Category: Finances
EP 8 – Tech, Talent, and Experimenting with Mark Bruno

EP 8 – Tech, Talent, and Experimenting with Mark Bruno

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Are you ready to learn about some of the highest-performing financial advisory firms? Discover innovative organic growth strategies from industry leader Mark Bruno, exploring crucial topics from growth-oriented compensation to data-driven decision-making.

In this episode of Grow Organically, Dan Gilmartin hosts Mark Bruno, Managing Director and Head of Strategic Advisory for Emigrant Partners, to dive deep into the intertwined nature of organic growth and strategic compensation within financial advisory firms. Learn how closely integrated tech and talent can boost growth, the importance of an experimental mindset, and why advisor-level marketing strategies may trump traditional firm branding. You will gain insights into how aligning compensation plans with growth strategies can create a robust foundation for long-term success by tuning in. 

Dan discusses: 

  • How strategic compensation plans impact organic growth
  • How high-performing firms excel by experimenting with digital strategies, data utilization, and content precision
  • Understanding and leveraging your data can transform your growth strategy and improve client engagement
  • Advisor-level marketing can humanize and build trust more effectively than firm-level branding
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

Connect with Mark Bruno: 

About our Guest: 

Mark Bruno is Managing Director, Head of Strategic Advisory, for Emigrant Partners, where he is primarily responsible for helping its partner firms identify and execute on opportunities to accelerate their growth. Prior to joining Emigrant in October 2023, Mark spent more than 20 years working across the wealth and asset management industries with a particular focus on developing and delivering research, events and consulting platforms to growth-oriented RIAs. Mark most recently served as the Managing Director of the Wealth Management Group at Informa, where he oversaw the group’s media, research and events businesses and launched the unit’s RIA Edge podcast, research studies, and nationwide events.

Before Informa, Mark was a Managing Director at Echelon Partners, a leading investment bank and consulting firm to the wealth management community. Mark also spent more than ten years at InvestmentNews, where he oversaw the company’s digital businesses, RIA events and RIA benchmarking studies. He has been a fixture on the wealth management event circuit for the past decade, and is also the author of Save Now or Die Trying, one of the top-selling retirement planning books shortly after it was published in 2007.

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EP 7 – How Organic Growth Can Boost Your M&A Strategy

EP 7 – How Organic Growth Can Boost Your M&A Strategy

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Are you curious about why organic growth in the wealth management sector is often stagnant and how you can turn the tide? Dan Gilmartin chats with Gary Roth, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Modern Wealth Management, about the complexities of organic growth in today's competitive financial landscape. Gary shares valuable insights drawn from his extensive experience at firms like Goldman Sachs and United Capital.

Dan and Gary discuss:

  • Why do many financial advisory firms struggle with organic growth, resulting in a low average growth rate in the industry
  • Why is it crucial to understand the underlying condition of each firm and its capacity for growth
  • How organic growth impact a firm’s valuation, and why do firms with such growth often have a premium valuation
  • The role investments in technology, people, marketing, and PR play in driving organic growth
  • And more

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

Connect with Gary Roth:

About our Guest:

Gary Roth is a co-founder and co-CEO at Modern Wealth Management, which he helped to start with the goal of delivering high-quality and comprehensive financial advice to clients by building a next-generation national RIA. Prior to being a part of the founding team at Modern Wealth, Roth was a managing director at Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management. Between 2005 and 2019, he also served as Chief Business Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at United Capital, where he was part of the team that built, scaled, and sold United Capital—a $25 billion RIA with 90 locations—to Goldman Sachs for $750 million. Roth was also a co-founder at AssureNet, one of the cloud computing pioneers in financial services that created sales force automation solutions for financial consultants and insurance brokers.

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EP 6 – Building a Marketing Foundation Before Lead Gen with Crystal Mathis

EP 6 – Building a Marketing Foundation Before Lead Gen with Crystal Mathis

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Are you ready to uncover the strategic insights that can transform your wealth management practice?

Dan Gilmartin engages in an insightful dialogue with Crystal Mathis, the CMO and Partner at Signature FD, to delve into the intricacies of driving organic growth in highly regulated industries. With a rich background in marketing and communications, Crystal shares her journey and seamlessly intertwines practical advice with personal anecdotes, focusing on building solid marketing foundations and leveraging innovative tech stacks to streamline operations.

Dan and Crystal discuss: 

  • The importance of building a solid marketing foundation before diving into lead generation
  • Insights into constructing a synergistic team that complements marketing strategies
  • Strategies for leveraging CRM and marketing automation tools to enhance client relationships
  • Real-world examples of effective lead generation tactics and their outcomes
  • And more

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

Connect with Crystal Mathis:

About our Guest: 

Adept at devising inventive, authentic brand narratives, Crystal helps elevate and amplify SignatureFD’s story among current and prospective clients and partners. She has nearly ten years of experience in developing and executing needle-moving marketing campaigns and driving integrated communications strategies. She has earned top awards from both SABRE and PRSA for her work.

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EP 5 – Secrets to Scaling Your Wealth Management Practice with Jen Abboud Smith

EP 5 – Secrets to Scaling Your Wealth Management Practice with Jen Abboud Smith

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Which prospects should you call next to maximize your conversion rates? The answer lies in harnessing the power of AI and data.

Dan Gilmartin sits down with Jen Abboud Smith, SVP of Investor Marketing at Carson Wealth, to delve into the strategies and insights that drive sustained growth in wealth management firms. Jen shares her extensive background from Amazon to Vanguard, and now Carson Wealth, exploring organizational challenges, the importance of clear communication between marketing and sales, and leveraging technology for efficient client acquisition.

Jen discusses: 

  • Navigating organizational challenges and enhancing leadership focus on organic growth
  • The dynamic relationship between marketing and sales for seamless collaboration
  • Implementing effective technology and tools for better upstream and downstream results
  • Strategies for long-term planning and adaptive execution in marketing
  • And more

Connect with Jen Abboud Smith:

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

About our Guest: 

Jen Abboud Smith is an inspirational ecommerce and marketing leader who is results-oriented and customer-focused. She has a proven ability to manage effectively during periods of dynamic change, with over 15 years of managerial experience in building, leading, and developing high-performing teams.

Jen believes the main role of a leader is to provide strategic vision, clarity of accountability, and the necessary resources to enable team members to perform at their best. She tends toward a coach/mentor style of leadership and values data-driven decisions, even if this means questioning her own assumptions.

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EP 4- The Power of Niche Marketing with Kristen Luke

EP 4- The Power of Niche Marketing with Kristen Luke

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Did you know that financial advisors who narrowly focus on a specific niche enjoy an average income of $660,000, compared to $395,000 for their non-niche counterparts?

Daniel Gilmartin welcomes Kristen Luke, founder of Kaleido and author of Uncomparable, discuss how financial advisors can stand out by specializing in niche markets. Kristen shares her journey in wealth management, strategies on defining and reaching niche audiences, and invaluable insights on boosting efficiency and engagement.

Kristen discusses the importance of niche marketing for financial advisors, strategies for distinguishing your practice from competitors and real-life examples of successful niche markets.

Kristen discusses: 

  • Importance of niche marketing for financial advisors
  • Strategies for distinguishing your practice from competitors
  • Real-life examples of successful niche markets
  • Practical tips for implementing niche marketing in your advisory firm
  • And more

About our Guest: 

The author of Uncomparable: The Financial Advisor’s Guide to Standing Out Through Niche Marketing, Kristen Luke has built a career on empowering financial advisory firms to become “uncomparable” as unique leaders in their space. Kristen works with financial advisors to create marketing systems that attract their ideal clients. Since founding the original iteration of the business in 2008, she has guided hundreds of financial advisors to create and implement strategies that help them stand out and close more clients.

Connect with Kristen Luke:

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

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EP 3 – The Evolution of Marketing in Wealth Management with Angela Giombetti

EP 3 – The Evolution of Marketing in Wealth Management with Angela Giombetti

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Have you ever wondered how successful advisors rally their team around organic growth? How have growth strategies evolved through the years?

Daniel Gilmartin chats with Angela Giombetti, Chief Marketing Officer at Wealthspire Advisors, about the evolving world of marketing within wealth management. Listeners will gain insights into how Angela and her team drive organic growth using innovative strategies, tools, and a data-driven approach to client engagement.

Dan and Angela discuss:

  • The transformation of marketing in wealth management over the past 20 years
  • How Wealthspire Advisors rallies around a growth mindset for organic development
  • The importance of data and technology in personalizing client experiences
  • Strategies for integrating newly acquired firms into Wealthspire’s growth-oriented
    approach

Connect with Angela Giombetti:

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

About our Guest: 

Angela has dedicated her 20+ year career to the financial services industry, having served in communications, change management, public relations, and marketing roles in banking, fintech, and RIA firms across the country. She is an accomplished ghost writer of multiple nationally published books and a frequent speaker at industry conferences. She is also the founder of The In Crowd, an inclusive network for financial marketers and the host of The In Crowd podcast.

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EP 2 – 5 Levers of Growth with Tim Welsh

EP 2 – 5 Levers of Growth with Tim Welsh

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This episode audio originally was recorded as a webinar which can be accessed at Catchlight.ai.

Are you ready to unlock the secrets to sustainable growth in the wealth management sector? In this podcast episode, Dan Gilmartin, the Head of Marketing for Catchlight, and Tim Welsh from Nexus Strategy, delve into the five levers of growth for wealth management firms, exploring how innovative strategies and data-driven insights can lead to significant improvements in client acquisition and retention.

Dan and Tim discuss:

  • The current state and future opportunities within the wealth management industry
  • The importance of organic growth and its impact on firm valuations
  • Effective marketing and prospecting strategies to improve lead generation
  • Tactics to maximize wallet share and drive client referrals

Connect With Tim Welsh:

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

About our Guest: 

Timothy D. Welsh, CFP® is President, CEO and founder of Nexus Strategy, LLC, a leading consulting firm to the wealth management industry. Nexus Strategy’s primary focus is working with leading organizations to best market their products, services and technology to the independent advisor community.

Tim is frequently quoted in the wealth management media on a wide range of business management and industry topics. He is the author of a number of industry white papers, a regular columnist for RIABiz, ThinkAdvisor, and wealthmanagement.com, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events.

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EP 1 – Intro to Grow Organically

EP 1 – Intro to Grow Organically

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Many believe that the primary challenge for financial advisors is simply managing investments. However, in today’s rapidly changing market landscape, the real test lies in mastering organic growth strategies to ensure long-term success and relevance.

Join Dan Gilmartin and his Catchlight co-founder Yelena Melamed in this inaugural episode of Grow Organically, focused on the topic of organic growth within the wealth management industry. They explore crucial industry trends, the impact of these trends on firms’ growth strategies, and the opportunities arising from the great wealth transfer.

Dan and Yelena discuss:

  • Industry Trends and Market Landscape: Dan and Yelena discuss current trends impacting firms, including consolidation, the rise of private equity money, and the increasing cost of acquiring new clients
  • Challenges and Opportunities for Firms: The importance for firms to design organic growth strategies tailored to future targets and partnerships, acknowledging the urgency in translating strategy into practice to stay competitive.
  • Investing in Organic Growth: Dan and Yelena emphasize the necessity for firms to invest in resources, technology, and processes focused on organic growth, emphasizing the need for strategic planning amid the wealth transfer expected in the next decade.

Connect with Yelena Melamed:

Connect with Dan Gilmartin: 

About our Guest: 

Yelena Melamed is a versatile and results-centric leader with expertise in product management, strategy development, and cultivating highly productive teams. She possesses broad knowledge of organization and consumer-facing platforms, as well as emerging technology. Yelena has demonstrated success in simplifying complex issues, change management, and prioritizing total cost of ownership and delivery.

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Grow Organically Trailer

Grow Organically Trailer

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Welcome to Grow Organically, the podcast presented by Catchlight(SM) where we host candid discussions with wealth management and financial pros. Each episode, we break down factors that affect growth at wealth management firms and how organizations can continue to be forward-thinkers in today’s competitive landscape. Join us as we chat with industry leaders and uncover actionable insights and success stories to help you achieve your growth goals.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Catchlight does not endorse any investment adviser or provide advice or recommendations to any prospective or existing client of an investment adviser as to the selection or retention of that investment adviser. To learn more, visit: catchlight.ai.com Catchlight Insights LLC. © 2024 Catchlight Insights LLC. All rights reserved.

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