Scottrade Survey: Advisory Firm Evolution Begins with Company Value Proposition

Scottrade Survey: Advisory Firm Evolution Begins with Company Value Proposition

While RIAs are adapting to new regulations, anxieties of client acquisition and other business concerns that could constrain their firm’s growth, many are looking to evolve their business by reassessing their value proposition. Brian Stimpfl, senior vice president and head of Scottrade Advisor Services, and his staff will be talking to attendees about this as well as technology and practice management in general while at the T3 Advisor Conference in Garden Grove, CA this week. Conference attendees can find information on the T3 Conference app.

CRITICAL DIRECTION

The 2016 Scottrade® Advisor Services RIA Study revealed 53 percent of advisors plan on developing or improving their value proposition in the next three to five years to stay competitive. This is followed closely by adding new products and services and moving more tasks online.

Firms with assets of $500 million or more are more likely to seek to improve their value proposition than smaller firms, the study reveals.

“With competition in the financial services industry increasing by the day, now more than ever independent advisors need to be able to clearly articulate the value they bring to their clients,” said Brian Stimpfl, senior vice president and head of Scottrade® Advisor Services.

Two-thirds (67 percent) of advisors currently have a formal, written value proposition for their practice, while another 22 percent of advisors say they work with an unwritten value proposition, the study shows. One in 10 (11 percent) reported they have no defined value proposition at all.

Nearly six in 10 (59 percent) advisors say their current value proposition focuses on the products and services they offer, according to the study. Twenty-four percent of advisors use customer service as their proposition focus while 15 percent of advisors leverage their business attributes and reputation for their value proposition.

According to ActiFi, an industry leader that focuses on accelerating advisor success, a well-crafted and authentic value proposition will help advisors in designing plans and programs that are focused and targeted at the right kinds of clients and prospects. Scottrade® Advisor Services has teamed with ActiFi to offer access to free webinars that help registered investment advisors with tools and skills they can use to grow their businesses.

“Before you craft any sort of business plan, strategic plan or marketing plan, it’s imperative that you understand who you are, what you and your company stand for, and where you’d like to go,” said Martha Blenkush, vice president of Client Delivery at ActiFi. “Strong mission and vision statements provide critical direction in any planning process. And knowing your individual and team values can help you work together more effectively as a team.”

Scottrade® Advisor Services has an extensive resource center available to assist advisors in locating many of the services they may need to grow their practices.

ABOUT SCOTTRADE® ADVISOR SERVICES

Scottrade® Advisor Services is dedicated to supporting the needs of the independent registered investment advisor through available strategic resources and personalized support through dedicated relationship teams. For more information, visit https://advisor.scottrade.com.

Scottrade® Advisor Services is a business unit of Scottrade, Inc. All products and services are offered by Scottrade, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC.

Scottrade and ActiFi are not affiliated.  Third-party websites contain information that may be of interest or use to the reader. Third-party websites, research and tools are from sources deemed reliable. Scottrade is not involved in development of content on third-party websites, does not guarantee accuracy or completeness of the information presented, and makes no assurances with respect to results to be obtained from their use.

ABOUT THE 2016 SCOTTRADE® ADVISOR SERVICES RIA STUDY

The 2016 Scottrade® Advisor Services RIA Study was conducted July 25 – August 9, 2016, in collaboration with Harris Poll, an independent third-party research firm not affiliated with Scottrade Financial Services, Inc., its business units or subsidiaries. The 303 Registered Investment Advisors were age 18 and older and were employed at firms managing at least $10 million in assets under management.

This online survey was not based on a probability sample, and therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, please contact mediarelations@scottrade.com.

The information and content provided is for informational and/or educational purposes only. The information presented or discussed is not, and should not be considered, a recommendation or an offer of, or solicitation of an offer by, Scottrade or its affiliates to buy, sell or hold any security or other financial product, or an endorsement or affirmation of any specific investment strategy.

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