Let's take your own business. It's just a guess, but I'll bet your client base is probably getting older and younger. If you're approaching the younger ones the same way you approach the older ones, you fallen behind the 8 ball of complacency. The older ones might still think the IBM Selectric typewriter was the best technological invention in history. The younger ones are far ahead of us in how they think about communication, socialization and technology.

2. Conformity.

Marketers who work within a well defined box lose their ability to differentiate themselves.

Here's a classic example. Major airlines (like Delta, United, and American) seem to experience endless financial problems. As a result, they resort to offering the lowest common denominator of service. On the other hand, other airlines (like Southwest, JetBlue, and Virgin America) are having success. What's the difference? This second group avoids the norm. They do the opposite of those majors, such as offering more leg room, checking luggage without charging extra fees, and providing in-flight Wi-Fi.

Now, let's look at the insurance industry. Can you name some of the common elements? Could it be everything? From the white business cards, to the types of products – sameness. From the jargon to their "elevator pitch" – sameness.

Several years ago, I taught a full-day program at State Farm's home office in Bloomington, Illinois. I asked the 150 people to stand one at a time and state their name and what they do. Obviously, I knew they were all insurance agents. My intent was to show them that they were seen by their communities (target markets) as being all the same – no differentiation.

The point being, that the agent who could break out of the sameness pattern would capture the community's attention. Unfortunately, 145 people stood up and said exactly the same thing. Those agents took comfort in their sameness.

What about your own business?

What can you do to differentiate yourself and show that you're not a conformist follower? Here are a few ideas. Some of them may be out in left field, but I'm hoping they'll spark some ideas for you:

1. Stop wearing formal white shirts and ties. Instead, wear tropical shirts under your jacket. Tell your clients that one of your goals is to be a breath of fresh air to him.
2. Take photo of every new client. Send a thank you card with that photo.
3. Take the BBB plaque off your wall and replace it with photos of you in action helping your community. Show photos of you teaching reading, coaching baseball, building a house for Habitat for Humanity, greeting veterans returning from the middle east.
4. Change the reading material in your waiting room. Instead of industry-related pubs, subscribe to publications focused on travel, vacation, high-end electronics, sailing, golf, charitable activities, health, etc.

Those few ideas are very simple to do and will show you in a very different light from nearly every other advisor in your community. Who wants to do business with a clone? Not many people. So, why make yourself unattractive?

Why does this make sense?

For nearly 30 years, I've heard one primary bit of advice from financial industry marketing experts, "focus on benefits, not features." That advice is no longer relevant. It ceased being relevant with the emergence of social media communication. It has been replaced in recent years by this:

"Differentiate yourself through the client experience!"

Realize that along with this change in advice came the emergence of consumer-driven-business, and the intellectual junta of the digital generations – everyone younger than Boomers (and including many Boomers). Meaning, unless you operate a retirement planning firm, your next clients probably believe they are in control of all the in-coming information.

This represents a primal scream event for the insurance and financial industries because they don't (yet) seem to realize that they've lost control of the communication. Your target market is likely to do its own research and comparative shopping on the internet. That means if you provide them with information that does not measure up, you will have lost more than just a sale. Then, they are apt to write a review of you and your firm on various blogs.

You might think of it like this, you and the industry are being held hostage by the very people who want you to serve them. They're asking you to give them what they want.

When you shift your focus to the client and his/her experience, you will find yourself immediately collecting the exact information you need to avoid complacency and conformity.

Why is this important? Because many of the producers in the financial industry are sadly rooted in complacency and conformity. They will keep on doing what they've always done. This represents a huge opportunity for you. All you have to do is reach out and grab it.

Your Reward

How can you break out of complacency and conformity? Look at your marketing. Does it resemble the marketing used by other firms? If it does, take a different approach. Want to know how well your marketing stacks up? Send a copy of one piece to [email protected]. Time permitting, I'll give you my objective feedback, and perhaps some suggestions on what you can do to distinguish yourself. Include this paragraph and your contact information.