don’t be afraid of a learning curve.
by matt solomon
if you’re thinking about making the shift to financial advising, you might be wondering if you have the skills you need to succeed. the good news is that as an accountant, you already have all the tools you need to become a financial advisor.
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however, having the right tools does not automatically make you an advisor just like owning a hammer doesn’t make you a carpenter. you’ll need to develop a new skill set to use your accounting tools as a financial advisor. without these new skills, accountants often fail to achieve their goals and build a business that allows them to do meaningful work, make more money and spend less time doing it.
there are five big reasons that new financial advisors might fail to achieve success:
unsystematic approach
one of the biggest mistakes new financial advisors make is failing to implement a working system – trying to run their business piecemeal. when starting out as a financial advisor, it is crucial that you have a complete system in place before you begin accepting clients. otherwise, you’ll find yourself scrambling to create plans and processes on the fly. this reactive approach limits your ability to deliver the business results clients are looking for and creates unnecessary stress for you.
negativity
it might sound oversimplified, but negative thinking is often the main culprit that keeps new advisors from succeeding. when contemplating a shift to financial advising, some accountants think, “this all sounds good, but it won’t work for me.” and if they do make the jump to becoming financial advisors, they often experience a new version of these same thoughts – “what was i thinking? this approach might have worked for other people, but it won’t work for me.”
time and time again, negative thinking keeps them stuck, unable to fully commit to their new role. successful financial advisors have learned how to let those thoughts pass and reorient themselves to the task at hand – delivering top-notch business results for their clients.
perfectionism
after years of working as an accountant – building expertise and confidence in your abilities – it can be daunting to encounter a learning curve. most accountants i know are diligent, intelligent people who are focused on performance. when they make the shift to financial advising, they don’t want to start until they feel they can offer their absolute best.
while this sentiment is understandable, it can keep new advisors dragging their feet rather than building their business. in fact, many accountants mask their insecurities behind the guise of “putting a plan in place” (see unsystematic approach earlier in this piece) when, in reality, they are creating an excuse to tread water. eventually, they may give up on their goal altogether and go back to what’s comfortable: low-value tax returns and compliance work.
when you are building your financial advisory business, remember that anything new will involve a learning period. give yourself permission to make a few mistakes, and don’t sacrifice the good for the perfect!
fear
once financial advisors have their businesses up and running, they sometimes find themselves in a state of fear. they worry about saying the wrong thing, making the wrong decisions and questioning the years of experience that qualified them for this job in the first place. these advisors are motivated by providing the best service to their clients, but their fear actually stops them from helping their clients. instead of focusing on the client and their needs, the advisor is self-conscious about their own performance.
overthinking
overthinking is the number one killer in the accounting world. accountants are inherently analytical, and many are trained to overanalyze, which can hamstring their new financial advisory business. financial advising requires you to be decisive and to act with confidence.
successful advisors have built their confidence on the strength of their knowledge and experience – which is exactly what makes them great at what they do. rather than overthinking out of fear, you must learn to trust your training and your ability to deliver the business results clients want.
the path to success
“winging it,” overthinking or using an outdated system is not the smartest way to run your financial advisory business. your secret weapon for success as an advisor? the psd model – price, sell, deliver.
it starts with a commitment to pricing for value. for you, this means fewer clients, higher rates and a better work/life balance.
then, you can approach selling as a form of service. when you are focused on serving your clients, you don’t have time for negativity, perfectionism or fear.
finally, instead of overthinking, you can deliver exactly what your clients are looking for – with confidence and a game plan.