The Collaboration Tax
I had a conversation last week with two financial advisors at a firm in the Midwest. Both are CEPAs. One has held the designation for nearly five years. The other…
I’m Giving My Clients Permission to Ignore Social Media
There’s something I’ve been wanting to say out loud for a while, and I suspect many of you have been waiting to hear someone say it plainly. A lot of…
The $60 AI Planning Tool Is Not the Threat to Your Business…Your 1% AUM Business Model Is.
“The market is moving from seeing AI as a productivity booster to seeing it as a fee-killer,” said Sarah Miller, a senior fintech analyst. “If a $60-a-month AI tool can…
Are You a Sales Organization? If Not, You Will Struggle as an Advisor to Business Owners and a CEPA
Let me start with a question that makes a lot of advisors uncomfortable, usually because they already know the answer. Are you a sales organization? Not “do you sell.” Not…
You Can Wreck a Referral Without Ever Touching the Steering Wheel: Understanding Multi-Generational Referrals When You Are Given One
One of the things that came up recently in my private client coaching work was painfully insightful: People still don’t understand the depth of what I am trying to communicate…
The Transition from Expert to Advisor: How Smart Professionals Enter Exit Planning the Wrong Way
One of the most common and least discussed problems in professional services is this: What happens after you decide what you want to do? You’ve got credentials. You’ve got experience.…
You Can’t Conduct an Orchestra Over Email
If you read last week’s post, “You Don’t Have a Growth Problem. You Have a Role Problem”, this is the part that makes some people uncomfortable. Because once you see…
The Quiet Revolution Happening in Professional Services Firms
For years, professional services firm owners have been told the same thing: Systemize more. Delegate faster. Get out of the work. And on paper, it makes sense. But here’s what…
The Journey of Referrals: Transforming Leaders and Firms Through Ideal Client Acquisition
Referrals have a way of bringing us back to the same place, but with new eyes. Three decades into this work, I am right back at the beginning, only at…
The Synergy of Disciple-Making and Referrals
One of the biggest challenges I see, whether in the church or in the business world, is the tendency to settle for addition when what we need is multiplication. Yesterday,…