Barry LaValley

LaValley: Providing valuable retirement advice

Blog Polls Have your say in our forum . Not long ago, I was making a presentation on the role of a retirement advisor to a group of financial planners. In my audience were advisors with a wide range of academic credentials and experience. Our discussion focused on what a retirement advisor was supposed to […]

By Barry LaValley |February 25, 2010

6 min read

Planning and Advice

LaValley: Understanding how clients think and act

Regular readers of this space know that people don’t always behave rationally or respond to logic because of the overriding influence that emotion has on how we think and act. It is the emotional intangibles that make communication more complex than it needs to be. If our brains operated as simple calculators producing results based […]

By Barry LaValley |January 11, 2010

6 min read

Planning and Advice

What we can learn from brain science

We have all heard variations of the new shoe salesman story. The young salesman was frustrated because he wasn’t selling very many pairs of shoes. “I don’t know what I am doing wrong”, he lamented to an older colleague after a particularly frustrating day. “I must have served fifty different people today who all looked […]

By Barry LaValley |December 9, 2009

5 min read

Planning and Advice

Making your message stick

It doesn’t really matter whether you think you are brilliant if your clients don’t remember what you tell them. Your clients have to be engaged from beginning to end in your conversation and they have to remember what is in it for them long after the discussion has ended. Clients must understand the needs that […]

By Barry LaValley |November 2, 2009

2 min read

Planning and Advice

The tip of the iceberg is what matters

Recently I worked with an advisor who was redoing his client brochure and web site. His goal was to provide clients and prospects with an outline of what value he brings through his practice. “I want them to know that I have a lot of experience and that I have a thorough and systematic approach […]

By Barry LaValley |October 1, 2009

4 min read

Planning and Advice

Common advisor communications mistakes

Auditory learners respond to the things they hear. Visual learners respond to the things they see. Sensory learners respond to the things they feel. Tactile learners respond to the things they touch. Everyone is different, and most people have a dominant motivator and a secondary motivator. You can usually tell what type of learners you […]

By Barry LaValley |September 2, 2009

6 min read

Planning and Advice

How to really resonate with clients

Keep asking good questions that help your client move out of crystallized-thinking mode and into emotional contemplation. Position yourself as a right-brain advisor who uses left-brain tools to accomplish the client’s goals. For example, “I am a coach, an educator and a catalyst for my clients,” rather than “I am an investment advisor, an insurance […]

By Barry LaValley |August 5, 2009

5 min read

Planning and Advice

The wealth advisor value proposition

“Because it’s YOUR money and it’s YOUR life.” “Sound advice to help you build your future.” “Smoothing your way through life’s road bumps.” “Your plan and our advice — building your future together.” “Helping create legacies for people who care.” Whatever you say, your tagline should remind your clients that you are not like other […]

By Barry LaValley |July 6, 2009

3 min read

Planning and Advice

The new wealth advisor — building a differentiation strategy

Protecting and enjoying your lifestyle Helping your family Planning for the future Enjoying financial comfort Creating a legacy If it is in your life, it is in your plan. John and Jane may do the same thing, but their marketing message is considerably different. John, the investment advisor, focuses on products and talks about “financial […]

By Barry LaValley |June 3, 2009

3 min read