-up by 100%. A good photograph in support of a press release will dramatically improve your chances of publication.  Either provide your own, or if the story is an event ask the press to send their photographer.

Do it now - old news is no news!  If you've got something newsworthy, don't wait or the opportunity will be lost.  Even simple things like staff promotions, qualifications attained, hobby achievements, staff joining, babies, all make acceptable PR stories, and always be on the lookout for the quirky and unusual.

Get your prospect to call you by always including your bio and contact information, with an offer of your free informational booklet, (or free report) and your monthly newsletter.

3.  Become the "Expert"
Write a few articles on a topic that is pertinent to your business and submit these to various newspapers, magazines, trade journals, websites, association newsletter, etc.  Don't underestimate the free publicity that you will obtain through this form of advertising.  Always include your bio and contact information, with an offer of your free informational booklet, (a free report) and your monthly newsletter, which as an author you're more than entitled too.

Ask for editorial coverage before paying for display advertising
If you plan to pay for display advertising or inserts in any type of publication always ask before giving the order if you can have some editorial coverage as condition of placing the advertising business.  Many publications will agree at this stage, and you'll have some free editorial to support your advertisement.  Some publications combine the two and sell 'advertorial' feature space, which purports to be news, but is really a large paid-for advertisement.

4.  Form Joint Ventures
This is one of the secrets that direct marketing experts have used for years to increase their businesses for free.  It's also a great way for you to break into the big leagues.

Let's say you know of someone who has a tremendously responsive mailing list, which targets your audience.  Approach this individual and propose that you split your profits in exchange for mailing your sales letter to his or her list, or including your article in their newsletter.

Or, find a direct marketer who targets your audience, but sells a non-competitive product or service.  Ask them if they would be willing to slip one of your promotional pieces (an insert) into their mailing.  Most marketers would be willing to do this as long as you either let them take the orders for your products and split the profits, or split the costs of the mailing.

Get your prospect to call you by always including your bio and contact information, with an offer of your free informational booklet, (or free report) and your monthly newsletter.

These are just a few of the powerful techniques you can use to tap into free advertising.  And there are numerous others that you could be using right now to increase your recognition, to increase your leads and your sales.  So what are you waiting for?

Lew and Jeremy Nason
'The 9 Out Of 10 Guys'
Marketing and Sales Coaches

Message to Financial Advisors…

What have you done in the last sixty days to increase your sales? 
Is there any question that during the year, you're going to spend thousands of dollars in time, money and effort bringing in new clients to your business?  Then wouldn't it make sense to do it the most cost effective, money-making ways?  Why not learn the marketing, prospecting, appointment setting and sales strategies that most of the leading agents, advisors and planners on the planet use?  Jeremy and Lew Nason    

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