Diana Avery, CFP • Atlanta, GA
Avery Financial Services • LPL Financial
ver recent years, I have devoted a significant amount of time and effort to refining and enhancing our financial-planning approach. This has involved working with a coach to better define our mission statement and a new framework for an effective and collaborative planning process.
For the better part of my career as an independent advisor, I had positioned our firm, Avery Financial Services, as offering the ultimate client-service experience. While I remain committed to this premise, I don’t believe it is the best point of differentiation for our firm.
During discussions with my coach, we determined that a more meaningful value proposition and mission statement should focus on our firm’s overall planning approach and philosophy, complemented by a personalized service message. We integrated the mission statement and process into our website and communications materials. We also developed a script to help convey them to prospective clients during initial meetings.
Our firm’s mission statement now looks like this:
“At Avery Financial Services we intend to provide panoramic financial planning in an approachable and relaxed environment to clients who value our advice and are striving to understand what their money means to them.
“With a personable and easy-to-understand voice, we help our clients feel excited about their future and provide them clarity of purpose through a process called the ‘Multiplication Method.’”
Our Multiplication Method uses seven essential pillars to build a comprehensive, or panoramic, view of a client’s financial road map: wealth management; risk management; tax-planning strategies; cash management; legacy planning; charitable giving; and value-added services such as mortgage assessment, college-planning strategies, or consultations with other third-party professionals such as an attorney or CPA.
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This is a fluid and dynamic proprietary process that can adapt to changes in a client’s life or financial situation. We fully address each area with every client, building a customized plan that reflects both their life and financial objectives. I explain to clients that we call our process the Multiplication Method because it is more than the sum of its parts, and our practice operates at the center of its seven pillars.
I think having a coach provide a fresh perspective on how our firm should be positioned was very valuable. We have refined our brand messaging and established a consistent, repeatable planning process that resonates with prospective clients. I anticipate several benefits for our firm as a result, including stronger conversion rates, clearer expectations of the value our firm offers, and a steady increase in referrals from highly satisfied clients.
Disclosure: Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Avery Financial Services is a separate entity from LPL Financial. Content and this material are for general information only and not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
CFP and Certified Financial Planner are registered trademarks of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board).
Photography by Lynsey Weatherspoon
