More than 50% of advisors who went independent did so to increase their compensation – and 94% are happy with their decision. But the truth is many independent advisors are still leaving a lot of money on the table.
If you are one of those advisors, or don’t know if you are, these quick tips will help you immensely. Simple action items taken today, like increasing your marketing efforts to automating the back-office, could measurably increase the enterprise value of your firm. This article explores five of those steps, offering a clear path to unlock a new level of financial efficiency and growth, and ultimately enterprise value of your firm.
Expect to learn:
✅ The fastest way to generate value with technology
✅ The secret to standing out from your competitors
✅ The best method to finance succession plans, pay off loans, and invest in growing your firm
1. Leverage Better Technology
Technology has the potential to transform the way financial advisory firms operate. But most advisors are still relatively immature in their adoption of modern technology solutions. It feels overwhelming to select the right tools and then even more daunting to successfully onboard and use them. As a result, many advisors feel unprepared to leverage cutting-edge technology – and that puts them at a significant disadvantage.
51% of advisors currently say they would like find an organization with better technology. The takeaway? Your independent advisory practice will fall behind the competition without implementing these time saving solutions.
The key is to select the most impactful and accessible technology for your firm’s specific needs. A range of tech offerings are available – from AI that augments investment decisions that integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) platform, to data aggregation tools that showcase your clients’ assets all in one place. Yet most advisors cannot afford to use all of the modern tools available to them today, or they are too overwhelmed to understand the difference between them all.
We suggest starting with the technology advisors tend to benefit the most from: back-office solutions. By simplifying and streamlining various repetitive processes and creating workflows to scale, these tools give you more time to deepen your engagement with existing clients or prospect for new clients – your firm’s two greatest sources of value generation.
Advisors who partner with RFG Advisory gain the most modern and efficient tech stack available to do exactly this for our advisors.
2. Delegate Administrative Tasks
Many advisors find a huge amount of their energy is spent chasing down NIGOs, scheduling meetings and processing payments. But by taking time away from value-generating activities like meeting with clients and building relationships, these tasks deprive you of the opportunity to grow your business.
The reality is you are your firm’s most valuable asset – and the fastest way to maximize profitability is to free yourself from the repetitive, non-value-adding activities so many independent advisors find themselves burdened with.
For example: imagine if you could spend just five more hours each week engaging with new prospects. How much quicker could you grow your business? If the results our partners experience are anything to go by, the answer is likely: a lot.
RFG advisors gain tailored operational support that takes over everything from compliance and finance to daily administration. This includes access to your own licensed admin if you are participating in the RFG Talent Agency, where we source, onboard, and train these support teams to complete daily tasks in exactly the way you prefer.
3. Build a Distinctive Brand
Your firm needs to stand out from thousands of competing financial advisors – but most independent advisory firms spend almost no time building a distinctive brand. Many advisors rely on their personal connections, referrals, or their reputation to generate new clients, which severely limits growth and overlooks the power of marketing to build intangible value.
This leaves a gap in the market for your advisory practice to fill. A consistent, recognizable brand gives a head start against competitors who must wait until they meet with a potential client to build a relationship. As a result, branding helps you win more new clients and increase existing client loyalty.
The only problem is that most advisors are not marketing experts – which is why RFG offers expert branding and marketing services. We have helped countless advisors communicate their passion and build a brand that builds a connection with their target audience:
4. Access Capital
From paying off outstanding loans to buying a new book of business, access to extra capital unlocks a range of new strategic possibilities. But for most advisors, the risk involved is too great for them to take out a line of credit.
The solution is to find patient creditors who are invested in your business – and therefore willing to provide more flexible capital injections. This is one of the major benefits of empowered independence – an RIA model pioneered by RFG to enable advisors to build their business without the usual compromises.
It gives us a level of “skin in the game” that justifies long-term financial investment – and we are therefore able to offer a range of capital options. From investing in a larger workforce to paying off outstanding loans, we give you flexible long-term funding to unlock value that is within grasp – but too expensive to currently access.
5. Focus On Client Experience
New research by a customer experience advisory firm confirms that advisors who offer a positive client experience grow faster than their less customer-centric competitors. But for many independent advisors, the reality of daily operations makes a truly “client-centric” approach unfeasible.
The process of truly getting to know clients and understand their financial dreams requires a great deal of time and attention. Even advisors that do make space in their schedules to meet regularly with clients may not have the mental bandwidth to engage in this way – which leaves clients not feeling sufficiently cared for.
Solving the problem requires multiple factors: technology, human resources and marketing all play a key role in freeing up your schedule and your mind to engage with clients. But sourcing and managing all these things is itself a time-suck – and most advisors need a partner like RFG to make the approach workable.
With technology to streamline your back-office, a personal administrative assistant and stronger marketing programs, our partners deliver best-in-class client experiences across aspect of their firm – and that’s why they grow 3x faster than the industry average, which results in a much higher valuation for their firm.
Join Our Community of Like-Minded Advisors and Generate More Value for Your Firm. Book a Meeting Today.