In this transformative webinar, Paul and Gabe McManus reveal why your most powerful marketing assets—your client transformation stories—are trapped in your head, and exactly how to turn them into a book that builds your practice.
What You'll Discover:
- The "You have my faith" story that made Gabe triple his life insurance immediately
- Why Steven's Target bag story about throw pillows made Paul hire him as his financial advisor
- How Bernd went from "I'm just a numbers guy" to writing a book about Antarctica and retirement planning
- Morgan's journey from "I'm not a storyteller" to booking the largest podcast in her industry
- The 2-minute phone technique that captures million-dollar stories after every client meeting
Key Takeaways:
- Why saying "I have lots of stories" means you have zero usable stories
- The "Greatest Hits" framework for developing repeatable, powerful stories
- How to go from blank page to published author in 6-12 weeks (without writing)
Paul and Gabe McManus have helped 500 financial advisors generate $100 million in fees and commissions through strategic storytelling and book authorship. Paul's own book landed him on Michael Kitces' Financial Advisor Success podcast, doubling his business in one year.
Perfect for: Financial advisors who know they should write a book but don't know where to start, aren't "writers," or think their stories aren't interesting enough.
Contact: Gabe McManus gabe@moreclientsmorefun.com to learn more about our author programs.
Claim your free audiobook copy at: www.theshortbookformula.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:06):
Hey everyone.
Great to have you here with ustoday.
My name is Paul G.
McManus, and I'm the CEO and thefounder of the short book
Formula Publishing.
I'm also the best-selling authorof a couple books.
One, the short book Formula, andanother one, Book Marketing for
Financial Advisors.
And today I'm joined by mybrother, Gabe McManus.
(00:29):
And Gabe is our director ofelite advisor programs and
author of the upcoming book,Sharpen Your Message.
Now, in the past 10 years, weworked with 500 financial
advisors, and we've helped themorganically grow their
businesses by an estimated$100million in fees and commissions.
(00:51):
And today, we're gonna show youin today's webinar, we're gonna
show you how to find stories sopowerful that your clients can't
help but share them.
So, Gabe, can you share a storythat shows the real impact that
financial advisors are having ontheir clients' lives?
SPEAKER_00 (01:14):
Yeah.
Hey everybody, uh I get to workwith financial advisors all the
time as a book coach and to helpthem tell their stories for the
books that they're writing.
And I was thinking about this.
I really know that they're on tosomething and that they have a
powerful story when after thecall that we're on, I find
myself sharing that story withother people.
So I'll call Paul and I'll tellit to him.
(01:35):
And I've shared some of thesestories with friends on the golf
course, and then I'll even hearthem starting to repeat those
stories.
And so that's when I know thatthey're really on to something
with the stories that they'retelling.
And so, okay, I've got one thatI want to share with you now.
And I was at lunch with afinancial advisor, he lives near
me, his name's Dan, and he wastelling me the story about a
(01:56):
client that he had just gotten.
And the man came in, they weretaking a look at his overall
financial picture, and that oneof the things that Dan noticed
was that he needed to have lifeinsurance.
He didn't have any coverage.
And this client, he's a youngguy, he's successful, he's got a
great job, he's got a beautifulyoung family, he's in great
(02:16):
shape.
He was a biker and he had itall.
And so he felt thatinvincibility of youth.
And but my financial advisorfriend he kept insisting and
being persistent that this wassomething that he needed to take
care of.
And he said, Okay, I'm gonnatake care of it at some point,
but a few meetings happened andhe still hadn't done it.
And so that persistence, though,he kept making sure that he knew
(02:38):
that this was necessary to takecare of just any eventuality for
the family.
And eventually the guy said,Okay, I'm gonna take care of it.
And he went and he got theinsurance coverage.
And then he told me that fastforward six months later, he
gets a call from a number thathe doesn't recognize, and he
answers it.
It's the wife of the man, andshe gives him the horrible news
(02:59):
that her husband hadunexpectedly passed on.
And then she said something thatmy friend said that he'd never
forget.
She said, You have my faith.
And he took that to mean thatbecause of that persistence that
he had shown, that he hadliterally saved the family at
that point, because that nowthat the kids they could still
(03:21):
go to school, to privateschools, and that they could
still pay for their home, andthat they could adequately
grieve for their husband andtheir father, and money wasn't
going to be the issue uh forthat family.
SPEAKER_01 (03:32):
Yeah.
And what a difference, right?
I mean, it it's uh, you know, atthis lunch, you know, imagine
hearing that story and beingmoved to action, which I'll ask
about you in a second, versus,you know, the finer points of
life insurance and whole lifeversus IUL and the importance of
coverage and just that moretechnical, um, you know, I think
that's a head-centered analysisof why life insurance is
(03:55):
important.
So it begs the question, Gabe,um, as a result of hearing the
story, um, what impact did ithave on you?
What did you do as a result?
SPEAKER_00 (04:04):
Right.
Well, I I have three teenagedaughters, and so I mean, I
literally left lunch, wentstraight home, checked the
coverage that I had, and addedmore because after hearing that,
it really motivated me toaction.
It moved me to make sure that myfamily was taken care of, you
know, if anything ever didhappen to me.
SPEAKER_01 (04:22):
Yeah.
And it, and you know, and thatshows that, Gabe, that you
really love your kids, right?
And specifically, how much atwhat amount do you love your
kids?
SPEAKER_00 (04:33):
Well, I just wanted to make sure that you know that
they could go to college sincethey're all thinking about that
right now.
SPEAKER_01 (04:39):
Okay, good, good.
Glad to hear it.
So, Gabe, at this point, you'veworked with many financial
advisors on their books.
And so, when it comes tostorytelling skills, especially
as it you know pertains towriting a book, what are your
observations?
And more specifically, is thatwhen you work with these
(05:00):
advisors and you talk about,okay, what you know, what's a
story that helps to illustratethis chapter's point, do you
find that that comes verynaturally to people, or do you
find it's a little bit more youhave to coax these stories out
of people?
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
Well, okay, my first observation is that, you know,
because of the work thatfinancial advisors do, that that
you're you're living in a worldof stories every day because
you're around these powerfultransformations.
And that when financial advisorscome to me to help them write
their book, I think what happenssometimes is that is that as
we're working on telling thestory, there's a little bit of
(05:34):
carefulness that creeps in.
And so instead of jumping rightto the perfect story, like the
one about the insurance thatgets to the heart of the matter
and that motivates someone toaction, sometimes there's too
much on the technical side ofthings.
And there's this desire to makesure that everything's that
they're comprehensive abouteverything and that everything's
just right.
And so that becomes my job asthe book coach.
(05:56):
I say, okay, yeah, we'redefinitely going to cover that.
But what are the stories?
What are the things that arereally going to reach people on
a deeper level and that aregoing to motivate them to
action?
And so that's that's what wework towards.
And sometimes what I hearadvisors saying is I ask for a
story on a particular subjectand they say, Oh, yeah, I've got
lots of stories on that.
(06:16):
But then it gets hard to pullthe specifics out.
And that's where I come in tohelp because I say, okay, we're
going to find the story thatreally makes the difference,
just like it did with myfinancial advisor friend.
SPEAKER_01 (06:27):
Yeah.
And I and I find it interestingbecause, you know, I think
advisors are generally prettygood at storytelling.
I mean, you know, especially ifthey're successful, this is part
of how they got to where theyare, just the people skills.
Um, but when it comes to writinga book, now suddenly it's like
imposter syndrome, and I need tosound smart.
And, you know, is it okay if Itell the story or not?
Um, and you know, just yourpoint, right?
(06:48):
It's like one of the most commonthings we see is that I have so
many stories, and yet you haveand yet many people, when you
ask them for a specific story,it's like, can't think of one,
right?
I don't know the perfect story.
Um, and so give us an example.
Tell us a story um about someonethat maybe um that you've that
you've worked with that helps tohighlight this point.
SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
Okay, so this one is on the flip side of that of
having too many stories, becauseI was working with another
advisor, and his name is Burned,and he's an advisor in Irvine,
California, and I'm the bookcoach.
And uh so when I first met withhim, his comment to me was he
says, I don't know if I have anystories.
He said, I'm more of a numbersguy.
(07:30):
And he says, I don't know, I'mgonna have to really rely on you
to do this.
And so I said, Okay, let's diveinto it.
And what I found working withByrnd is that he actually had
these fantastic stories.
I mean, his kids, they're EagleScouts, and he's one of the
troop leaders, and they're doingthese incredible trips.
They they went to Antarctica onone, and they would do these
huge backpacking trips throughthe Sierra Nevada Mountains in
(07:53):
California.
And then as he's telling methese stories, then he starts
making these connecting pointsabout these stories that are
from his life, and then abouthow he's helping his clients
envision their ideal retirementand how he's helping them get to
the heart of what their valuesare and the things that are most
important in their life and alsothe experiences they want to
have.
And so it's through that processof writing the book, we found
(08:17):
out that it turned out beyondwhat he would have ever even
imagined, because the book, itstill had all of those technical
elements that he wanted in it,but now it was tied to these
stories that were unforgettable.
And the book's coming out soon.
He's gonna be so proud to sharethat book with his clients.
SPEAKER_01 (08:33):
Yeah, and and I actually had a chance to speak
to Bird recently, and he wastelling me it's like, yeah, you
know, I almost didn't share thestory about Antarctica.
I didn't know if it wasappropriate for a book on
financial advice.
I'm like, you went toAntarctica.
SPEAKER_00 (08:46):
Right, right.
I'm gonna save more forretirement now because I want to
go to Antarctica.
And so it you know, it motivatesto action.
SPEAKER_01 (08:52):
Yeah, I mean, you know, just imagine you couldn't
have a better tie-in or just astory.
Um, you know, I mean, so many,you know, uh advisors,
especially when it's you knowdoing retirement planning,
income planning, it's like, youknow, what comes up commonly is
not just what you're retiringfrom, but what are you retiring
to?
It's like, I want to go toAntarctica.
And so I'm so glad that hedecided to uh include that story
(09:14):
um as one of many in the book.
And you know, it it's funny,right?
Because, you know, oftentimesbecause to us, we you know, we
do these things day in, day out.
You know, you work with clients,you see these transformations,
you see these stories, and atsome point we just feel like ah,
you know, it's part of the job,and you you kind of forget to,
you know, you forget the magicof what you're actually helping
(09:36):
create.
You're helping create certaintyin people's future, you're
helping give them the ability toretire um, you know, to their
dream retirement, etc.
Um, so you know, that it ittakes, it takes, I would say, a
book coach to be able to be thatsounding board so that you can
test out your ideas, you know,and I would say expand those
(09:57):
ideas so that you don't run intowhat's commonly known as
imposter syndrome, right?
Where we all we all suffer fromit to some degree, but it's
where you think, ah, you know,is that worth it?
Is that worth it?
But uh yeah, so definitely gladthat Byrnd included that story.
And now that is, I think it's onmy bucket list.
I don't know.
So, Gabe, the next question Ihave for you is that so when it
(10:20):
comes to storytelling, right?
Because you know, it's like wetalked about why it's important
to include Antarctica, but wealso need to include the
analysis of why maybe an uh youknow uh a backdoor mega rock
might make sense, right?
So, where do you draw that linebetween technical and
entertainment or stories?
SPEAKER_00 (10:40):
Right.
Well, I mean, you better beentertaining because the one
thing you don't want to be foryour book is boring.
That that's the cardinal sin.
Because I mean, think about it,the books that you would want to
pick up and read and get pastpage one or two.
And so that's you know, workingfinancial advisors, helping them
to tell their stories.
I've had friends asked, they'vesaid, you know, like you work
(11:02):
with a lot of advisors doingthis.
Aren't all the stories kind ofthe same?
Are you hearing the same thingsall the time?
And I thought about that.
I said, not at all.
It's always unique, it's alwaysthis fresh take because we're
not just diving into thosetechnical elements that we're
not just talking about thedifferences and retirement
planning, but it goes far beyondthat.
And it's really about thefinancial advisor story, either
(11:25):
about them personally, whichsometimes we include that in the
material, just like with Burned,or it's the client experiences
and the transformations thatthey've helped clients achieve
and the victories that they'vehad and the challenges that
they've overcome.
And so all of that's unique, andthat we're able to tell that in
these powerful ways that makesit their unique story.
And that's the great thing thatthis showcases what you do in
(11:48):
amazing ways, these wonderfulthings that you're doing in your
practices.
And then when you share thatbook with your ideal clients,
the clients they're gonna readthat book first, and then the
book, it becomes it's a trustbuilder.
It builds trust in you and inyour process, and it does it in
a way that nothing else can.
SPEAKER_01 (12:06):
Yeah.
You know, in in my experience,I've run into two general
categories of advisors.
The one is like naturalstoryteller, you know, like Dan,
who you mentioned in that lunchsetting, one-on-one, you know,
they're naturally telling thesestories that are impactful.
And again, you know, becomingsuccessful.
I mean, that's a skill set thatmany advisors have and they've
(12:26):
developed over time.
And then on the other hand, Ithink there's more of the person
who sees themselves maybe alittle more introverted, maybe
more as the numbers person.
And maybe they can tell a storyhere or there, but they don't
necessarily um see themselves asyou know, as that storyteller,
so to speak.
SPEAKER_00 (12:42):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (12:44):
So I want to revisit something that we've talked
about, which is beingintentional, right?
And so for the person who haslots of stories and is telling
stories all the time, the onlychallenge I see that is that
maybe they're not as memorableand they're not necessarily
repeatable.
And so when we comes to writingyour book and really creating
(13:06):
powerful stories that help toillustrate specific points and
chapters in the book, but beyondthat, you know, that get that
you repeat over and over againbecause these are your keystone
stories.
Um, what is it that you'reseeing, Gabe?
I mean, in terms of, you know, II think the problem that we see
is that an advisor, you know,you say, okay, what's a story
(13:28):
that helps to illustrate thispoint?
And what we commonly see is, oh,I have lots of stories.
SPEAKER_00 (13:33):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
What's like, well, well, what's one?
It's like I got so many, I gotso many stories, I can't tell
you the one story that's gonnaactually do this.
So why is that a problem and howdo you overcome this?
SPEAKER_00 (13:44):
Well, Paul, I like you had told it to me this way,
and I really liked it.
And you said that when you go tosee your favorite band in a
concert, you are there to hearthe hits.
I mean, you're not looking forjust everything on the album.
That's good, but you get excitedwhen they play the greatest
hits, and that's wheneverybody's up on their feet and
they're singing along.
And it's so important thatthrough this process that, you
(14:05):
know, instead of saying just,well, I have lots of stories,
then we want to get instead toyour greatest hits.
And these are the stories thatthey're illustrating the points
that you can tell over and overagain.
They become your go-to's.
And it's not that your go-tosdon't evolve or change.
I mean, you can sub them in andout, but you want to start off
with what is the most powerfulstory that I can tell?
(14:27):
And then when it goes into thebook, then you find yourself
using it for when you'respeaking to your team and to
your clients.
And then for the clients, thosebecome your standards.
And you know, the funny thing isthat standards, the greatest
hits that you're telling, theydon't get old because when you
have powerful stories like theone about insurance, I mean, he
could tell that to me again andagain.
(14:48):
And every time it's resonatingdeeply with me, and it has that
amazing impact where I want togo out and I want to share it
with other people.
SPEAKER_01 (14:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's it's a power beingintentional um about stories,
it's a very powerful skillhabit, um, especially when it
comes to a book, because youknow, a book is it's permanent,
right?
You know, it's something thatyou want to be very intentional
about, you want to choosecarefully the stories, you want
to make sure they're powerfulstories because you know, they
(15:18):
not only go in the book, butthen if you end up doing any
speaking beyond the book andtalking about the book, you
know, you want to have thestories that you that light you
up and that you know make animpact and that you know people
have their heads nodding alongwith you.
Because, you know, I mean to methat's the thing, is like that's
the test when you like tell astory um you know to different
people over time and younaturally can see them nodding
(15:40):
along and agreeing and you havethat expectation, that's when
you know that you've really hita really you've touched upon a
good story, which brings me toone of our uh clients.
His name is Steven.
Um, and you know, you you workwith him and I'll let you tell
the story, but you know, he hadhis greatest hits, um, and he
had some really powerfulstories, and so much so that I
(16:02):
actually hired him to be my ownfinancial advisor.
I mean, that's that's the powerof a story, is that when it
really connects with someone,you know, it moves them to
action.
So um, from your perspective,Gabe, tell us a little bit about
Steven.
SPEAKER_00 (16:13):
Yeah, well, when I was working with Steven, Steven,
he had started his careerbriefly before becoming a
financial advisor.
He was a teacher, and so he'sgot this natural teacher's
heart.
And in our conversations, Imean, I'm just asking him tons
of questions and he's giving meall these wonderful stories with
his answers, and I just keepasking for more.
And I'm like diving deeply tofigure out all the things that
(16:34):
he's talking about.
And then he tells me this onestory that just stops me in my
tracks because he said that whenhe was a young financial advisor
and he was still in the processof developing his thoughts and
his systems, that his wife wouldcome home frequently and she'd
have a bunch of target bags inher hand.
And I think it was Paul, was itthrow pillows in the target
(16:56):
bags?
SPEAKER_01 (16:57):
Yeah, I I just for the record, I love throw
pillows.
Um, and when my wife, you know,gets more throw pillows for a
bed, you know, 10 is not enough.
I am always very excited aboutthat.
SPEAKER_00 (17:07):
Right.
And Steven, he says that whenhis wife came in through the
door, that immediately he becamejudge, jury, and executioner.
And he had two questions in hismind.
And I'm thinking when he'stelling me this, oh, I know
exactly what those questionsare.
And the first one is, how muchmoney did you spend?
And the second one is, did weneed that?
(17:29):
And when he's telling me this,I'm all in because I was seeing
myself in that so much from myformer relationship and
marriage.
And I'm thinking that I probablydid the same thing.
But he said that he realizedthat this was causing this
strain in their relationship andthat it got his thoughts to work
about a system that couldaddress it because he wanted to
get rid of that friction.
And what he came up with wasthis way to create a weekly
(17:52):
spending account that both heand his wife would share and
it's going to meet their weeklyneeds plus some.
And so he called it it'sguilt-free spending.
And so he didn't have toquestion anymore.
He didn't have to say anythingwhen she came in with bags from
a store because they were bothon the same page.
And if it was guilt-freespending, there was no issue.
And so he didn't have to worryabout it.
(18:12):
And this brought this harmony tothe situation.
And when I heard that story, Ithought, Stephen, where were you
15 years ago?
Because in my former marriage,money was an issue.
And I know that's true for a lotof people.
And I just thought that thosethoughts in that system would
have been so helpful then.
And so this is how these storiesit gets people talking when it's
(18:35):
a powerful story like that.
Because I think I called Paulright afterwards to tell him the
target bag story.
And then it creates theseconversations that you know,
Steven wasn't even a part of,even more, because uh I love to
play golf on the weekends.
I'm out with my my buddies andwe're playing golf, and from
time to time, as we're talking,they'll bring some differences
up that they're having, maybewith their spouses about money.
(18:56):
And you know, it comes up fromtime to time, and then I'll say,
Oh, you know, I I have thisstory that I want to tell you
from this financial advisor andsomething he shared with me.
And as I tell that story, theystart thinking that makes a lot
of sense, and their heads arenodding along, and then that's a
natural opening to say, youknow, like, well, I'll give you
his book and so you can readmore about what he has to say on
(19:19):
this.
And so it creates thoseconversations that you're no
longer a part of when you tell apowerful story that has impact
like that.
SPEAKER_01 (19:27):
Yeah, you know, and I just wanted to score that,
right?
I mean, you know, the the thing,you know, so so Steven, you
know, someone that we reallylike, you know, easily refer
him.
And at the same time, we don'twant to, you know, the reason
you're the reason clientstypically don't are not more
proactive about referrals is notthat they don't appreciate the
work that you do that they do,but it's just it makes everyone
(19:48):
uncomfortable, right?
It's like, hey, you should gotalk to my advisor.
It's like, oh, you know, I don'twant to be sold to.
But you know, when you havethose powerful stories that are
repeatable, people are sharing,backed by a book, it just
creates this natural bridge togo from story to book to now
really, I would call it flippingthis grip.
So it's now it's not like tryingto push someone to see an
(20:09):
advisor, but now it's like, arethey taking new clients?
I I hope that they're available.
Can I have a screen number?
Right.
So it's it's a very powerfulattraction-based method.
SPEAKER_00 (20:20):
Yeah, and you know, it really has to start with the
heart.
That that's the connecting pointfor most people that you know,
once you tell a story thatreaches a person's heart, then
you can get to their head.
But first, we have to end thatstory.
We have to see ourselves in it,and then you can go to the
system that's going to solve theproblem.
SPEAKER_01 (20:36):
Yeah.
No, and and just just for thisone alone.
I mean, he calls it the Stephen,he calls it the G4 cash flow
model, which if I just saidthat, I'd be like, you know, I
don't care, right?
But I hear that story now.
It's like, okay, well, how do Ido this, right?
How do I how do I create thisharmony?
Um, and again, he's become my mymy own advisor.
And so my my wife and I haveimplemented this and and
literally like zero moneystress.
(20:58):
I mean, it's like for somethingthat couples, you know,
oftentimes, you know, fight andhave stress about, we have a
zero.
I mean, and it's the system isso eloquently built, but I only
got to that level of wanting toknow about it and then hiring
him to help me implement itbecause the story got me there
naturally.
SPEAKER_00 (21:15):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (21:16):
Um, so another thing that you know, we're talking
about stories and being veryintentional, right?
About cultivating them,developing them, and then I
would say strategically usingthem um in a book, in speaking
opportunities, etc.
And I think as you someone goesalong this process and they
(21:37):
really take the time to refineand develop the stories and
share them, that somethinginteresting happens where a
person can have an identityshift, right?
So they go from, you know, youknow, seeing themselves
differently, um, to and it itit's remarkable.
And so I'll let you tell thestory.
Um, but who's someone that weworked with that really stands
(21:58):
out to you as someone who'sexperienced that identity shift
from where they started andwriting their book to where
they're at today?
SPEAKER_00 (22:05):
Yeah.
I want to tell you, okay, aboutanother financial advisor that
I've worked with, and her nameis Morgan.
And by the time I met withMorgan, she'd already written
her book with a co-author, butshe was preparing to go on
Paul's podcast and to talk aboutthe ideas that were in her book.
And so I was her coach to helpher get ready for the podcast.
And the first thing she says tome is she says, I'm not a
(22:26):
storyteller.
Uh, speaking isn't my thing,that I'm a numbers person.
I like to nerd out on thenumbers.
And I said, Okay, well, let'sjust get started and we'll see.
And so as we worked on it, Ifound that she really did have
these great stories and we startto shape them.
And because what we're doing iswe're sharpening that message
and getting it ready for thepodcast.
And so she goes on Paul'spodcast and she enjoyed it.
(22:48):
And then she started wanting todo more.
And so quickly she startsbooking other podcasts and she's
going out.
And now that she's feeling thatconfidence and that ability to
share these stories and that shecould deliver them for impact
and she can get heads noddingalong.
And so the book was the startingpoint, but then now she's on
podcast sharing it.
And so then she texted me oneday, and she'd been going on a
(23:10):
few, and this is all within afew months, and she says, you
know, I think I could be apublic speaker in five to 10
years.
And I said, I think you'realready doing it.
And then right after that, shesaid uh in a text message, she
said that she wanted to go onthree in one day.
And she said, Is that okay?
And I said, Absolutely, if youfeel up for it.
And right after that, that ledto booking the largest podcasts
(23:33):
in her space.
And all this happened veryquickly because of exactly what
you said, Paul, that identitytransformation that happens.
And it started with writing thebook, because the book it
rebrands you as an expert inwhat you do and as someone who
can tell these transformativestories, and then they're
refined and they're polished,and they best support your ideas
because of getting them down inthe book.
SPEAKER_01 (23:56):
So, Gabe, at this point, um, for someone who's
listening and they're thinking,okay, you know, um, I think I'm
ready to potentially write abook.
Yeah, what's a practicaltechnique that they can take
away from today's um webinar?
What's something that they canimmediately put into action so
(24:17):
that they can become moreintentional, more strategic
about developing those storiesthat will eventually go into
their book?
SPEAKER_00 (24:27):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Okay, I've got something that'sgoing to change your life right
now forever, okay?
Are you ready?
And this is going because you'regoing to never think about
things the same way again.
And so I want you to pull outyour phone and open up either
the notes app or maybe a voicememo, or you could just use your
video and you could videoyourself doing this.
(24:49):
But the next time you're in aclient meeting and they come to
you and they have a problem, apain point that they're facing
in some situation, I want you tothink, oh, story.
I'm going to think of this asfar as story.
And then after the meeting, touse that notes app or to do a
video of yourself talking aboutit and to think about the
(25:09):
details.
Because sometimes, you know,like we were saying, when a
person comes to me and I'm theirbook coach, and I ask for
details and they say, Well, Idon't remember what they said.
I don't remember what, you know,I said back.
And these are great things,great content for your book.
And so afterwards, write it downand to put in those details.
What did they say?
How did they express it?
What were the feelings behindthe problem they were having and
(25:31):
the details surrounding it?
And then what did you say?
How did you help them to solvetheir problem?
And then you might have to trackthis over a little bit of time
because, you know, like asyou're building towards
resolution, but then as you getthere, record that too.
Because when they've felt asense of freedom or relief and
they've moved past the problemand they're feeling good, you
know, what did they say then?
(25:52):
How did they express it?
Because those are the thingsthat really draw me in so
powerfully.
And hopefully the reason whyyou'll never think the same way
about this again, because thenext time you're in that client
meeting, you're going to think,oh, story, this is a good story.
And then you write it down.
And then when you get to me asyour book coach and I say, okay,
do you have a story?
You say, Oh, I've got the beststory.
(26:12):
And then it'll come out in thiswonderful, transformative, and
powerful way in your book.
SPEAKER_01 (26:16):
Yeah.
And what I find about this, youknow, it's like when you when
you take this mindset, it canactually make what you already
do day to day even more fun,even more impactful, because now
you're you're you know, you'renot just going to work and doing
kind of the same old thing, youknow, after time, you know,
going through the motions,whatever you, but now you're
like looking through a fresh setof eyes about okay, you know,
(26:39):
what story is here?
Um, you know, it's kind of likethe the old adage, it's like
when you buy something andsuddenly you start seeing it
everywhere, right?
It's like um, I recently got aTesla and I I and I freaking
love my Tesla.
Now suddenly I see Teslaseverywhere.
So, you know, when you'restarting to think this way, you
go into these clients' meetings,and maybe before the story
didn't quite stick out to you aswell, but now you're like,
(27:01):
there's a story in every singlemeeting, potentially, right?
Um, Gabe, so let's talk a littlebit about um how people can
potentially work with us.
We have three different authorprograms, and tell us a little
bit about the process.
And so, specifically, thequestions that come up is how
(27:23):
long does it take?
You know, do I need to take asabbatical, grow a beard, and
rent a cabin in the woods?
You know, how long does it take?
And then I think the secondthing is, you know, it's like
I'm not a writer.
You know, it's like, you know,it's like you want me to get
stories in, but I'm not awriter.
Right.
That's another aspect.
I guess the final part of thatis is it is it a difficult
(27:45):
process or is it a fun process?
SPEAKER_00 (27:48):
Right.
Well, uh, heading off to a cabinin the woods and taking a
sabbatical sounds pretty good,but you know, most of us don't
have any time for that.
So it's our platinum program.
You know, we then you get thecabin in the woods.
But our process, it's designedfor busy, successful financial
advisors.
And you know, some have alreadystarted writing maybe an
(28:09):
outline, or they've beenthinking about doing a book for
years, or they're just realizingnow like how helpful a book
could be to position yourself asan expert in what you do.
But like Paul said, we take youfrom the blank page to the
finished book, and it's six to12 weeks, and this is meeting
just one to two hours per week,and you talk out your stories,
we handle the writing, and I'mthere every week keeping the
(28:32):
momentum going so the bookactually gets done.
And you know, the funny thingis, I mean, you know, it seems
like you know, writing a bookmight be, you know, very
serious, but we have a greattime, you know, doing these
conversations and bringing yourstories to life.
And then through that process,it's fun, and then soon you're
holding your book.
SPEAKER_01 (28:51):
Yeah, and and that's one of the most transformational
things that you can do in yourbusiness and just in your
professional, um in yourprofessional life.
I mean, a lot of people, youknow, they it's on their bucket
list.
One day I'm gonna write thebook, but you know, you can
absolutely do it right now.
Our process, as Gabe said, isdesigned to help you facilitate
(29:12):
doing it in six to twelve weeks,um, in as little as two to three
hours per um per week.
You don't have to be a writer.
We guide you through theprocess.
So it's it's very, it's very umturnkey in that sense.
Um, it's fun and it's enjoyable.
You know, the biggest complaintwe get is that once it's over,
it's like we don't get to meetanymore.
I've enjoyed enjoying ourconversations.
But there's nothing like whenyou finally publish or when we
(29:35):
help you finally publish thebook, um, you have it in your
hand and you're able to share itwith your friends, family,
clients, prospects, et cetera.
And we also help you, um, aspart of our processes, we also
help you uh make it an Amazonbestseller.
So you not only get that authorstatus, but now you get that
bestseller author status as partof it.
And what I love about being anauthor, um, especially as
(29:58):
applied to business development.
And growing your practice isthat there's so many different
ways that it's going to benefityou.
And we've talked about sometoday.
You know, one, it's going tomake everything that you already
do more efficient and betterROI, right?
And what without getting toomany details, it's going to make
your referral process much,much, much better.
It's going to make any dollarsthat you spend on marketing
(30:20):
much, much, much, much moreefficient, much higher RI.
But on the other hand, it alsoopens up doors that you didn't
even necessarily realize werepossible, or that maybe you
tried to access, but maybeweren't accessible before
becoming an author.
And I'll just share a personalstory there in that I've written
a couple of books, and one of mystrategies for marketing is once
(30:43):
I publish the book, I want to goon podcasts, other people's
podcasts, so that I can createawareness with my ideal clients
and leverage the audience thatother people have built.
And I've done this verysuccessfully.
And in the financial advisoryspace, which is where my clients
are, the biggest podcast thereis is Michael Kitsis' Financial
(31:03):
Advisor Success Podcast.
And so if you're not alreadyfamiliar with that, definitely
Google it.
He has the biggest, probably,you know, he's probably the
biggest thought leader when itcomes to podcasters, et cetera,
in the financial advisory space,but extremely competitive to get
on the podcast.
But my team reached out and wewere accepted, right?
And why were we accepted?
(31:24):
Was it because I'm anexceptional speaker?
No.
It's because I had the book, Ihad the positioning, I had the
bestseller, and he wasinterested in the topic.
And so he invited me on.
I had the chance to do that.
And that episode just dropped atthe end of last year.
This year, you know, nine monthsin, my business has doubled,
right?
And I just shared that toshowcase how impactful a book
(31:48):
can be for your business, right?
There's, you know, there's allkinds of benefits to it, but it
can open up these doors, likeYapes about Morgan.
It can transform your identity.
Um, you know, it can do allthese amazing things for you and
your business.
And I think bottom line is justfun.
It's just, you know, it's justfun, right?
It's probably the most enjoyablemarketing and business
(32:08):
development that you can do.
Um, and so uh let me switch theslide real quick.
So final steps.
Um, if you're uh interested inlearning more, again, we have
three author programs.
Um, the next step for you to dois to reach out directly to
Gabe.
Um I have his email on thescreen.
(32:29):
It's Gabe at moreclientsmorefun.com.
It's G A B E at moreclientsmorefund.com.
Or again, if you can see thescreen, we have a QR code there.
Um and you can simply take yourphone, uh, get the QR code, and
that'll take you directly toGabe's calendar.
It's a 30-minute call.
Um, Gabe, are you you know, areyou nice on these calls?
(32:50):
Um, how do you handle thesecalls?
SPEAKER_00 (32:52):
Right.
No, I'll look forward tospeaking with you about your
stories and about how we can getthem into your book.
So we'll have a good timediscussing that.
SPEAKER_01 (32:59):
Nope, no pressure.
It's just really meant to see ifthere's a good fit, um, discuss
your potential um topic.
We really want to also talkabout is the potential ROI,
right?
You know, is this good use?
Do you have an idea?
And how can we use this to helpyou build your practice in such
an enjoyable way?
So we encourage you if you thinkthat this is a good idea, reach
out to Gabe, schedule that call,and we'll see you there.
(33:21):
So thank you so much for yourtime today.
We appreciate it, and bye fornow.
SPEAKER_00 (33:25):
Thanks, everybody.
Hey everyone.
Great to have you here with ustoday.
My name is Paul G.
McManus, and I'm the CEO and thefounder of the short book
Formula Publishing.
I'm also the best-selling authorof a couple books.
One, the short book Formula, andanother one, Book Marketing for
Financial Advisors.
And today I'm joined by mybrother, Gabe McManus.
(00:29):
And Gabe is our director ofelite advisor programs and
author of the upcoming book,Sharpen Your Message.
Now, in the past 10 years, weworked with 500 financial
advisors, and we've helped themorganically grow their
businesses by an estimated$100million in fees and commissions.
(00:51):
And today, we're gonna show youin today's webinar, we're gonna
show you how to find stories sopowerful that your clients can't
help but share them.
So, Gabe, can you share a storythat shows the real impact that
financial advisors are having ontheir clients' lives?
SPEAKER_00 (01:14):
Yeah.
Hey everybody, uh I get to workwith financial advisors all the
time as a book coach and to helpthem tell their stories for the
books that they're writing.
And I was thinking about this.
I really know that they're on tosomething and that they have a
powerful story when after thecall that we're on, I find
myself sharing that story withother people.
So I'll call Paul and I'll tellit to him.
(01:35):
And I've shared some of thesestories with friends on the golf
course, and then I'll even hearthem starting to repeat those
stories.
And so that's when I know thatthey're really on to something
with the stories that they'retelling.
And so, okay, I've got one thatI want to share with you now.
And I was at lunch with afinancial advisor, he lives near
me, his name's Dan, and he wastelling me the story about a
(01:56):
client that he had just gotten.
And the man came in, they weretaking a look at his overall
financial picture, and that oneof the things that Dan noticed
was that he needed to have lifeinsurance.
He didn't have any coverage.
And this client, he's a youngguy, he's successful, he's got a
great job, he's got a beautifulyoung family, he's in great
(02:16):
shape.
He was a biker and he had itall.
And so he felt thatinvincibility of youth.
And but my financial advisorfriend he kept insisting and
being persistent that this wassomething that he needed to take
care of.
And he said, Okay, I'm gonnatake care of it at some point,
but a few meetings happened andhe still hadn't done it.
And so that persistence, though,he kept making sure that he knew
(02:38):
that this was necessary to takecare of just any eventuality for
the family.
And eventually the guy said,Okay, I'm gonna take care of it.
And he went and he got theinsurance coverage.
And then he told me that fastforward six months later, he
gets a call from a number thathe doesn't recognize, and he
answers it.
It's the wife of the man, andshe gives him the horrible news
(02:59):
that her husband hadunexpectedly passed on.
And then she said something thatmy friend said that he'd never
forget.
She said, You have my faith.
And he took that to mean thatbecause of that persistence that
he had shown, that he hadliterally saved the family at
that point, because that nowthat the kids they could still
(03:21):
go to school, to privateschools, and that they could
still pay for their home, andthat they could adequately
grieve for their husband andtheir father, and money wasn't
going to be the issue uh forthat family.
SPEAKER_01 (03:32):
Yeah.
And what a difference, right?
I mean, it it's uh, you know, atthis lunch, you know, imagine
hearing that story and beingmoved to action, which I'll ask
about you in a second, versus,you know, the finer points of
life insurance and whole lifeversus IUL and the importance of
coverage and just that moretechnical, um, you know, I think
that's a head-centered analysisof why life insurance is
(03:55):
important.
So it begs the question, Gabe,um, as a result of hearing the
story, um, what impact did ithave on you?
What did you do as a result?
SPEAKER_00 (04:04):
Right.
Well, I I have three teenagedaughters, and so I mean, I
literally left lunch, wentstraight home, checked the
coverage that I had, and addedmore because after hearing that,
it really motivated me toaction.
It moved me to make sure that myfamily was taken care of, you
know, if anything ever didhappen to me.
SPEAKER_01 (04:22):
Yeah.
And it, and you know, and thatshows that, Gabe, that you
really love your kids, right?
And specifically, how much atwhat amount do you love your
kids?
SPEAKER_00 (04:33):
Well, I just wanted to make sure that you know that
they could go to college sincethey're all thinking about that
right now.
SPEAKER_01 (04:39):
Okay, good, good.
Glad to hear it.
So, Gabe, at this point, you'veworked with many financial
advisors on their books.
And so, when it comes tostorytelling skills, especially
as it you know pertains towriting a book, what are your
observations?
And more specifically, is thatwhen you work with these
(05:00):
advisors and you talk about,okay, what you know, what's a
story that helps to illustratethis chapter's point, do you
find that that comes verynaturally to people, or do you
find it's a little bit more youhave to coax these stories out
of people?
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
Well, okay, my first observation is that, you know,
because of the work thatfinancial advisors do, that that
you're you're living in a worldof stories every day because
you're around these powerfultransformations.
And that when financial advisorscome to me to help them write
their book, I think what happenssometimes is that is that as
we're working on telling thestory, there's a little bit of
(05:34):
carefulness that creeps in.
And so instead of jumping rightto the perfect story, like the
one about the insurance thatgets to the heart of the matter
and that motivates someone toaction, sometimes there's too
much on the technical side ofthings.
And there's this desire to makesure that everything's that
they're comprehensive abouteverything and that everything's
just right.
And so that becomes my job asthe book coach.
(05:56):
I say, okay, yeah, we'redefinitely going to cover that.
But what are the stories?
What are the things that arereally going to reach people on
a deeper level and that aregoing to motivate them to
action?
And so that's that's what wework towards.
And sometimes what I hearadvisors saying is I ask for a
story on a particular subjectand they say, Oh, yeah, I've got
lots of stories on that.
(06:16):
But then it gets hard to pullthe specifics out.
And that's where I come in tohelp because I say, okay, we're
going to find the story thatreally makes the difference,
just like it did with myfinancial advisor friend.
SPEAKER_01 (06:27):
Yeah.
And I and I find it interestingbecause, you know, I think
advisors are generally prettygood at storytelling.
I mean, you know, especially ifthey're successful, this is part
of how they got to where theyare, just the people skills.
Um, but when it comes to writinga book, now suddenly it's like
imposter syndrome, and I need tosound smart.
And, you know, is it okay if Itell the story or not?
Um, and you know, just yourpoint, right?
(06:48):
It's like one of the most commonthings we see is that I have so
many stories, and yet you haveand yet many people, when you
ask them for a specific story,it's like, can't think of one,
right?
I don't know the perfect story.
Um, and so give us an example.
Tell us a story um about someonethat maybe um that you've that
you've worked with that helps tohighlight this point.
SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
Okay, so this one is on the flip side of that of
having too many stories, becauseI was working with another
advisor, and his name is Burned,and he's an advisor in Irvine,
California, and I'm the bookcoach.
And uh so when I first met withhim, his comment to me was he
says, I don't know if I have anystories.
He said, I'm more of a numbersguy.
(07:30):
And he says, I don't know, I'mgonna have to really rely on you
to do this.
And so I said, Okay, let's diveinto it.
And what I found working withByrnd is that he actually had
these fantastic stories.
I mean, his kids, they're EagleScouts, and he's one of the
troop leaders, and they're doingthese incredible trips.
They they went to Antarctica onone, and they would do these
huge backpacking trips throughthe Sierra Nevada Mountains in
(07:53):
California.
And then as he's telling methese stories, then he starts
making these connecting pointsabout these stories that are
from his life, and then abouthow he's helping his clients
envision their ideal retirementand how he's helping them get to
the heart of what their valuesare and the things that are most
important in their life and alsothe experiences they want to
have.
And so it's through that processof writing the book, we found
(08:17):
out that it turned out beyondwhat he would have ever even
imagined, because the book, itstill had all of those technical
elements that he wanted in it,but now it was tied to these
stories that were unforgettable.
And the book's coming out soon.
He's gonna be so proud to sharethat book with his clients.
SPEAKER_01 (08:33):
Yeah, and and I actually had a chance to speak
to Bird recently, and he wastelling me it's like, yeah, you
know, I almost didn't share thestory about Antarctica.
I didn't know if it wasappropriate for a book on
financial advice.
I'm like, you went toAntarctica.
SPEAKER_00 (08:46):
Right, right.
I'm gonna save more forretirement now because I want to
go to Antarctica.
And so it you know, it motivatesto action.
SPEAKER_01 (08:52):
Yeah, I mean, you know, just imagine you couldn't
have a better tie-in or just astory.
Um, you know, I mean, so many,you know, uh advisors,
especially when it's you knowdoing retirement planning,
income planning, it's like, youknow, what comes up commonly is
not just what you're retiringfrom, but what are you retiring
to?
It's like, I want to go toAntarctica.
And so I'm so glad that hedecided to uh include that story
(09:14):
um as one of many in the book.
And you know, it it's funny,right?
Because, you know, oftentimesbecause to us, we you know, we
do these things day in, day out.
You know, you work with clients,you see these transformations,
you see these stories, and atsome point we just feel like ah,
you know, it's part of the job,and you you kind of forget to,
you know, you forget the magicof what you're actually helping
(09:36):
create.
You're helping create certaintyin people's future, you're
helping give them the ability toretire um, you know, to their
dream retirement, etc.
Um, so you know, that it ittakes, it takes, I would say, a
book coach to be able to be thatsounding board so that you can
test out your ideas, you know,and I would say expand those
(09:57):
ideas so that you don't run intowhat's commonly known as
imposter syndrome, right?
Where we all we all suffer fromit to some degree, but it's
where you think, ah, you know,is that worth it?
Is that worth it?
But uh yeah, so definitely gladthat Byrnd included that story.
And now that is, I think it's onmy bucket list.
I don't know.
So, Gabe, the next question Ihave for you is that so when it
(10:20):
comes to storytelling, right?
Because you know, it's like wetalked about why it's important
to include Antarctica, but wealso need to include the
analysis of why maybe an uh youknow uh a backdoor mega rock
might make sense, right?
So, where do you draw that linebetween technical and
entertainment or stories?
SPEAKER_00 (10:40):
Right.
Well, I mean, you better beentertaining because the one
thing you don't want to be foryour book is boring.
That that's the cardinal sin.
Because I mean, think about it,the books that you would want to
pick up and read and get pastpage one or two.
And so that's you know, workingfinancial advisors, helping them
to tell their stories.
I've had friends asked, they'vesaid, you know, like you work
(11:02):
with a lot of advisors doingthis.
Aren't all the stories kind ofthe same?
Are you hearing the same thingsall the time?
And I thought about that.
I said, not at all.
It's always unique, it's alwaysthis fresh take because we're
not just diving into thosetechnical elements that we're
not just talking about thedifferences and retirement
planning, but it goes far beyondthat.
And it's really about thefinancial advisor story, either
(11:25):
about them personally, whichsometimes we include that in the
material, just like with Burned,or it's the client experiences
and the transformations thatthey've helped clients achieve
and the victories that they'vehad and the challenges that
they've overcome.
And so all of that's unique, andthat we're able to tell that in
these powerful ways that makesit their unique story.
And that's the great thing thatthis showcases what you do in
(11:48):
amazing ways, these wonderfulthings that you're doing in your
practices.
And then when you share thatbook with your ideal clients,
the clients they're gonna readthat book first, and then the
book, it becomes it's a trustbuilder.
It builds trust in you and inyour process, and it does it in
a way that nothing else can.
SPEAKER_01 (12:06):
Yeah.
You know, in in my experience,I've run into two general
categories of advisors.
The one is like naturalstoryteller, you know, like Dan,
who you mentioned in that lunchsetting, one-on-one, you know,
they're naturally telling thesestories that are impactful.
And again, you know, becomingsuccessful.
I mean, that's a skill set thatmany advisors have and they've
(12:26):
developed over time.
And then on the other hand, Ithink there's more of the person
who sees themselves maybe alittle more introverted, maybe
more as the numbers person.
And maybe they can tell a storyhere or there, but they don't
necessarily um see themselves asyou know, as that storyteller,
so to speak.
SPEAKER_00 (12:42):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (12:44):
So I want to revisit something that we've talked
about, which is beingintentional, right?
And so for the person who haslots of stories and is telling
stories all the time, the onlychallenge I see that is that
maybe they're not as memorableand they're not necessarily
repeatable.
And so when we comes to writingyour book and really creating
(13:06):
powerful stories that help toillustrate specific points and
chapters in the book, but beyondthat, you know, that get that
you repeat over and over againbecause these are your keystone
stories.
Um, what is it that you'reseeing, Gabe?
I mean, in terms of, you know, II think the problem that we see
is that an advisor, you know,you say, okay, what's a story
(13:28):
that helps to illustrate thispoint?
And what we commonly see is, oh,I have lots of stories.
SPEAKER_00 (13:33):
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
What's like, well, well, what's one?
It's like I got so many, I gotso many stories, I can't tell
you the one story that's gonnaactually do this.
So why is that a problem and howdo you overcome this?
SPEAKER_00 (13:44):
Well, Paul, I like you had told it to me this way,
and I really liked it.
And you said that when you go tosee your favorite band in a
concert, you are there to hearthe hits.
I mean, you're not looking forjust everything on the album.
That's good, but you get excitedwhen they play the greatest
hits, and that's wheneverybody's up on their feet and
they're singing along.
And it's so important thatthrough this process that, you
(14:05):
know, instead of saying just,well, I have lots of stories,
then we want to get instead toyour greatest hits.
And these are the stories thatthey're illustrating the points
that you can tell over and overagain.
They become your go-to's.
And it's not that your go-tosdon't evolve or change.
I mean, you can sub them in andout, but you want to start off
with what is the most powerfulstory that I can tell?
(14:27):
And then when it goes into thebook, then you find yourself
using it for when you'respeaking to your team and to
your clients.
And then for the clients, thosebecome your standards.
And you know, the funny thing isthat standards, the greatest
hits that you're telling, theydon't get old because when you
have powerful stories like theone about insurance, I mean, he
could tell that to me again andagain.
(14:48):
And every time it's resonatingdeeply with me, and it has that
amazing impact where I want togo out and I want to share it
with other people.
SPEAKER_01 (14:55):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's it's a power beingintentional um about stories,
it's a very powerful skillhabit, um, especially when it
comes to a book, because youknow, a book is it's permanent,
right?
You know, it's something thatyou want to be very intentional
about, you want to choosecarefully the stories, you want
to make sure they're powerfulstories because you know, they
(15:18):
not only go in the book, butthen if you end up doing any
speaking beyond the book andtalking about the book, you
know, you want to have thestories that you that light you
up and that you know make animpact and that you know people
have their heads nodding alongwith you.
Because, you know, I mean to methat's the thing, is like that's
the test when you like tell astory um you know to different
people over time and younaturally can see them nodding
(15:40):
along and agreeing and you havethat expectation, that's when
you know that you've really hita really you've touched upon a
good story, which brings me toone of our uh clients.
His name is Steven.
Um, and you know, you you workwith him and I'll let you tell
the story, but you know, he hadhis greatest hits, um, and he
had some really powerfulstories, and so much so that I
(16:02):
actually hired him to be my ownfinancial advisor.
I mean, that's that's the powerof a story, is that when it
really connects with someone,you know, it moves them to
action.
So um, from your perspective,Gabe, tell us a little bit about
Steven.
SPEAKER_00 (16:13):
Yeah, well, when I was working with Steven, Steven,
he had started his careerbriefly before becoming a
financial advisor.
He was a teacher, and so he'sgot this natural teacher's
heart.
And in our conversations, Imean, I'm just asking him tons
of questions and he's giving meall these wonderful stories with
his answers, and I just keepasking for more.
And I'm like diving deeply tofigure out all the things that
(16:34):
he's talking about.
And then he tells me this onestory that just stops me in my
tracks because he said that whenhe was a young financial advisor
and he was still in the processof developing his thoughts and
his systems, that his wife wouldcome home frequently and she'd
have a bunch of target bags inher hand.
And I think it was Paul, was itthrow pillows in the target
(16:56):
bags?
SPEAKER_01 (16:57):
Yeah, I I just for the record, I love throw
pillows.
Um, and when my wife, you know,gets more throw pillows for a
bed, you know, 10 is not enough.
I am always very excited aboutthat.
SPEAKER_00 (17:07):
Right.
And Steven, he says that whenhis wife came in through the
door, that immediately he becamejudge, jury, and executioner.
And he had two questions in hismind.
And I'm thinking when he'stelling me this, oh, I know
exactly what those questionsare.
And the first one is, how muchmoney did you spend?
And the second one is, did weneed that?
(17:29):
And when he's telling me this,I'm all in because I was seeing
myself in that so much from myformer relationship and
marriage.
And I'm thinking that I probablydid the same thing.
But he said that he realizedthat this was causing this
strain in their relationship andthat it got his thoughts to work
about a system that couldaddress it because he wanted to
get rid of that friction.
And what he came up with wasthis way to create a weekly
(17:52):
spending account that both heand his wife would share and
it's going to meet their weeklyneeds plus some.
And so he called it it'sguilt-free spending.
And so he didn't have toquestion anymore.
He didn't have to say anythingwhen she came in with bags from
a store because they were bothon the same page.
And if it was guilt-freespending, there was no issue.
And so he didn't have to worryabout it.
(18:12):
And this brought this harmony tothe situation.
And when I heard that story, Ithought, Stephen, where were you
15 years ago?
Because in my former marriage,money was an issue.
And I know that's true for a lotof people.
And I just thought that thosethoughts in that system would
have been so helpful then.
And so this is how these storiesit gets people talking when it's
(18:35):
a powerful story like that.
Because I think I called Paulright afterwards to tell him the
target bag story.
And then it creates theseconversations that you know,
Steven wasn't even a part of,even more, because uh I love to
play golf on the weekends.
I'm out with my my buddies andwe're playing golf, and from
time to time, as we're talking,they'll bring some differences
up that they're having, maybewith their spouses about money.
(18:56):
And you know, it comes up fromtime to time, and then I'll say,
Oh, you know, I I have thisstory that I want to tell you
from this financial advisor andsomething he shared with me.
And as I tell that story, theystart thinking that makes a lot
of sense, and their heads arenodding along, and then that's a
natural opening to say, youknow, like, well, I'll give you
his book and so you can readmore about what he has to say on
(19:19):
this.
And so it creates thoseconversations that you're no
longer a part of when you tell apowerful story that has impact
like that.
SPEAKER_01 (19:27):
Yeah, you know, and I just wanted to score that,
right?
I mean, you know, the the thing,you know, so so Steven, you
know, someone that we reallylike, you know, easily refer
him.
And at the same time, we don'twant to, you know, the reason
you're the reason clientstypically don't are not more
proactive about referrals is notthat they don't appreciate the
work that you do that they do,but it's just it makes everyone
(19:48):
uncomfortable, right?
It's like, hey, you should gotalk to my advisor.
It's like, oh, you know, I don'twant to be sold to.
But you know, when you havethose powerful stories that are
repeatable, people are sharing,backed by a book, it just
creates this natural bridge togo from story to book to now
really, I would call it flippingthis grip.
So it's now it's not like tryingto push someone to see an
(20:09):
advisor, but now it's like, arethey taking new clients?
I I hope that they're available.
Can I have a screen number?
Right.
So it's it's a very powerfulattraction-based method.
SPEAKER_00 (20:20):
Yeah, and you know, it really has to start with the
heart.
That that's the connecting pointfor most people that you know,
once you tell a story thatreaches a person's heart, then
you can get to their head.
But first, we have to end thatstory.
We have to see ourselves in it,and then you can go to the
system that's going to solve theproblem.
SPEAKER_01 (20:36):
Yeah.
No, and and just just for thisone alone.
I mean, he calls it the Stephen,he calls it the G4 cash flow
model, which if I just saidthat, I'd be like, you know, I
don't care, right?
But I hear that story now.
It's like, okay, well, how do Ido this, right?
How do I how do I create thisharmony?
Um, and again, he's become my mymy own advisor.
And so my my wife and I haveimplemented this and and
literally like zero moneystress.
(20:58):
I mean, it's like for somethingthat couples, you know,
oftentimes, you know, fight andhave stress about, we have a
zero.
I mean, and it's the system isso eloquently built, but I only
got to that level of wanting toknow about it and then hiring
him to help me implement itbecause the story got me there
naturally.
SPEAKER_00 (21:15):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (21:16):
Um, so another thing that you know, we're talking
about stories and being veryintentional, right?
About cultivating them,developing them, and then I
would say strategically usingthem um in a book, in speaking
opportunities, etc.
And I think as you someone goesalong this process and they
(21:37):
really take the time to refineand develop the stories and
share them, that somethinginteresting happens where a
person can have an identityshift, right?
So they go from, you know, youknow, seeing themselves
differently, um, to and it itit's remarkable.
And so I'll let you tell thestory.
Um, but who's someone that weworked with that really stands
(21:58):
out to you as someone who'sexperienced that identity shift
from where they started andwriting their book to where
they're at today?
SPEAKER_00 (22:05):
Yeah.
I want to tell you, okay, aboutanother financial advisor that
I've worked with, and her nameis Morgan.
And by the time I met withMorgan, she'd already written
her book with a co-author, butshe was preparing to go on
Paul's podcast and to talk aboutthe ideas that were in her book.
And so I was her coach to helpher get ready for the podcast.
And the first thing she says tome is she says, I'm not a
(22:26):
storyteller.
Uh, speaking isn't my thing,that I'm a numbers person.
I like to nerd out on thenumbers.
And I said, Okay, well, let'sjust get started and we'll see.
And so as we worked on it, Ifound that she really did have
these great stories and we startto shape them.
And because what we're doing iswe're sharpening that message
and getting it ready for thepodcast.
And so she goes on Paul'spodcast and she enjoyed it.
(22:48):
And then she started wanting todo more.
And so quickly she startsbooking other podcasts and she's
going out.
And now that she's feeling thatconfidence and that ability to
share these stories and that shecould deliver them for impact
and she can get heads noddingalong.
And so the book was the startingpoint, but then now she's on
podcast sharing it.
And so then she texted me oneday, and she'd been going on a
(23:10):
few, and this is all within afew months, and she says, you
know, I think I could be apublic speaker in five to 10
years.
And I said, I think you'realready doing it.
And then right after that, shesaid uh in a text message, she
said that she wanted to go onthree in one day.
And she said, Is that okay?
And I said, Absolutely, if youfeel up for it.
And right after that, that ledto booking the largest podcasts
(23:33):
in her space.
And all this happened veryquickly because of exactly what
you said, Paul, that identitytransformation that happens.
And it started with writing thebook, because the book it
rebrands you as an expert inwhat you do and as someone who
can tell these transformativestories, and then they're
refined and they're polished,and they best support your ideas
because of getting them down inthe book.
SPEAKER_01 (23:56):
So, Gabe, at this point, um, for someone who's
listening and they're thinking,okay, you know, um, I think I'm
ready to potentially write abook.
Yeah, what's a practicaltechnique that they can take
away from today's um webinar?
What's something that they canimmediately put into action so
(24:17):
that they can become moreintentional, more strategic
about developing those storiesthat will eventually go into
their book?
SPEAKER_00 (24:27):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Okay, I've got something that'sgoing to change your life right
now forever, okay?
Are you ready?
And this is going because you'regoing to never think about
things the same way again.
And so I want you to pull outyour phone and open up either
the notes app or maybe a voicememo, or you could just use your
video and you could videoyourself doing this.
(24:49):
But the next time you're in aclient meeting and they come to
you and they have a problem, apain point that they're facing
in some situation, I want you tothink, oh, story.
I'm going to think of this asfar as story.
And then after the meeting, touse that notes app or to do a
video of yourself talking aboutit and to think about the
(25:09):
details.
Because sometimes, you know,like we were saying, when a
person comes to me and I'm theirbook coach, and I ask for
details and they say, Well, Idon't remember what they said.
I don't remember what, you know,I said back.
And these are great things,great content for your book.
And so afterwards, write it downand to put in those details.
What did they say?
How did they express it?
What were the feelings behindthe problem they were having and
(25:31):
the details surrounding it?
And then what did you say?
How did you help them to solvetheir problem?
And then you might have to trackthis over a little bit of time
because, you know, like asyou're building towards
resolution, but then as you getthere, record that too.
Because when they've felt asense of freedom or relief and
they've moved past the problemand they're feeling good, you
know, what did they say then?
(25:52):
How did they express it?
Because those are the thingsthat really draw me in so
powerfully.
And hopefully the reason whyyou'll never think the same way
about this again, because thenext time you're in that client
meeting, you're going to think,oh, story, this is a good story.
And then you write it down.
And then when you get to me asyour book coach and I say, okay,
do you have a story?
You say, Oh, I've got the beststory.
(26:12):
And then it'll come out in thiswonderful, transformative, and
powerful way in your book.
SPEAKER_01 (26:16):
Yeah.
And what I find about this, youknow, it's like when you when
you take this mindset, it canactually make what you already
do day to day even more fun,even more impactful, because now
you're you're you know, you'renot just going to work and doing
kind of the same old thing, youknow, after time, you know,
going through the motions,whatever you, but now you're
like looking through a fresh setof eyes about okay, you know,
(26:39):
what story is here?
Um, you know, it's kind of likethe the old adage, it's like
when you buy something andsuddenly you start seeing it
everywhere, right?
It's like um, I recently got aTesla and I I and I freaking
love my Tesla.
Now suddenly I see Teslaseverywhere.
So, you know, when you'restarting to think this way, you
go into these clients' meetings,and maybe before the story
didn't quite stick out to you aswell, but now you're like,
(27:01):
there's a story in every singlemeeting, potentially, right?
Um, Gabe, so let's talk a littlebit about um how people can
potentially work with us.
We have three different authorprograms, and tell us a little
bit about the process.
And so, specifically, thequestions that come up is how
(27:23):
long does it take?
You know, do I need to take asabbatical, grow a beard, and
rent a cabin in the woods?
You know, how long does it take?
And then I think the secondthing is, you know, it's like
I'm not a writer.
You know, it's like, you know,it's like you want me to get
stories in, but I'm not awriter.
Right.
That's another aspect.
I guess the final part of thatis is it is it a difficult
(27:45):
process or is it a fun process?
SPEAKER_00 (27:48):
Right.
Well, uh, heading off to a cabinin the woods and taking a
sabbatical sounds pretty good,but you know, most of us don't
have any time for that.
So it's our platinum program.
You know, we then you get thecabin in the woods.
But our process, it's designedfor busy, successful financial
advisors.
And you know, some have alreadystarted writing maybe an
(28:09):
outline, or they've beenthinking about doing a book for
years, or they're just realizingnow like how helpful a book
could be to position yourself asan expert in what you do.
But like Paul said, we take youfrom the blank page to the
finished book, and it's six to12 weeks, and this is meeting
just one to two hours per week,and you talk out your stories,
we handle the writing, and I'mthere every week keeping the
(28:32):
momentum going so the bookactually gets done.
And you know, the funny thingis, I mean, you know, it seems
like you know, writing a bookmight be, you know, very
serious, but we have a greattime, you know, doing these
conversations and bringing yourstories to life.
And then through that process,it's fun, and then soon you're
holding your book.
SPEAKER_01 (28:51):
Yeah, and and that's one of the most transformational
things that you can do in yourbusiness and just in your
professional, um in yourprofessional life.
I mean, a lot of people, youknow, they it's on their bucket
list.
One day I'm gonna write thebook, but you know, you can
absolutely do it right now.
Our process, as Gabe said, isdesigned to help you facilitate
(29:12):
doing it in six to twelve weeks,um, in as little as two to three
hours per um per week.
You don't have to be a writer.
We guide you through theprocess.
So it's it's very, it's very umturnkey in that sense.
Um, it's fun and it's enjoyable.
You know, the biggest complaintwe get is that once it's over,
it's like we don't get to meetanymore.
I've enjoyed enjoying ourconversations.
But there's nothing like whenyou finally publish or when we
(29:35):
help you finally publish thebook, um, you have it in your
hand and you're able to share itwith your friends, family,
clients, prospects, et cetera.
And we also help you, um, aspart of our processes, we also
help you uh make it an Amazonbestseller.
So you not only get that authorstatus, but now you get that
bestseller author status as partof it.
And what I love about being anauthor, um, especially as
(29:58):
applied to business development.
And growing your practice isthat there's so many different
ways that it's going to benefityou.
And we've talked about sometoday.
You know, one, it's going tomake everything that you already
do more efficient and betterROI, right?
And what without getting toomany details, it's going to make
your referral process much,much, much better.
It's going to make any dollarsthat you spend on marketing
(30:20):
much, much, much, much moreefficient, much higher RI.
But on the other hand, it alsoopens up doors that you didn't
even necessarily realize werepossible, or that maybe you
tried to access, but maybeweren't accessible before
becoming an author.
And I'll just share a personalstory there in that I've written
a couple of books, and one of mystrategies for marketing is once
(30:43):
I publish the book, I want to goon podcasts, other people's
podcasts, so that I can createawareness with my ideal clients
and leverage the audience thatother people have built.
And I've done this verysuccessfully.
And in the financial advisoryspace, which is where my clients
are, the biggest podcast thereis is Michael Kitsis' Financial
(31:03):
Advisor Success Podcast.
And so if you're not alreadyfamiliar with that, definitely
Google it.
He has the biggest, probably,you know, he's probably the
biggest thought leader when itcomes to podcasters, et cetera,
in the financial advisory space,but extremely competitive to get
on the podcast.
But my team reached out and wewere accepted, right?
And why were we accepted?
(31:24):
Was it because I'm anexceptional speaker?
No.
It's because I had the book, Ihad the positioning, I had the
bestseller, and he wasinterested in the topic.
And so he invited me on.
I had the chance to do that.
And that episode just dropped atthe end of last year.
This year, you know, nine monthsin, my business has doubled,
right?
And I just shared that toshowcase how impactful a book
(31:48):
can be for your business, right?
There's, you know, there's allkinds of benefits to it, but it
can open up these doors, likeYapes about Morgan.
It can transform your identity.
Um, you know, it can do allthese amazing things for you and
your business.
And I think bottom line is justfun.
It's just, you know, it's justfun, right?
It's probably the most enjoyablemarketing and business
(32:08):
development that you can do.
Um, and so uh let me switch theslide real quick.
So final steps.
Um, if you're uh interested inlearning more, again, we have
three author programs.
Um, the next step for you to dois to reach out directly to
Gabe.
Um I have his email on thescreen.
(32:29):
It's Gabe at moreclientsmorefun.com.
It's G A B E at moreclientsmorefund.com.
Or again, if you can see thescreen, we have a QR code there.
Um and you can simply take yourphone, uh, get the QR code, and
that'll take you directly toGabe's calendar.
It's a 30-minute call.
Um, Gabe, are you you know, areyou nice on these calls?
(32:50):
Um, how do you handle thesecalls?
SPEAKER_00 (32:52):
Right.
No, I'll look forward tospeaking with you about your
stories and about how we can getthem into your book.
So we'll have a good timediscussing that.
SPEAKER_01 (32:59):
Nope, no pressure.
It's just really meant to see ifthere's a good fit, um, discuss
your potential um topic.
We really want to also talkabout is the potential ROI,
right?
You know, is this good use?
Do you have an idea?
And how can we use this to helpyou build your practice in such
an enjoyable way?
So we encourage you if you thinkthat this is a good idea, reach
out to Gabe, schedule that call,and we'll see you there.
(33:21):
So thank you so much for yourtime today.
We appreciate it, and bye fornow.
SPEAKER_00 (33:25):
Thanks, everybody.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.