Dan Solin is the President of Evidence Based Advisor Marketing and Solin Strategic, LLC. He helps advisors around the world connect with their ideal clients through evidence-based marketing solutions, website development, content strategy, and sales coaching services. He is the New York Times bestselling author of the Smartest series of books, a collection of investment, financial planning, and wealth-building books that have been endorsed by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Vanguard’s founder, John Bogle. His latest book, Ask: How To Relate To Anyone, helps readers understand the psychology and neuroscience behind creating deep, meaningful connections with anyone. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Dan regularly conducts workshops and presentations to advisors and advisory firms throughout North America.

 

Dan joins me today to discuss the lessons he’s learned while researching the psychology and neuroscience behind building relationships and meaningful connections with others. We discuss how creating meaningful business relationships is more about being authentic and building the ‘know, like, and trust’ factor and less about sharing analytical data and processes. Dan shares tips and strategies you can use to truly connect with your prospective clients. We discuss some of the common misconceptions advisors often have about why someone might hire them and why it’s crucial to emphasise your likability over your expertise in your branding and marketing.  We highlight the differences between cognitive trust and effective trust. We also discuss why your response time is critical to converting leads into clients, why most decisions are rooted in our emotions, and the importance of letting go of trying to control the flow and agenda of your sales meetings and, instead, leading them with the intention of getting to know your client better.

 

“We do business with people we like. If we like people, we trust them. If we trust them, we hire them.” - Dan Solin

 

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

 

• Dan’s definition of evidence-based advisors
• Strategies for deeply connecting with your ideal clients
• Common misconceptions around the hiring process and the decisions a potential client makes
• Putting emphasis on likability over expertise in your brand messaging and marketing strategies
• How conversations over personal passions, interests, and hobbies create unique bonds
• Why Dan believes many advisors hesitate to ‘put themselves out there’ to be relatable
• Leaning into being vulnerable, authentic, and showing genuine interest in your client’s passions and hobbies
• Understanding the difference between ‘cognitive trust’ and ‘effective trust’
• The ‘Moment of Seduction’ principle of sales and how your response time impacts your ability to convert a client
• The value of leading your initial sales calls with personal interest questions and letting go of trying to control the meeting flow and agenda

 

Resources Mentioned:

 

• The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter

 

Our Favorite Quotes:

 

• “The orientation of every touch-point, including websites, should be: ‘How do I present myself as more likable?’ That should be the goal.” - Dan Solin
• “The whole point is not as much being vulnerable as just having no agenda.” - Dan Solin
• “A very dangerous thing in life is to make assumptions.” - Dan Solin

 

Connect with Dan Solin:

 

• Dan Solin’s Website
• Evidence Based Advisor Marketing
• Email: [email protected]
• Book: The Smartest series
• Book: Ask: How to Relate to Anyone
• Dan Solin on LinkedIn
• Dan Solin on Facebook
• Dan Solin on Twitter

 

 

About the Model FA Podcast

 

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes  to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. 

 

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. 

 

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

 

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