"Jon, is it worth creating my own proprietary process? Why not simply use the standard process from the CFP Board?"

Earlier this week, I led a two-hour workshop for professional service providers (financial planners, lenders, etc.) down the street from Colorado State University.

The topic? Packaging your proprietary process as a value differentiator.

A client who is a CFP® asked me that question right before the event.

Fair enough. Let's consider the actual differentiation you may gain from having the most prestigious designations.

As of this morning, there are 103,206 CFPs in the U.S. alone, double as many as in 2007. (CFB Board)

However, there are approximately 290,000 financial advisors in the U.S. today. (Source)

One out of three financial advisors holds the gold standard for wealth and investment professionals.

(Side note: The CFA designation is also becoming more commonplace.)

Being a CFP or CFA is no longer a massive differentiator in the financial advisory space. Are they useful? Absolutely. There's a reason why investors search for advisors with those two designations.

But, what if you viewed the highest perceived qualification in your industry as 'table stakes' for how you serve clients?

What if you brought more to your clients than the Alphabet soup behind your name?

That's the value of having a proprietary process.

Some call this a framework, method, pathway, model, or other labels. Same idea, different names.

This is your step-by-step plan for helping your clients get the experience they expect while working with you.

What's the average financial advisor's process?

1. Discovery Meeting
2. Review Account Statements
3. Planning Meeting
4. Adjust (ACAT time)

That's typically the entire process. Again, that's 'table stakes'. It's what virtually every investor under the sun expects when working with an advisor.

What can you add to that experience that will help your clients go, "This feels completely different than every other advisor we worked with before you - and we love it!"

This approach works for coaches, consultants, advisors, or other professional service providers.

Without a proprietary process, your industry authority is perceived as having a lower status.

It reduces your expertise to a fee comparison.

When your genius gets locked in a price war, you're toast.

One of the greatest differentiators as an industry expert is owning your process.

With a great process, you share a vision of what's possible, a plan for what to expect, and a point of reference for where to go next.

Most importantly, your process' name is tied to a promise: What do you commit to giving your clients that's within your power to give?

• A financial advisor can't guarantee specific returns, but you can promise to co-create a clear, compelling plan that aligns with your client's financial goals.
• A personal trainer can't lose a client's weight for them, but you can commit to giving the right structure for success.
• A relationship coach can't force a couple to forgive and grow together, but you can facilitate a systematic, healthy series of conversations for healing.

That's the value of having a solid process or framework that's your own. It leverages your genius, creates clarity, and closes the gap between your clients' expectations and experiences working with you.

From the stage, it also gives you a skeletal structure for proving your expertise in front of a larger audience.

No process, no differentiation.

When clients and prospects know your process, you're known for being different.

And if you're unsure how to create your framework or process, I'm building a new resource to make that experience easier and better for you.

Interested? Hit reply and let me know.

Jon

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