There isn’t an advisor (or business owner, or consultant or anyone) I’ve worked with (and I’ve had the privilege of working with the best), who hasn’t given me a LIST of values like this:
- Excellence
- Service
- Empathy
- Commitment
- Integrity
- Authenticity
…and told me that that’s who they are.
And I have to break it to them that they are not that list. And neither are you.
You are not a value salad.
Why? Because there isn’t a human, let alone an advisor, who wouldn’t say “Yeah that! We’re for all those things.”
Being a good human and having a solid moral compass is not why you’re worth working with, worth knowing.
The challenge isn’t collecting values; it’s picking one to lean into and to lead with. Want a for-instance? Sure:
…Joe Montgomery at Optimal Service Group of Wells Fargo (the quarterback of all quarterbacks!). His leading value? Patience. He doesn’t want people calling him to ask if they’re rich yet.
>>So this is what we came up with for Joe and his team.They LOVE it.
… Sarah Springer, Grant Shearer, and Maggie Price at the Planning Group of the NW in Alaska told me that what matters most to them is time, not money.
>>Boom! This nailed their values. They love it (and so does everyone else).
…Kevin Myeroff and his team at NCA Financial told me they manage life-altering money. Hmm. Life altering. That’s powerful. What else can be life altering? The decision to call them. To make the leap.
>>Their new site captures this value with style and humor. It’s very much them.
Your brand isn’t a bunch of assets. It’s how much YOU and your team’s personality come through.