RARE Advisor: Ideal Life? It Starts with an Ideal Practice
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
Release Date: 06/26/2025
Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook: Behavioral Finance, Simplified: 5 Biases Advisors Must Use in Their Marketing
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of Financial Advisor’s Marketing Playbook, host Mark Mersman breaks down five core behavioral biases—loss aversion, status quo bias, anchoring, choice overload, and social proof—and shows how each can be translated into clear, compliant marketing messages that resonate with real human decision-making. You’ll learn how to reduce cognitive load, make emotion visible, eliminate friction, and set deliberate anchors in your website copy, emails, seminars, and first meetings. If you want your marketing to reflect how clients actually think and choose advisors, this practical...
info_outline
RARE Advisor: Year-End Planning with Purpose: Becoming the Advisor of the Future
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of The RARE Advisor, Aaron Grady and Duncan MacPherson explore how financial advisors can approach year-end planning with intention and purpose. Rather than focusing solely on metrics and spreadsheets, they discuss the importance of aligning your “why” with your process and practice. Drawing on Japanese philosophies like Ikigai, Kaizen, Kintsugi, and Wabi Sabi, they share insights on creating a more meaningful, resilient, and sustainable business. Learn how embracing continuous improvement, authenticity, and technology can help you become the advisor of the future....
info_outline
Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook: The Power of Storytelling: 3 Essential Stories Every Financial Advisor Needs
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook, Mark Mersman reveals how storytelling can transform your marketing and client relationships. Learn the three foundational stories every advisor needs: your origin story to build trust, your client transformation story to demonstrate results and empathy, and your philosophy story to define your beliefs and differentiate your brand. Discover practical tips for crafting these narratives and integrating them into your website, meetings, and marketing strategy. The Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook is a podcast/video series for...
info_outline
RARE Advisor: Building a Client-Centered Practice: Insights from Duncan MacPherson & Pareto Systems
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of the Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady sits down with Duncan MacPherson of Pareto Systems to unpack the “Always On” client experience from The Blue Square Method—showing financial advisors how to move from personality-driven to process-driven, scalable firms. You’ll learn the four quadrants (Onside, Onboard, Ongoing, Onward), why a documented fit process and onboarding sequence create professional contrast, how the 12-4-2 service model competitor-proofs relationships, and why systematizing moments of truth builds advocacy and referrals. We cover turning know-how into...
info_outline
Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook: From SEO to AEO: How Financial Advisors Can Rank in ChatGPT & Google AI
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of The Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook, Mark Mersman explores the fast-emerging concept of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)—how advisors can adapt their websites and content strategies for the AI-driven search era. As traditional SEO gives way to AI search tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews, Mark explains what this shift means for financial advisors and how to stay visible in a world where consumers ask questions directly to AI instead of clicking through search results. He shares practical, actionable steps—like writing with user intent in mind, expanding...
info_outline
RARE Advisor: How Gratitude Can Grow Your Practice: Thanksgiving Lessons for Financial Advisors
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady shares why Thanksgiving is one of the most powerful — and underutilized — times of year for financial advisors to connect with their top clients. He explains how this quieter, gratitude-filled season offers a unique opportunity to build deeper relationships, foster loyalty, and create memorable client experiences that drive advocacy. From heartfelt handwritten cards to “annual anchor” gifts that become part of clients’ traditions, Aaron outlines practical ways to operationalize gratitude and turn it into a repeatable, referable...
info_outline
RARE Advisor: Ideal Client Events in Action: Transition, Reframing, Celebration
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady is joined by USA Financial Practice Management Consultant, Allan Oehrlein, to explore three powerful types of ideal client events every advisor should be leveraging: transition, reframing, and celebration. More than just appreciation gatherings, these tailored events help you retain top relationships, build advocacy, and elevate your practice. From handling major firm changes with confidence to showcasing new processes and creating memorable client experiences, Aaron and Allan break down practical strategies to turn client events into...
info_outline
RARE Advisor: Client Retention Strategies through Rare Experiences
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady sits down with Steve Phillips, Chief Practice Management Officer at USA Financial, to unpack the concept of the Ideal Client Event. Unlike traditional appreciation events, these gatherings are designed exclusively for your very best clients—the advocates and relationships you most want to replicate. Aaron and Steve explore the “what,” “why,” and “how” behind these events, from honoring advocacy and building community to creating a consistent client experience that drives organic growth and long-term loyalty. If you’re a...
info_outline
Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook: Financial Advisor PR Strategy with Michelle Lawless (Media Minefield)
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook, Mark sits down with Michelle Lawless, VP at Media Minefield, to unpack how PR powers growth for advisory firms—especially in a world where AI search favors credible, third-party sources. Michelle explains the difference between advertising and earned media, why local TV news and thought-leadership placements boost trust, and how to pair traditional media with strategic LinkedIn to win in no-click search. We also discuss ROI (Return On Investment), and Media Minefield’s process—from messaging sessions and story development to...
info_outline
RARE Advisor: The Power of FORM: Turning Conversations Into Advocacy
The Advisor Advancement Podcast Network
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, Aaron Grady dives into one of the simplest yet most powerful tools for building lasting client relationships: the acronym FORM acronym—Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Money. More than just a data-gathering technique, it’s a practice management mindset for financial advisors and planners who want to connect on a deeper, more human level with their clients. Aaron shares how to gather, store, and use FORM data to create personalized client experiences, build trust, and trigger natural advocacy. You’ll learn how to improve client service and build...
info_outlineAre you building a financial advisory practice that truly supports your ideal life—or is your business running you? In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady sits down with Steve Phillips, Chief Practice Management Officer at USA Financial, to explore the four essential pillars of creating your ideal practice: ideal clients, ideal practice size, ideal strategic partners, and ideal affiliations. Whether you're a solo advisor or part of a growing team, this conversation dives into how to align your practice with your long-term goals and values. If you're navigating growth, considering a transition, or simply want more clarity on building a scalable, fulfilling advisory business, this episode is packed with practical insights you don’t want to miss.
Consider subscribing for continued insights from USA Financial:
https://www.youtube.com/@USA-Financial
For more of The RARE Advisor: https://www.usafinancial.com/insights/rare
The RARE Advisor is a business model supercharged by Recurring And Repeatable Events. With decades of experience coaching successful advisors, your host, along with other leaders in the industry, discusses what it takes to grow a successful practice. With the aim of helping financial professionals and financial advisors take their business to the next level, this podcast shares insights and success stories that will make a real impact. Regardless of the stage of your practice, The RARE Advisor will provide thoughtful guidance, suggestions for developing systems and processes that work, and ideas for creating an authentic experience for your clients.
Contact us:
Phone (888) 444-0125
https://www.facebook.com/usafinancial/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/usafinancial
Powered by USA Financial
#usafinancial #advisoradvancement #therareadvisor #rareadvisor