Always On with Duncan MacPherson

Building meaningful client relationships is essential for long-term success in financial services.

How can you enhance client experiences and ensure lifelong fulfillment while delivering unmatched value?

This week, Duncan MacPherson is joined by Rob Brown, Founder of the Truest Fan Coaching and co-host of The Purpose-Focused Advisor podcast.

They explore the significance of purpose in building a client-centric practice, the distinctions between client service and client experience, and actionable insights from Rob’s book, “The Truest Fan” and its forthcoming sequel, “The Truest Fan Blueprint.”

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About Our Guest:

Rob Brown is the founder of Truest Fan Coaching and the author of Truest Fan: Live, Love, and Lead with Purpose and Impact and Delivering the Ultimate Client Experience. His journey from being a top financial advisor to becoming a sought-after mentor for hundreds of advisors highlights his leadership strengths. Now, as a coach to some of the industry’s top advisors, Rob turns his insights into actionable strategies—the foundation of Truest Fan Coaching. He also hosts The Purpose-Focused Advisor podcast, where he shares his experience and wisdom. His upcoming book, The Truest Fan Blueprint, will be released soon. On a personal note, Rob is a devoted husband, father of triplet daughters, proud grandfather, and a lifelong Cleveland Guardians fan.

In this episode of the Always On with Duncan MacPherson Podcast, Duncan sits down with Cathi Durrell, co-founder of Lavish Cards, to discuss the power of personalized gratitude in building lasting client relationships for financial advisors. Discover how sending customized cards to clients can enhance your client retention strategies, foster loyalty, and increase client advocacy.

Cathi shares insights from her 12+ years of experience in helping financial professionals use hand-crafted greeting cards to make a lasting impact with clients.

Tune in to learn:

This episode is full of actionable strategies to humanize your client experience, foster stronger client loyalty, and generate organic referrals.

About Our Guest:

Cathi Durrell, along with her husband Glen, who is a professional photographer, are the owners of Lavish Fine Art Cards, a company they co-founded 11 years ago. Lavish has grown extensively over the past 11 years and specializes in catering to the bespoke communication needs of their clients. The entire crew at Lavish are committed to creating and supplying the highest quality greeting cards. In her spare time, Cathi enjoys traveling and exploring “the back-roads” with Glen, in search of the next image for Lavish.

Balancing client needs, industry best practices, and personal life can be challenging in financial services.

How do you maintain integrity while fostering client relationships and achieving work-life balance?

In this episode, Duncan MacPherson chats with Sybil Verch, wealth advisor, TV show host, and author. Together, they explore themes such as benevolence and charitable giving, the distinction between transactional sales and directional stewardship, and how these practices foster deeper client relationships.

Listen in to gain actionable insights on maintaining work-life harmony, positioning charitable giving within client relationships, and transitioning from aggressive sales tactics to a nurturing, long-term business strategy.

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About Our Guest:

Sybil Verch, with her 30+ years of industry experience and a former executive role at Raymond James Ltd., is focused on serving an exclusive group of C-Suite Executives and successful entrepreneurs. She provides them with the best tools and platform in the industry to help them feel in control of their financial situation and achieve their life goals. Whether it’s about nearing retirement and ensuring adequate income for life, managing stock options, reducing taxes, funding new adventures, taking care of family, giving back to the community, or leading a corporation to new heights through increased market share, Sybil believes that success is dependent on the successful implementation of a strategy.

In order to expand her reach beyond the select clients she personally works with, Sybil hosts and produces a nationally broadcast financial literacy talk show, The Wealthy Life. Her aim is to help Canadians make smart financial decisions to make the most of what they have. She offers real-world, no-nonsense advice to educate individuals on how to better deal with financial challenges. Sybil interviews guest experts on topics such as increasing cash flow, business succession planning, tax saving tips, retirement & estate planning, risk management, and investment options.

Are you seeking proven strategies to enhance client acquisition without high-pressure sales tactics?

This week on The Always On Podcast, Duncan MacPherson sits down with Daniel Burns and Stephen Comerford, co-hosts of The Sales Problem Podcast.

The discussion pivots around the significance of client acquisition, growth, and productivity from the perspective of stewardship rather than salesmanship.

You will gain valuable insights into refining their client acquisition strategies, enhancing onboarding processes, and developing a sustainable service model that transforms clients into advocates.

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About Daniel Burns:

Daniel Burns is a seasoned professional with 22 years of experience in Sales and Management. His first decade was marked by remarkable achievements, including the Top Sales Award, entry into the Presidents club, and substantial annual bonuses.

In the last decade, his focus shifted towards making significant contributions. He constantly asks, “Who can I assist? How can I provide support?” His goal is to coach and support others, striving to enhance their success.

A true leader, Daniel believes in the continuous development of oneself while aiding others in their growth. His mission is to evolve into his best version while assisting others in achieving the same, focusing on the mind, body, and sales. His journey is a testament to his leadership and dedication.

About Stephen Comerford:

Stephen Comerford’s extensive career has been characterized by his results-driven approach as a sales and marketing leader. His energy, positivity, and focus on results have been the foundation of his success. He has always ensured strong internal relationships and has been hands-on in developing the business strategies that have helped him succeed in a highly competitive marketplace.

Over the years, Stephen has developed a unique skill: the ability to sell-up to senior leaders, sell-across to internal stakeholders, and sell-down to frontline salespeople. His focus has always been on making the people around him and those he interacts with successful.

Stephen has had the privilege of working for several renowned companies, including Pitney Bowes, Xerox, Ricoh, Canon, and Canada Post.

AI will not replace humans. It will replace humans who don’t embrace AI.

Ever-curious advisors committed to learning about AI’s latest use cases are more likely to achieve professional contrast and elevate their client experience!

To learn what’s new with AI (especially for advisors), join Duncan MacPherson’s conversation with Kevin Bishopp, Vice President and Performance Coach for the Advisor Consulting Group at First Trust. They explain why you shouldn’t fear AI, but rather leverage it for content creation, research, client communications, and much more.

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About Our Guest:

Kevin Bishopp is a Vice President and Performance Coach for the Advisor Consulting Group at First Trust. His focus is the best practices and mission-critical strategies that propel professionals/firms to be truly unique within the industry. His insights into key metrics, resource allocation, team structure, marketing and client acquisition equip professionals/firms to make high-quality strategic decisions that can generate dynamic results. Prior to joining First Trust, Kevin spent 12 years with Russell Investments, where he held positions as Director of Practice Management, RIA Channel Head and Business Development Director. In those roles, he focused on coaching, content creation, sales management, national account management, and business development. Before joining Russell Investments, Kevin spent 5 years as a wealth manager for The Bishopp Group LLC, a family-owned wealth management practice. In 1994, he started his career in financial services as an associate for Principal Financial Group. Kevin holds an MBA from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington and a BA in Finance from Eastern Washington University.

Are you ready to become the indispensable advisor who guides entire families through wealth building and legacy planning?

Remember, it’s not your client’s responsibility to introduce you and it’s not the family member’s job to ask. You must be proactive and cultivate relationships across the family tree!

In this enlightening and highly relevant episode, Duncan MacPherson speaks with Jackie Wilke, VP of Advisor Consulting at First Trust Portfolios. They provide a step-by-step guide to progressively foster relationships with your clients’ family members (including the next-gen wealth inheritors).

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About Our Guest:

Jackie Wilke is a speaker, author, consultant, and coach for select partners of First Trust, a firm known not only for its robust investment product line which includes UITs, ETFs, SMAs, and VAs (to name a few) but also for its commitment to the growth of financial advisors. Jackie’s focus is business development and innovation including expertise in helping financial professionals, teams, and the next generation of high-net-worth individuals/households and multi-generational families. She is also the author of Insights & Innovations, a business development blog for financial professionals and enterprises.

Newer advisors in the industry are always thinking of ways to not just survive but thrive.

Meanwhile, more experienced advisors want to attract younger talent as part of their continuity and succession plan.

Let’s explore this transition to the next generation and how it coincides with a similar wealth transition among clients. In this episode, Duncan MacPherson speaks with Isaac Richard III, CEO of Mavros Capital, about forward-thinking growth strategies that cater to the advisor and client of tomorrow.

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About Our Guest:

Isaac Richard III is CEO of Mavros Capital, a premier multi-family office and strategic advisor to some of the world’s most accomplished and influential entrepreneurs, visionaries, athletes, families and institutions. Mavros integrates a platform of family office, asset management and investment banking solutions continuing to shape the future of how significant wealth is managed, how capital is deployed and how legacies are extended across generations.

Isaac manages the firm’s strategic direction and continues to serve select single-family offices and UHNW clients. As an avid investor, Mr. Richard chairs the firm’s Investment Committee, leading the Mavros expansion offering bespoke asset management strategies across both public and private markets that includes venture capital, private equity, private credit and real assets. Prior to Mavros, Isaac spent his career as a private advisor at Morgan Stanley & First Republic & J.P. Morgan.

Transitioning to another employee-model firm or launching an RIA firm can be daunting!

Finding the right fit, adapting to the new environment, communicating the transition to your existing clients…there’s a lot to consider.

Let’s break it all down with Duncan MacPherson and guest Louis Diamond, President of Diamond Consultants, a financial advisor recruiting firm. With his strategic perspective and wealth of experience guiding top teams through transitions, mergers, and acquisitions, Louis offers valuable insights and solutions to help you navigate change with clarity and confidence. 

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Louis has guided many of the top teams in the industry as they’ve transitioned to another employee-model firm or launched RIA firms. As a next-generation leader for Diamond Consultants, Louis has a first-hand understanding of the needs and requirements of complex multi-generational teams. His strong business acumen, refined analytical skills, and objectivity allow him to advise independent business owners who want to accelerate growth via mergers, acquisitions, and recruiting.

As President of Diamond Consultants, Louis is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm, with an eye toward future growth. Much like the advisors he counsels, his focus remains on providing the best advice possible for those we work with while transforming the firm into a scalable enterprise.

Does asking for referrals make you feel like you’re being needy? Are you afraid of hurting your existing relationships with clients and COIs?

When asking for referrals, your words matter!

Catch Duncan MacPherson’s conversation with Bill Cates, referral coach and author of “The Language of Referrals,” about the art of being referable and mastering the concept of introductions with professionalism and stewardship. They highlight the biggest barriers to referrals and how to overcome them by using the right language.

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About Our Guest:

Bill Cates, CSP, CPAE, works with financial advisors to speed up their growth without increasing their marketing budget. Advisors tap into Bill’s proven process to multiply their best clients through introductions from advocates and Centers of Influence, communicate their value proposition more effectively, and create a reputation in a profitable target market. Bill helps advisors move from push prospecting to magnetic marketing – to attract more Right-Fit Clients.   

Bill is the author of 3 best-selling books, Get More Referrals Now, Beyond Referrals, and Radical Relevance. Bill’s newest book, The Language of Referrals is due to be released in March of 2024. He is the founder of The Cates Academy for Relationship Marketing, has been named the #1 Financial Advisor Influencer by Indigo Marketing, and is the host of the acclaimed Top Advisor Podcast (www.TopAdvisorPodcast.com) – now ranked in the Top 10% of podcasts worldwide.

The complexities of passing on a legacy and managing family dynamics can be overwhelming, especially for first-generation business owners.

As their advisor, how can you help prepare their heirs and transition wealth smoothly?

Find out as Duncan MacPherson speaks with Tom Deans, Ph.D., intergenerational wealth expert, speaker, and best-selling author of “Every Family’s Business” and “Willing Wisdom.” They explore how advisors can improve client retention and referrals by addressing one of the biggest unmet needs of self-made first-generation business owners and professionals — continuity and succession planning.

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About Our Guest:

Tom Deans, Ph.D.’s research and thought leadership on the subjects of wealth transfers, preparing heirs, and family dynamics have made him an in-demand speaker and webinar presenter. He is the author of the best-selling family business book of all time, Every Family’s Business: 12 Common Sense Questions to Protect Your Wealth, listed by the New York Times as one of the top ten books business owners should read. His second book, Willing Wisdom: 7 Questions Successful Families Ask, offers a creative process to bring transparency to a family’s estate plan. More than two million copies of his books are in circulation.

Dr. Deans gives more than 100 speeches a year on the subject of intergenerational wealth transfers, preparing heirs, and business succession planning. Over the past 17 years, he has delivered more than 2,000 keynote speeches in 28 countries on four continents. He has also provided advanced training to advisors employed by the world’s largest financial institutions, law firms, and accounting firms.