The biggest mistake made in marketing — and a reason that success can be so elusive— is to not clearly explain who you are and what you offer.

At a business function, when someone asks what you do, how do you answer? Many advisors simply say, “I’m a financial advisor.” Oftentimes, however, when that question is asked, because of misconceived perceptions about the industry, your black and white answer actually causes people to want to talk with you less! And we know this! For the past 12 months I have asked groups of financial advisors how they answer this question and if their answer would have people wanting to talk with them more or less. 95% of the advisors answer with a response of “less!” The perplexing question I then have to ask: If you know what you say will have a negative response, why don’t you say something different?

Every firm needs to have a refined firm story to assist in marketing and client acquisition. But, there is a serious need to have a compelling opening line for your firm story. Without this, you may never get the chance to share your story. Even the classic elevator pitch, typically one to two minutes in length, is too long-winded for an informal initial introduction. In a world of ever-decreasing attention spans, less is definitely more.

A solution for compelling others to want to listen to you is to develop a 15-20 second Simple, Repeatable, Statement of Value (SRSV). An SRSV is a statement that is easy to remember and shares some value directly for the person you are speaking with. Below is the 4-step formula for building your own SRSV. Your SRSV may not include the answer to every question, and it doesn’t have to be compiled in this order.

SRSV Builder Questions:
1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. Who do you work with (niche)?
4. What is unique/memorable about what you do or have done?