On today’s episode of Framework, Jamie talks with Robert Sofia, CEO of Snappy Kraken and marketing expert helping financial advisors package their value.
As a kid, Robert never had the cash for nice shoes. While he doesn’t care much about materialistic wins now, having to work for what he wanted at a young age gave him an incredible work ethic and a love for the hustle. When it came time to get jobs at fast-food restaurants and car washes at 17, Robert wanted more. He sought out sales roles and began climbing the corporate ladder before graduating college. He even helped build Ford’s first business development center, now common practice at every auto dealership.
Robert ultimately made the switch to the financial industry, in part because he loved the industry’s mission and in part because his salary grew exponentially. He quickly developed a niche in marketing and launched his own agency.
Robert talks with Jamie about doing things differently, hiring top talent, and why advisors should step outside their comfort zone every once in a while.
(33:09) “If advisors can learn how to be comfortable with a little bit of sizzle, and learn the angles that they can approach the market with that will be fresh, unique, and bold — then all that work they put in designing the best (service) will now be amplified and the market will really find them.” ~ @robertsofia
Main Takeaways
- Just because the financial services industry leans conservative, that doesn’t mean conservative marketing will work. In fact, being bold is the only way you’ll differentiate your business from the rest.
- Hire based on talent and don’t undervalue top talent by refusing to pay them above incremental raises.
- There’s no need to reinvent the wheel or do something splashy, all it takes is doing something a bit differently to snag the attention of new clientele and a new audience.
- Your service as an advisor matters, but so does your packaging. Understand what makes your business and value unique and capitalize on that uniqueness in your marketing.
Links and Important Mentions
- Robert on Twitter
- Snappy Kraken
- Tested in the Trenches: A 9-Step Plan for Building and Sustaining a Million-Dollar Financial Services Practice by Ron Carson
- Peak Money
- Cash App
- Apple
- Public
- Lululemon
- Peloton
- Old Spice
- The “Smell Like A Man, Man” Campaign
- The Savannah Bananas
- Ellevest
- Altruist
- Beyond Your Hammock
- Hightower Advisors
- Butchers v Dietitians Brokers v Advisors Suitability v Fiduciary
- Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future by Cameron Herold
- FMG Suite
- Hearsay Systems
- AdvisorStream
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