Focus on what sets you apart

– The 10-second test

First, I gave Carl’s draft brochure the “10-second test.” That’s how long most prospects take to examine marketing material before forming an initial impression of an advisor.

Carl’s brochure was headlined “Helping you reach your dreams.” The cover featured several photographs: a couple in their 60s walking hand in hand; a woman in her 70s playing with her grandchildren; a guy on a golf course; and, finally, a couple dining on a beach.

My takeaway from the 10-second test: the brochure was polished and well designed, and it communicated a professional image. Carl’s handout also was absolutely generic, looking like dozens of other brochures, and was almost entirely devoid of a distinct personality or anything that would give prospects a sense of how Carl and his team are different from other advisors. Because this brochure was so similar to many others in the industry, chances are it wouldn’t hurt Carl; but because it conveyed a sense of sameness, it wouldn’t especially help him, either.

– Start with the end in mind

The first step in any communication material is to “start with the end in mind,” to borrow the phrase from the late Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Carl and I discussed the purpose of his brochure. Was it part of a direct-marketing campaign, a handout at a luncheon for prospects, something for use with centres of influence or material that clients could pass on to friends and family?

How a brochure is to be used will shape its tone and the level of detail. Carl said that he was looking for something that would be versatile enough to use for a variety of purposes. The one thing he did make clear was that the brochure had two primary goals:

First, to be something that would engage and interest prospects, and would motivate them to want to sit down and meet.

And, second, to be something that prospects could take away from initial meetings and would reinforce the value of working with Carl and reassure them about his professionalism.

In light of those goals, we talked about the content of the draft material.

– The cover

The front cover sets the tone for any marketing material. Carl and I discussed some alternative headlines that would have more teeth and set the tone for a conversation with prospects. Whatever Carl came up with, it would almost certainly be more differentiating than “Helping you reach your dreams.”

We also spent some time talking about the photos on the cover. My suggestion was that he try to avoid stock photos that evoke all of the tired industry clichés. Instead, I suggested that he consider a photo of himself and one or two of his team meeting with a client couple, in which he and his team face the camera and the couple’s backs are to the camera to mask their identity. For that photo, I proposed that Carl and his team appear with their jackets off, as they normally would when working with clients. This photo wouldn’t represent breakthrough thinking, but at least would be less of a cliché than what had been suggested.

We also talked about the back cover of the brochure, often the second place prospects look after glancing at the front of a brochure. (They typically look at the front, then the back and then inside.) The back page of the draft brochure wasted the opportunity to tell Carl’s story. Instead, it featured his logo and address and otherwise was filled with regulatory disclaimers.

Carl had read columns of mine that made two key points: first, that prospects are primarily interested in the outcomes that you deliver and are only interested in your process, background and credentials to the extent that they help to deliver those outcomes; and second, to deliver your message in a way that is persuasive and engaging, it should be wrapped into a story.

As a result, for the back cover, Carl and I talked about featuring a case study (in which the client was masked to preserve confidentiality) that used the classic problem/solution/outcome approach. This text would begin with the challenges that clients faced when they began working with Carl, then talk about the solutions put in place and, finally, outline where these clients are today as a result.

– Client testimonials

Client testimonials also had been underutilized in Carl’s draft brochure. If testimonials are done to a good standard, they can be very powerful in boosting your credibility. (It’s worth noting that in the U.S., regulators prohibit the use of testimonials, arguing that they do not provide a balanced picture of the experience that clients have with advisors. In Canada, on the other hand, client testimonials are allowed.)

The key is to avoid saying something like: “Since beginning to work with Dan, we sleep more soundly at night. – E.B.”

The fact is that the actual words that clients use in testimonials is of little consequence. What’s important is that prospects see a real person they can relate to, who is prepared to endorse their advisor publicly. For this endorsement to be real, though, you need to start with a full name – initials don’t cut it. Then, provide as much additional information as you and your clients feel comfortable providing, such as occupation, age and the locale where clients live all can help to paint a picture for prospects. Then, finish with: “Client since 2009” to provide some final context.

– Team background

Having said that prospects are interested primarily in how they’ll be better off by working with you, giving them a sense of who you are and why you and your team’s backgrounds and expertise will help them achieve their goals still is essential.

Carl’s draft brochure featured a large picture of him and everyone on his team standing and smiling into the camera. The brochure then contained a head shot of each team member with some brief background on his or her tenure in the industry, licences held and a bit on their family.

Again, these photos were generic and undifferentiating. I suggested that if Carl wanted to have a photo of his full team that it be one in which they are portrayed around a boardroom table with their sleeves rolled up working on a client situation, which would make the tableau appear less staged and provide some sense of action.

We also discussed moving away from smiling head shots to less formal and more casual pictures of his team, in order to provide a bit more of a sense of personality.

Finally, for the content of the bios, we talked about less generic content that would capture the essence of the personality of each team member and that would discuss what made each of them excited about coming into work each day.

Developing a brochure that sets you apart is not an easy task. But by being specific rather than general, by focusing on differences rather than similarities and by trying to avoid industry stereotypes, you’ll raise the odds substantially of getting a payoff from the investment of time and money in putting the content together.

Dan Richards is CEO of Clientinsights (www.clientinsights.ca) in Toronto. For more of Dan’s columns and informative videos, visit www.investmentexecutive.com.

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