Have you ever wanted to find a quick-fix way to create more efficiency in your business? Advisers often try to use different business “hacks” to maximize their efficiency and create a scalable practice, but the truth is that using different productivity hacks likely isn’t the way to make strides in your business.
Instead, focus on learning a few key pieces of tech and how to leverage them in your business. Let’s go over a few not-so-obvious systems that can help you improve productivity.
Scheduling Software
Sometimes advisers I speak with love their scheduling software, while others reject the idea of using one in their practice. It’s a little intimidating to let clients and prospects book whenever they want.
However, high-quality software offers a lot more than simply giving your clients access to your calendar. Scheduling software gives you the flexibility to set up automated email or text reminders and confirmations to clients and prospects for upcoming meetings. Depending on the software, you may also be able to schedule automated meeting follow-ups. Plus, a good scheduling tool will help you to set up boundaries to protect your calendar. You can organize it to only book certain types of calls at different times, or during specific weeks during a given month.
Personally, I recommend Calendly as a scheduling tool. It’s the easiest system to integrate into your practice and is incredibly user-friendly. Additionally, the company continually rolls out new features, like metrics and reporting or round-robin scheduling for teams.
CRM
You may think that a customer relationship management system, or CRM, is an obvious tool in your tech stack, but many advisers aren’t using their CRM to its full potential. Your CRM likely has reporting capabilities beyond what you’re currently using. Monthly reports on what prospect opportunities you lost or won, or the number of prospect meetings you average per quarter, are two common examples.
Many different CRMs are available for advisers. I prefer Wealthbox and Redtail. In fact, they’re the only two systems I consistently recommend for advisers. Each of these systems has robust capabilities and are specifically designed with advisers in mind. They also have a number of integrations, making it easy to integrate them into your existing tech stack and processes.
Email Marketing System
Most advisers have an email marketing system—even if they’re not using it consistently (yet)! Email marketing systems are often thought to be a prospecting-only tool to help you grow your business. Although I do recommend that advisers set up their email marketing system to offer free downloads or lead generation pieces, and use them to send out newsletters and nurture emails to grow business, that’s not all these systems can do for you.
How much easier would your life as a business owner be if you were able to engage in one-to-many communication? Rather than emailing each client individually about open enrollment or tax season, you can construct emails in your email marketing system to go out to a specifically tagged list of your clients.
Wondering what system to use? MailChimp’s free version is solid for beginner RIAs, but if you’re ready to level up, check out ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign or Constant Contact. These systems have more advanced ways to tag your contacts and communicate to individual segments on your list.
VPN
VPN service helps you to keep your clients’ information safe and your Wi-Fi connection secure when you’re working in a public place.
VPNs are perfect for travel, working in a coworking space or even a home office in your apartment complex. I feel that VPNs are an integral part of any adviser’s tech stack. When you’re helping clients with their finances, you need a protected way to keep their information secure. I recommend Private Internet Access® VPN service. You pay an annual fee and the system can sync to multiple computers.
Password Manager
Raise your hand if you’ve ever gotten locked out of your online accounts because you couldn’t remember your password.
We’ve all been there!
However, as a business owner, you can’t be in a situation with a client where you can’t log into a key account because you can’t remember your password. The best way to navigate this problem is to use a password manager in your practice.
These systems save your logins and can even update your password periodically to ensure they stay complex and secure. You can also use them to share login information among team members or with contract workers. Some systems even have the option to have shared folders that contain specific passwords you want to be shared, while keeping others private.
In my own business, I use LastPass, but if you want to look for other options you can check out 1Password and Dashlane.
Voice-to-Text Systems
As an adviser, you’re on the go a lot. Whether you’re rushing to meetings or trying to manage follow-up preparation after meeting with a prospect, you need a better way to summarize meetings and write notes to yourself and your team.
Whether you use Copytalk or Mobile Assistant, or any of the other voice-to-text systems available, these tools can save you a ton of time on jotting notes down or sending follow-up reminders. Some CRMs even offer voice-to-text options to make your processes a little bit more streamlined. In my own business, I leverage my CRM’s voice-to-text option in an application on my phone.
The No. 1 Tool You Need
I’ve saved the best for last. Zapier is the No. 1 tool you need to have in your back pocket as an adviser and business owner. Zapier helps you to connect and integrate different systems to make them “talk” to each other. You can use Zapier to eliminate manual steps within your business processes and streamline your work.
Charesse Hagan helps financial planners work smarter, grow their firms and offer exceptional services to their clients. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is an operations consultant at Charesse J. Hagan, LLC, and an FPA Coaches Corner coach for technology and operations. Find more resources from Hagan here. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
See a new article by Charesse Hagan in the FPA Coaches Corner whitepaper, “Action 2020: Create Business Success for Today and Tomorrow.” Download your copy of the whitepaper here.
Leave a Reply