In financial planning and advice, there are many excellent technicians—people who understand the products, the tax system, the rules, the numbers, and the strategies inside out.
But there are far fewer highly effective influencers.
So, what’s the difference?
A powerful influencer isn’t just someone who delivers sound technical advice.
They are a catalyst for positive change. Their clients think, feel, and behave differently because of working with them.
Over time, those clients don’t just become wealthier. Their lives are better. They become happier, calmer, and clear about their priorities.
Why influence matters
You can give technically brilliant advice, but it won’t necessarily stop a client from making a poor decision or help them take bold, positive action.
Investing is a great example.
Perfectly good investments are abandoned because clients panic and sell at the wrong time. Why? Because human beings behave according to how they feel, not what they know.
In the field of behavioural economics academics give this all sorts of clever-sounding names. Such as confirmation bias, loss aversion, and the herding mentality.
This might be interesting but it’s no help to clients.
Saying to someone, “You have a blind-spot bias” is about as useful as telling a smoker, “You know that’s bad for your health.”
It may be true, but it’s not transformational.
What really makes the difference
Here’s a simple truth: if you pay attention, clients will show you everything you need to know to help them make smart choices and avoid costly mistakes.
The problem is that many advisers don’t notice the signals.
A financial planning principal I know sometimes sits in on client meetings with his advisers. He told me he was amazed by how often they miss what’s right in front of them.
For example:
*A client is visibly ready to move forward with a proposal. Yet the adviser keeps talking, and even sometimes talks themselves out of the business.
*A client has clearly had enough on a topic—but the adviser drones on, long after the client has (mentally) left the room.
We have all done things like this.
It happens because our attention is caught up in our own thoughts, rather than on the person in front of them.
The key to influence
The essence of being a powerful influencer is simple: notice what’s going on.
You can’t do that if your mind is cluttered with your own thoughts, fears, or points you’re desperate to make.
So, what’s the solution?
*Empty your mind.
*Get deeply curious.
*Pay attention.
*Trust your intuition.
It’s simple—but the intellectual mind loves to complicate things.
That’s why there are so many brilliant technicians, and so few true influencers.
Einstein said:
“Intuition and insight are a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
The best advisers don’t just give advice. They influence lasting change.
PS. Want to know why too much information is a mistake? Click here.
