The Bottom Line from XYPN LIVE in Atlanta
In September, Success Story Studio attended the XYPN LIVE 2023 conference in Atlanta, one of the best, most energetic conferences in the financial planning industry. As exhibitors, we were able to catch many of the keynotes and breakout sessions, and wanted to share just a few of our key takeaways from the conference.
Among the highlights were Alan Moore and Michael Kitces’ opening remarks. The co-founders of the XY Planning Network never fail to inspire and are always entertaining and insightful. Alan and Michael shared some exciting changes coming to the organization, as well as some eye-opening industry stats from XYPN’s latest benchmarking study. One that jumped out to me is that solo practices continue to show, on average, higher revenue per advisor and revenue per total staff than both boutique and enterprise firms.
My favorite keynote speaker was Jonathan Sprinkles, founder of the Connection Lab, who shared inspirational tips on how to use your own “why” as the raw material for creating meaningful connections with your clients.
The breakout sessions were chock full of powerful insights to help planners move their business forward. One of my faves was the compliance update from Travis Johnson and the XYPN compliance team, who shared some important regulatory changes coming down the pike.
Brian Thorp of WealthTender and Eric Simonson of Abondo Wealth shared tips on how to use testimonials and online reviews as powerful forms of social proof in your advisory business now that the new SEC marketing rule is fully in effect.
Lastly, the power duo of Carolyn Dalle-Molle and Candice Carlton of FiComm Partners presented a session on “How to Use Video Across Your Communications to Differentiate, Humanize and Scale.” They shared five ways video can enhance your client interactions, including creating time efficiencies, answering frequently asked questions, and adding value in between scheduled client meetings.
One question they asked really resonated with me: “Where can you bank a video that you can use again and again?” One of the best places is within your prospect onboarding process. If you can record a series of short videos covering some of the most common questions asked during this process, it can save both you and your clients a ton of time!
(By the way, if you missed the September Masterclass webinar I co-hosted with Candice and Carolyn on How to Create Powerful Client Testimonials that Drive Prospects, make sure to check out the on-demand recording.)
One of my favorite features of XYPN LIVE is Exhibit Day, which allows attendees to spend a whole day interacting with innovative service and technology providers, without missing any content sessions. We enjoyed meeting the scores of financial planners who stopped by the Success Story Studio booth, ranging from those just venturing out on their solopreneur journey to established, successful firms. We gave away tons of swag and collected dozens of names for our raffle. Congratulations to Brian Kinney of Financial Life Journeys for winning a free Premium Success Story package!
This was our second year exhibiting at the XYPN LIVE conference, and we once again found it to be jam packed with outstanding content and opportunities for connection. Next year’s conference will be held in October in Minneapolis, and we look forward to seeing you there!