Setting a Game Plan for Your Firm Today Will Prevent a Future with an Iceberg

Last week, Black Panther officially surpassed the North American box office earnings of James Cameron’s Titanic . Although I’ve gone twice to see Black Panther, that statistic made me think more about the story of the Titanic. We all know it – a brazen captain, focused on making history, on being the best and fastest, forgetting that he and his vessel weren’t invincible, scraping an iceberg and killing 1,503 people, including himself.

It’s an almost unbelievable story because the foreshadowing is so obvious. The White Star Line was advertising the Titanic and her sister ship the Olympic as “unsinkable.” On the day the Titanic left port, a news article stated “the appointments of the ship make one realise how remote the sea and its associations are from the up-to-date Atlantic passenger.” The twentieth century had just dawned and many people believed that science and technology were going to find ways to solve every problem. The level of skepticism we all carry today had yet to creep into the psyches of Western minds.

In spite of our current skepticism, we too are given to overconfidence. Are we expecting our old ways of doing things or science and technology to keep us afloat beyond reason? New tech ideas are creating efficiencies and opening doors for new opportunities, but we have yet to uproot the reality of humanity – the imperfection of life. Seeing your business and your life clearly means thinking through possibilities you may not have considered.

Related: 4 Keys to Authenticity in Marketing for Advisors

Most frequently in my world, I see advisors on two ends of the marketing spectrum:

Those who believe chicken dinners are the only way to pull in new prospects, and

Those who think their online leads will convert to full clients with little or no human contact.

Both extremes are dangerous. The addition of digital advertising and the sheer hours your potential clients spend online should absolutely factor into your marketing. At the same time, data science and technology will only take you so far. Nurturing your leads through digital channels to help warm them to your philosophy and personality is vital, but the most trust is almost always given during live interactions – via phone call, video conference or sitting down together.

To which of these extremes does your confidence lean? How are you doing finding new prospects? Are you nurturing your leads? Have you staffed to reach out to those who are ready to talk? I’d love to hear about how you’re preparing now to steer clear of the icebergs .

Have a great week!