The Loyalty Ladder: What Do You Have?
 
        
      Before we can start an effective coaching and consulting process with an advisor or team, it helps to understand where certain opportunities might exist; we call those “Opportunity Gaps”.

While the list of consulting programs we provide at USA Financial is long, we’ll focus here on how we help advisors identify what is really happening with the people they serve.
This is the first of two revealing exercises; this one called The Loyalty Ladder.
In order to maximize this particular Opportunity Gap it is important for us to ask our advisors "What do you have?" Or, asked another way, "Who are you working with?" That is why when we start working with an advisor or a team we never ask, “how many clients do you have?” It's an inappropriate question. What we ask instead is “how many households do you serve?” We start with that larger number and then break it down into three categories: Customers, Clients, and Advocates.
The first group, Customers, we describe as people that are doing business with you, but we also know they're doing business elsewhere. It may be that they do their wealth management with you but perhaps they’re doing their risk management and insurance someplace else, or it could be that they have a second advisor, just to mention a couple of examples. Obviously, we’re not downplaying the revenue that these folks generate, but typically these relationships are a product of timing and/or convenience and they rarely progress further with your practice.
Want to keep reading?
Related Posts
-1.png) 
                      
                    How Gratitude Can Grow Your Practice: Thanksgiving Lessons for Financial Advisors
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady shares why Thanksgiving is one of the most powerful — and underutilized — times of year for financial advisors to connect with their top clients. He explains how this quieter, gratitude-filled season offers a unique opportunity to build deeper relationships, foster loyalty, and create memorable client experiences that drive advocacy. From heartfelt handwritten cards to “annual anchor” gifts that become part of clients’ traditions, Aaron outlines practical ways to operationalize gratitude and turn it into a repeatable, referable process. Tune in to learn how to transform a simple gesture into a lasting impression — and make Thanksgiving a cornerstone of your client relationship strategy.
 
                      
                    What’s Trending: September’s Market Rally, Stock Market Updates, & AI
In this October’s Trending Report, Kevin Roskam breaks down why sticking to a disciplined, unemotional investment strategy continues to pay off—especially when the headlines say otherwise. Despite September’s reputation as a historically weak month for the markets, the S&P 500 gained 3.5%, showing once again that trends—not feelings—drive results. Kevin dives into what fueled the rally, from the Fed’s rate cut to tech sector strength, and explores how theme-based investing—like AI, automation, and clean energy—is shaping market momentum. He also reminds us that long-term success may involve tuning out political noise and short-term emotions. Tune in for key takeaways, market charts, and insights designed to help you stay focused on the data—not the drama.
 
                      
                    Ideal Client Events in Action: Transition, Reframing, Celebration
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady is joined by USA Financial Practice Management Consultant, Allan Oehrlein, to explore three powerful types of ideal client events every advisor should be leveraging: transition, reframing, and celebration. More than just appreciation gatherings, these tailored events help you retain top relationships, build advocacy, and elevate your practice. From handling major firm changes with confidence to showcasing new processes and creating memorable client experiences, Aaron and Allan break down practical strategies to turn client events into long-term growth opportunities. This episode takes the strategy from Client Retention Strategies through Rare Experiences and provides actionable ways ideal client events can serve different purposes.
-1.png) 
                    
                    How Gratitude Can Grow Your Practice: Thanksgiving Lessons for Financial Advisors
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady shares why Thanksgiving is one of the most powerful — and underutilized — times of year for financial advisors to connect with their top clients. He explains how this quieter, gratitude-filled season offers a unique opportunity to build deeper relationships, foster loyalty, and create memorable client experiences that drive advocacy. From heartfelt handwritten cards to “annual anchor” gifts that become part of clients’ traditions, Aaron outlines practical ways to operationalize gratitude and turn it into a repeatable, referable process. Tune in to learn how to transform a simple gesture into a lasting impression — and make Thanksgiving a cornerstone of your client relationship strategy.
 
                    
                    What’s Trending: September’s Market Rally, Stock Market Updates, & AI
In this October’s Trending Report, Kevin Roskam breaks down why sticking to a disciplined, unemotional investment strategy continues to pay off—especially when the headlines say otherwise. Despite September’s reputation as a historically weak month for the markets, the S&P 500 gained 3.5%, showing once again that trends—not feelings—drive results. Kevin dives into what fueled the rally, from the Fed’s rate cut to tech sector strength, and explores how theme-based investing—like AI, automation, and clean energy—is shaping market momentum. He also reminds us that long-term success may involve tuning out political noise and short-term emotions. Tune in for key takeaways, market charts, and insights designed to help you stay focused on the data—not the drama.
 
                    
                    Ideal Client Events in Action: Transition, Reframing, Celebration
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady is joined by USA Financial Practice Management Consultant, Allan Oehrlein, to explore three powerful types of ideal client events every advisor should be leveraging: transition, reframing, and celebration. More than just appreciation gatherings, these tailored events help you retain top relationships, build advocacy, and elevate your practice. From handling major firm changes with confidence to showcasing new processes and creating memorable client experiences, Aaron and Allan break down practical strategies to turn client events into long-term growth opportunities. This episode takes the strategy from Client Retention Strategies through Rare Experiences and provides actionable ways ideal client events can serve different purposes.

 
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
            