How Advisors Can Pinpoint Their Blind Spots & Unlock Their Influence

In the past two weeks I went to three big events: an AI conference, a meditation retreat, and a longevity summit. I am taking a break from name badges and am knee-deep in follow-ups to send, but I’m feeling great! Tell me about your spring adventures too.

Alright, let’s dive in! 🏊

Last week, we kicked off this series with the big picture — How professional advisors can go from trying to be good at “networking” to becoming highly influential connectors who attract opportunities. 🧲

But before we get into the tactics, we’re honing in on a crucial step that most people skip: discovery.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure, and you won’t know how far you’ve come if you don’t have a starting line. That’s what makes discovery an essential part of our Activation for Advisors process.

🔍 Phase 0: Discovery & Advisor Insights

Before diving into strategies, the Activation for Advisors program begins with an assessment of where each advisor stands so we can map out exactly what needs to be amplified, refined, or completely reworked. Below, I offer a few of the dozens of questions that go into the discovery phase — questions YOU can get started asking your team today!

What We Uncover in Discovery

1️⃣ Technology & AI Utilization

AI is a catalyst — but not a replacement — for relationship building.

We check if, and how, Advisors are using AI and other technologies so that we can easily plug in. (We know people get nervous around change, so we make it seamless to build upon what they’re using. If they’re not using anything, we’ll recommend tools that best suit their business objectives, industry, technology skill level, etc).

Examples of what we assess:

👉 How are you currently using AI for relationship-building, if at all?

👉 If you’re using automation, where and how are you keeping the human touch?

👉 What your thoughts, concerns, or hesitance in using AI tools and why?

2️⃣ Personal Positioning & Thought Leadership

To create the momentum flywheel, in which people come to you (versus being stuck on the outbound messaging crusade), you need to be visible, relevant, credible, memorable, and providing a unique value.

Key questions we ask:

👉 What’s currently out there with your name on it?

👉 What is the perception of someone who doesn’t know you?

👉 How often are you being sought after versus initiating contact yourself?

👉 Have you built credibility and visibility in your industry already?

👉 What advice are people coming to you for? What advice do you want them to be coming to you for?

3️⃣ Network & Influence Gaps

Advisors are spending their time in various places, but how effective are those places for engaging with the people who’ll help you reach your goals?

Questions that help identify these gaps:

👉 Where do you currently spend your time — online and offline?

👉 Who do you often engage with? Are they the right people needed to reach your goals? Who are the most influential people you currently engage with?

👉 How did you build your strongest relationships? Where are you falling short?

👉 When people introduce you to other people, what’s the reason for the introduction?

4️⃣ Community-Building & Engagement

Bringing people together is a foundational principle of building momentum. Think of a network: if you want to get in touch with a lot of people quickly, being the head of the network allows you to do that!

Considerations when evaluating your community:

👉 How much are you maintaining your connections versus curating experiences for your connections?

👉 Who in your network would be open to introductions to other people? How often are you currently making introductions?

👉 How would you categorize your contacts now?

👉 What are the recurring needs or top interests of the people in your network?

5️⃣ Existing Differentiation Tactics

If you disappeared from your industry tomorrow, would people notice? The goal is to become a place people turn to proactively for information, opportunities, services, or otherwise.

What we assess:

👉 What makes you stand out from other advisors?

👉 What are the methods you use that are key to your success?

👉 What testimonials or feedback have you received?

Why Discovery Matters

Most advisors think they just need to “do more” to strengthen their network. Often, it’s more about doing things differently rather than piling on more tasks.

When we guide Advisors through the Discovery process, our objective is to identify the smallest changes that will have the biggest impact for them. Personally, this phase both excites me and challenges me because while there is SO much opportunity identified, each advisor is different — the hardest (and most rewarding) part is finding the right path for each of them.

Next Up: The First Steps to Activation

Now that we’ve gotten a taste of what I call “Phase 0” of our Activation for Advisors program, I’m ready to share the first moves we teach Advisors to immediately accelerate their momentum — in the next newsletter, that is!

Until then, take a moment to reflect:

What’s one area named above that you know could use improvement?

Hit reply and let me know so I can address these points in future editions.

Until next time,
Nicole

Did you love this newsletter? Please forward it to a friend, or have them subscribe here.