Peter Worn, the co-founder and managing director of Finura Group, highlighted the shift toward personal branding as a cornerstone for future growth. “One of the things about our first wave of cloud social technologies is you can really build a brand quite quickly through social media,” Worn remarked.
The sentiment echoes the changing nature of competition in the industry. “I think you need to just assume, as advisers, like we did with the internet, just assume that information arbitrage is no longer a competition advantage. Information itself is not what you do. The ability to convince people to do things that they don’t always want to do is what makes you a great adviser,” he added. This insight suggests that building trust and convincing clients is at the core of effective advising, rather than merely providing information.
It appears that creating a readily identifiable personal brand could be key to attracting the right clientele. “With advisers, encourage them to get that brand out there, own their niche for who they are,” Worn advised.
Adele Martin, a self-employed financial adviser, argued for the necessity of a trustworthy persona or brand, especially when businesses are poised for scaling. “If we are going to go to some sort of scale solution, I think you need to have some sort of brand or person with it in order to get that trust in buying,” Martin stated. She drew parallels to figures like Steve Jobs, whose personal brand played a significant role in garnering consumer trust in companies like Apple.
Meanwhile, Keddie Waller, a policy advocate, emphasized the human element in business branding. “If you can’t humanise it, you can’t trust it,” she noted during the roundtable. Waller also highlighted the issue of the sector's inward conversation and its failure in showcasing the true value of financial advice services.
The discussion steered towards the broader industry challenge of developing a pipeline for new talent as the demand for qualified advisers escalates. “How do we actually think about the next generation of advisers and building this as an attractive profession to then better service the community, that’s a challenge we should be thinking about,” Waller stated.
Waller also pointed out a worrying trend: several universities withdrawing related programs, thus narrowing the pathways for prospective financial advisers. This issue, coupled with the lack of distinctive brands, hinders attracting new talent.
Drawing from examples in other professions, like law or consulting, where certain firms are household names, the discussion concluded by suggesting that a strong brand identity could not only attract more clients but could also help lure students into the advisory profession. An established brand could serve as a beacon for new talent redistribution within the industry.
The original insights from Intelliflo's roundtable highlight a crucial challenge — creating standout adviser brands that not only humanize and enhance trust but also ensure the consistent influx of next-generation talent to meet the sector’s growing demands.