Radio Sales Café

I am looking for a great commercial that has been successful for a financial client. He previously worked for a "big name" financial corporation but has now branched out on his own to really help people in the community with personalized service, specifically with their retirement, investments and money management.

Hi Brenda,

I've attached a spec we did for a small NW Mutual advisor in S.C. Contact me if you're interested--we could probably help you with a spec if you like it!

Brenda, did you check RAB.com? Not just in the "accountants/financial planners" but othere personal service categories...as an example, check under attorney , lawyer, etc.

Thanks Mark,
I will check out RAB.....good suggestion.

Hi, Brenda--

Congratulations on landing a client in the single most difficult category to sell on air, IMHO.

I can share a couple of things that should help. One is that anyone selling financial services must be patient. It never works quickly. We had a financial planner on air in Los Angeles who waited for a full year before he actually saw any notable ROI--but once that happened, he became a juggernaut. He was totally unstoppable.

Two: relatable, authentic, genuine language is a must. The most success I've ever had with financial clients is when they were speaking genuinely and honestly about financial planning in ways that made sense to listeners. The advertiser described above used each spot to give a valuable financial tip that people hadn't necessarily heard before. Another always spoke about financial planning with understandable metaphors about boats and navigation. A third used the "Starbucks Analogy," e.g., if you're 27 and you invest the price of a fancy coffee drink each day for 7 years and then stop, you can retire a millionaire. The commonality: no mindless yammering about "all your financial planning needs." Every one of them was understandable, honest, and was somehow emotionally evocative.

A cautionary note for the client: seemingly "small potatoes" investors will often take a test drive with a small amount to invest. Some financial planners will write these seemingly small investors off. I had one client who kept complaining that the commercials were attracting the wrong investors. Then, when his franchise parent said they were cutting off his co-op funds after several months, the client was desperate to prove the ads were working and scrambled and follow up with 64 leads he wrote off as "too small." (We all know the danger of pre-qualification.)

Good luck. It's a challenge for all, but the financial planner with a strong stomach will be very glad he stuck it out.

Thank you so much for that! I am going to share your insights with him right away!
Brenda