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It wasn’t a great strategy in middle school, and it’s not a great strategy now.
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Most middle schoolers are not overflowing with self-confidence. In fact, they typically spend a lot of their time and energy looking at others and comparing themselves to others. As an advisor, you want to avoid doing this.

Most advisors provide the same services in the same way, and yet oftentimes advisor websites include a tab that says, “How We’re Different.” As an exercise, recently I Googled a small town—not a small city, but a small town—and looked up five different advisory firms. Four of them had that website tab saying How We’re Different. However, when I read through how they thought they were different, they were all delivering exactly the same services. The fact is that all good advisors deliver comprehensive financial planning. (That in itself can become a rather hackneyed phrase.) All great advisors deliver sound cash flow management. We all deliver those same kinds of services, so we don’t need to get hung up in comparing ourselves to others or trying to say why we’re better than someone else. Don’t waste your time comparing.

To do this most effectively,

1. Change your focus. Don’t worry about what other people are doing; focus on what you’re doing.


2. Clearly identify how you help. What do you provide your clients? How do you deliver those services?


3. Communicate that clearly. Simply let them know what they can expect and how they are going to benefit from the services you provide.

You’re going to set yourself apart from other advisors and really stand out in the hearts and minds of the people you’re talking with.

So instead of the How-We’re-Different tab, maybe you want to have a tab labeled “How We Help,” “Why We Love Doing This,” or “People We Most Enjoy”—something that’s a little different, that’s going to get prospects’ attention. They’re going to click on a tab like that to see if you are the right fit for them. If you’ve clearly laid out what you do, how you help, and what clients can expect from working with you, and they think you might be a good fit for them, they’re going to set an appointment and come in and visit you.

I look forward to bringing you another Distraction-Proof Advisor Idea next week.