Episodes

When you’re out expanding your network as a financial advisor and meeting new people, you’ll quickly notice the importance of remembering names. It’s a sign of respect and sends a signal that you care. It’s difficult to make a great impression and accelerate relationships if you can’t even remember someone’s name! In this episode of the Stephen and Kevin Show, we'll tackle these 7 ways to improve your name memory: 1. Make a conscious effort to truly listen. 2. Associate their name with someon...

When it comes to using LinkedIn, you want to ensure you’re putting in enough effort to get results, but at the same time, you need a routine to make sure you’re not wandering aimlessly through the interwebs. We see two ends of the spectrum. Some advisors never log into LinkedIn. Others log in daily for hour-long web-surfing sessions that go nowhere. How do you find the right balance? You need structure. You need a routine. We included a 10-minute LinkedIn routine in our release of The Indispen...

Our data is clear on the power of relationship-building. When you humanize the financial advisor / affluent client relationship, you tend to deepen loyalty and improve advocacy. We’ve talked a lot about activities like taking clients to lunch, hosting fun events, and other ways to get to know each other outside of investments. One of the simplest ways to give a relationship a “boost” is through a small, thoughtful gift. It shows that you know them and that you care. Nearly every advisor does th...

In this episode of the Stephen and Kevin Show, we offer 7 tips on how to effectively message prospective clients on LinkedIn. A few years ago, we rolled out a progr­­­am that enabled financial advisors to outsource their social media to us. It’s grown to a point where we’re sending thousands of LinkedIn messages on behalf of financial advisors every month. Consequently, we’ve learned a lot. There is no perfect script. If you thought this video would give you a text you can copy and paste, thin...

Welcome to Season 2 of The Stephen and Kevin Show. We at The Oechsli Institute are excited to be in our new office and have some excellent shows planned for you! In this episode, titled "Financial Advisor Marketing Simplified," we offer some insights on financial advisor marketing and how to bring in more new clients than ever before. This episode covers to central points: 1. Relationship Marketing - If you want results quickly, focus on smaller accounts. - If you want smaller accounts, go cold...

Many financial advisors ask us whether or not you should even leave voicemails anymore. The answer, generally, is that you should. It’s one more chance to showcase professionalism as an advisor. Your tone, clarity of message, and cadence all impact their perception of you. And it just might elicit some follow-up. We see good and bad messages left by financial advisors, so in Episode 74 of the Stephen and Kevin Show, we thought we’d offer some tips for proper voicemailing. We'll elaborate on the ...

What makes an advisory practice elite? We've just completed three years of research that sought to identify the traits of top performers. We organized our findings into a seven part model that serves as a blueprint for advisor development. In episode 73 of The Stephen and Kevin Show, we'll walk you through this model, its seven components, and many subcomponents. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The Indispensable Linke...

Let's face it, you have a stressful job. After all, you're handling your clients' financial livelihood and that's a lot of pressure. But if you're stressed out, clients, prospects and COIs can tell. No one wants a stressed out financial advisor! In episode 72 of the Stephen and Kevin Show, they discuss strategies to handle stress and increase productivity with an expert guest - Katy Goshtasbi. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (au...

The Oechsli Institute has worked with thousands of financial professionals over the past 30 years. Some advisors are great with implementing structure and systems within their practice and others... not so much. In Episode 71 of the Stephen and Kevin show, they discuss 5 essential components of an effective checklist. They also review the various types of checklists you should have within your business...onboarding, review meetings, market volatility, and more. About the Podcast Stephen Boswel...

“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” -Mark Twain Most financial advisors have gone through the tedious exercise of writing a robust business plan. The problem? Often times, it ends up being a one-off exercise. Advisors spend more time planning than executing. In episode 70 of the Stephen and Kevin Show, we discuss how financial advisors can build a simple one-page business plan. There is brilliance in simplicity. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author...

For financial advisors, the right questions are everything. They're essential in helping you understand your prospects' and clients' thought process. It's sounds easy, but it's truly a skill that takes both know-how and deliberate practice. In this episode, our special guest David Patchen, SVP of PCG Education & Practice Management for Raymond James, shares his invaluable insights into this art form. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nicho...

Do you feel stagnant with your sales process? Our research can help you understand how affluent prospects select an advisor. In this episode, Stephen and Kevin explain our latest affluent research and the pipeline management process. They answer questions like, “How many other advisors do the affluent consider before selecting an advisor,” “How many times the affluent meet an advisor before engaging them for their service,” and more. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices ...

95% of affluent prospects will research you online at some point in the decision-making process. Your website will play a huge role in their first impression, so why wouldn't you make sure it represents your brand? In this episode, Stephen and Kevin give 5 tips to spice up your website—from overall design, responsiveness, verbiage, interactivity, and much more. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The Indispensable LinkedIn...

Many sales professionals are wary of social prospecting—mostly out of fear of alienating their friends. However, you can bridge the gap between personal and business discussions by asking the right questions to build business rapport. In this episode, Stephen and Kevin discuss 3 categories of questions that can ultimately help you segue into requesting business. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The Indispensable LinkedI...

If you’ve held proposal meetings with more than one decision maker, then you understand that they have a completely different energy compared to 1-on-1 meetings. Not only do you have to cater to differing opinions, but these decision makers usually prefer time to talk privately amongst themselves. In this episode, Stephen and Kevin break down the unique components of proposal meetings with 2+ decision makers & and discuss 3 specific tips for successfully navigating them. Have a question? Ask on...

Sending business to other professionals can be an asset to your business, but you have to send something in order to get anything in return. In this episode, Stephen and Kevin discuss in-depth strategies for finding referrals and how to get the most credit for the referrals you send to other professionals. Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The Indis...

Every financial advisor should keep their pipeline current. However, in addition to staying on top of your pipeline, it's important to focus your strategy on the actual pipeline management process. In this episode, Stephen and Kevin define the 3 key categories of contacts to have in your pipeline, as well as the specific process to have in place for each of those contacts. Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best...

Every financial advisor has their unique strengths, weaknesses, & opportunities, but differences aside, there's at least one activity everyone should track. In this episode, Stephen and Kevin explain the 1 activity to track, why you should track it, examples of opportunities arising from this activity, and why most advisors won't do it. Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kev...

Most financial advisors know what it feels like be "ghosted," or ignored, by a prospect. If you're scratching your head as to why they've ghosted you or how to best follow up, then check out this episode. Stephen and Kevin discuss various strategies for bringing those opportunities back to life, plus they give each other some New Years Resolutions. Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advis...

Most people don't stick to New Year's Resolutions, not because they're lazy, but because 365 days is too long a timeframe for commitment. In this episode, Stephen and special guest, Matt Oechsli, discuss the best way financial advisors can set goals and establish good habits with cues, routines, and incentive. Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The I...

How many of your affluent clients will leave a lasting legacy to their adult children? Are you engaging those children for business? Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The Indispensable LinkedIn Sales Guide) host a lively discussion around issues pertinent to financial professionals. The Oechsli Institute is a thought leader for financial advisors, f...

If you prospect in social circles, then you understand the fear of coming across too salesy. It's not that you don't want to sell—you just want to do it the right way. In this episode, Stephen and Kevin discuss a plethora of ways financial advisors come across salesy. Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The Indispensable LinkedIn Sales Guide) host a l...

Do you ever wonder why some advisors get more referrals than others? It's all about word-of-mouth! In this episode, Stephen and Kevin walk you through our latest model on how to stimulate word-of-mouth influence and reap all the benefits that come with it. Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The Indispensable LinkedIn Sales Guide) host a lively discus...

Not everyone in your inner circle is necessarily routing for you. In this episode, Stephen and Kevin discuss how to identify those people and take action by surrounding yourself with people that do have your best interest in mind. Have a question? Ask on Twitter or Instagram using #AskStephenAndKevin. About the Podcast Stephen Boswell (author of Best Practices of Elite Advisors) and Kevin Nichols (author of The Indispensable LinkedIn Sales Guide) host a lively discussion around issues pertine...