It really boils down to a before and after picture. You've seen this anywhere and anytime there's any kind of a weight loss pitch taking place. There's always the before and after picture. And the "why" is because it works. It's probably the number one thing that does work for those scenarios. Your scenario is actually quite similar because when clients are coming to you, generally speaking, their financial plan (their portfolio) is in disarray. And you are going to pull it all back together, make it healthy again, and kind of repackage it and provide that back to them in a much better format than how you first found it. So it's very important that you have a before and after opportunity to have a conversation with a client to get them to understand what's going on inside their plan.
We have pioneered something called the Asset Cycle Portfolio System. It has been around for decades, and many moons ago was turned into a unbelievably effective software package. It's simple, it's profound, but it has multiple pages of backup material. And two of the pictorials that I really like to see as a reference piece are the 'Current Income Projection' - essentially the before picture of their portfolio - and then the 'Proposed Income Projection' - essentially the after picture of their portfolio.
In the example above - using John and Jennifer - we use red to identify the shortfall. During the purple periods of time, that's their salary and wages. So essentially, they're going to retire in five years. But, the way their current plan is set up with their current assets, they're coming in with all of this shortfall that you have an opportunity to fix as a financial advisor. And this is an actual case. This had, I believe, just about one and a half million dollars in total in the portfolio. And by making changes (I'm not going to bore you with all the specific changes), you'll notice there is no more red, there's no more shortfall. We've got a bunch of income-focused pieces (in green) that have replaced that shortfall. And you can see all the others as well. But everything else during their working years is basically the same. We've just adjusted what's going on in their portfolio to truly create a before and after scenario.
And now you can lay these side-by-side and people can truly understand what the ramifications are of what it is that you're discussing.
Now, if you're interested, we have a new, free report called the 'Advisor's 12-Step Reset for Predictable Growth, Value & Lifestyle'. It's a smooth, 12-step process that I've uncovered and discovered over my 35+ year journey in this industry. And it's designed to generate a predictable practice with automated revenue and lifetime rewards.
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The RARE Advisor is a business model supercharged by Recurring And Repeatable Events. With more than thirty years of working with and coaching successful advisors, host Mike Walters (along with other leaders in the industry), discusses what it takes to grow a successful practice. With the aim of helping financial professionals and financial advisors take their business to the next level, Mike Walters shares insights and success stories that make a real impact. Regardless of the stage of your practice, The RARE Advisor will provide thoughtful guidance, suggestions for developing systems and processes that work, and ideas for creating an authentic experience for your clients.
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Author Info
Mike Walters is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of USA Financial, leading the firm since its inception in 1988. Mike is committed to...
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