I Give Away Too Much for Free

…or so I’ve been told.

People doing what I am doing charge up to $2,500 for what I give away for free.🤯

Is it worth $2,500? Yes, 100% it is. A proper financial plan will save some hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars over the years. 

I will drive to people’s Springbank houses at 8:30pm on a Thursday during a snowstorm without knowing if they will be a client or not.

Why do I do this?

I’m a sucker for good vibes

If you could change someone’s life in a very positive way, but not make any money out of it, you would try your best to do it anyway, right? 

When did we stop doing the right thing?

Selfishly, seeing the renewed sense of optimism on people’s faces when given a plan or direction is worth it. I’m a sucker for good vibes. 

It’s fun. Excuse my language, but I fucking LOVE what I do!

It’s my marketing expense

I don’t produce TV commercials, buy ads in magazines, or promote ads on Instagram to show people value upfront. Generally being a good dude is my word-of-mouth marketing plan.

Most financial plans take me about five hours to complete: two hours for our first meeting (including travel time), two hours to compute and build a strategy back in my office, and an hour to explain the findings and suggestions to the potential client. Some less, some more.

Not to brag, but I ‘close’ on most prospective clients at this point or we determine we are not a fit for each other. I’m a big fan of ‘Let me show you how I can help’ instead of ‘If you pay me, I’ll show you how I can help.’  

My time invested in new relationships is a calculated risk.

Win some, lose some

Not all meetings end up with a new relationship, and that’s okay.

At this point in my career, I have the luxury of working with people I want to work with. I don’t need to ‘make every sale,’ so stopping an unproductive relationship before it starts is often best for everyone involved.  

Pre-qualifying my clients from an ‘Is this a good fit?’ perspective is important, but a ‘Can I actually help these people?’ viewpoint is good too.

There have been clients that I would have LOVED to work with, but they aren’t really in need of my services. By helping them out - getting them a financial plan, helping them with their bank investments - they have become some of my greatest advocates.  

The truth is, you never know who knows who or what relationship might come from a positive Facebook group chat promotion. Not all ‘wins’ are immediate.

There is plenty of money to be made

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in it only for the positive vibes, I am a capitalist at heart!

The lifetime value of a great client is a significant sum of money. In a refreshing moment of clarity, I am happy to admit that I will earn a lot of money over a 20 year period, working with the clients I am meant to work with.

From a career perspective, when you can turn the corner and become sustainable, it is a great business to be in. Most advisors don’t make it - the failure rate is pegged somewhere between 80-90%.

Side note: Financial advisors fail because they give into the temptation to oversell their clients (or need to survive); insurance they don’t need, high fee structures, locked-in investment strategies, and all sorts of other schemes that are not in the best interest of their clients.  

They get caught up trying to survive and eventually burn out or give up to a) sell mutual funds to advisors, b) become a realtor, or c) ‘go back to school’. 😂

My fee structure is designed in a way that I win when my clients win. Long term sustainable results and consistent, repeatable returns are what I am compensated for. I LOVE that!

My clients are never locked in; there is no fee to leave. If they aren’t happy, they can go peacefully, with no strings attached. Makes sense, no?

I felt compelled to write this for two reasons: 

1. We need to talk more about fees for advice in a positive light. Getting the cheapest fee possible is rarely the best way to source professional service needs.
2. I hope that at least one person reads this and thinks, ‘Let's see this guy put his money where his mouth is!’ and book a free financial plan appointment.

Try me.