Unreasonable returns.
Why positioning choices that look irrational to conventional financial advisors build practices that feel right.
Most financial advisors play the exact same game.
They build the same website, list the same standard asset allocation services, and write the same quarterly market updates that nobody reads.
When everyone offers everything to everyone, you are forced to compete on fees and historical performance—two things you cannot fully control.
The Power of Being Unreasonable
Three years ago, I met a wealth advisor who did something that his colleagues called foolish: he stopped accepting clients with less than $5M in liquid assets, and he narrowed his entire positioning exclusively to senior executive women in biotech.
His peers told him he was shrinking his market by 98%.
They were right. But what they didn't understand was that by shrinking his target market, his conversion rate skyrocketed. He stopped competing with 50 local firms. He became the only logical choice for his specific niche.
The 3 Rules of Irresistible Positioning
- Specific Beats Broad Every Single Time: A generalist advisor earns trust slowly. A specialist advisor earns trust instantly.
- Charge for Strategy, Not Just AUM: When you position yourself as a strategic partner rather than an asset manager, client retention approaches 99%.
- Say No to the Wrong Revenue: The fastest way to elevate your brand is turning down clients who don't fit your core thesis.
When your positioning looks "unreasonable" to the average practitioner in the financial industry, you know you are on the right track.
Enjoyed this article?
Subscribe to receive Chetan Mittal's weekly Saturday article on positioning, category leadership, and authority for financial professionals.
Read by financial leaders worldwide. No spam ever.