By: Kirby G Mack (Vice President of Digital Media at Simplicity Lone Beacon)
I know what you’re thinking. “Why does a financial advisor have to be creative? Technical knowledge and dedication to clients is paramount. Where does creativity fit into that?” Well, the truth is, advisors who can think outside the box in terms of how they solve problems for clients, communicate to them, and how they present themselves to prospects can make the difference between your advisory firm thriving or struggling to close new business and solve the problems clients really want answers to.
As the VP of Digital Media at Simplicity Lone Beacon, creativity is my job description. And what’s more, I’ve seen how the creative-oriented financial advisors have succeeded in hitting their goals and the ones who only stick to the books struggle. So, in this article, I’m going to provide 8 lessons you can apply and live by to help infuse creativity into your business and it’s brand.
Being creative can be hard if you let it. However, when I was young and doodling in high school, I never thought creativity was difficult. I just drew what I felt. It came so easily. So much so that at every parent/teacher conference my mom was told, “Kirby doesn’t pay attention in class, all he does is doodle. He really should apply himself more.” Ultimately, they were right. They just wanted me to apply myself to the wrong areas.
As children, we represent the rawest form of creativity. We create without the worry of risk. However, as we age, we get introduced to “the rules,” and we allow imposter syndrome to creep in. The more I learned “the rules,” the harder I found it to be creative, and the more I questioned myself: “Am I really as creative as everyone says?”
Well, the answer is yes and no. We are as creative as we allow ourselves to be.
Here are 8 things I’ve learned over my journey in my thirties (yup I’m older than you think) that I wish I knew from the start.
The first rule, there are no rules:
When you’re working with complicated products and are determining how to use financial tools based on financial environments, it can feel like the rules are the rules, you change with them or you fail. But don’t let this crowd out the creative angel on your shoulder. In the creative process, there are no rules. Throw everything out. I can tell you that for most of my life, I’ve winged everything. I jokingly tell people, “I am the master of wingology.” They laugh it off because, in the end, I produce and succeed. But I must admit that most of the time, I don’t go into a project with a “plan,” and if I do, I almost never follow it. A routine does not always produce results.
“There are no rules here — we’re trying to accomplish something.” — Thomas Edison
Second, be open to being vulnerable:
Was it easy for me to admit in the above content that I do not go into a project with a plan or that I don’t follow the standards set by my design community? Not necessarily. I certainly wouldn’t have admitted that in my youth for fear of rejection. And that’s what we need to understand. In the creative process, there are no wrongs. Ask 100% of the people in a meeting why they didn’t speak up or share an idea they had, and they will tell you it’s because they didn’t want to feel judged or stupid. But you should never be worried about that when it comes to being creative. Open yourself up.
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation creativity and change.” — Brene Brown
Third, be confident. Eliminate the “but”:
How many times are you in a strategy meeting and someone sharing their idea starts with, “This may be stupid but…” – “I’m just spit balling here but…” Or worse, “You’ll probably hate this but…” Before they even finish, you’re primed to disregard the strategy they’re about to propose, even if it’s a good idea! In a financial strategy session, this is a confidence killer, and when it comes to thinking outside the box for your own business strategy, it’s a creativity killer as well. I reiterate—there are no wrong answers when being creative. If you tell me that it’s “stupid but” or that I may “hate it but…” Guess what? It’s going to be stupid, and I am going to hate it because you just preconditioned me to. You can’t be rejected in the creative process. It just means that that particular idea is not the idea. It doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea or won’t be later.
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent Van Gogh
Fourth, rejection is just slower success:
When it comes to financial strategy, nobody will question you, especially not on our end. But when it comes to marketing strategy, the truth is, we have expertise that cen help you improve your marketing and sales the same way you have financial expertise for your clients. When it comes time to re-think your marketing and sales processes, think of yourself as an artist. One of the hardest things to do for an artist is to hear feedback and not take it personally. But it’s one of the most important things you need to learn. Rejection is not personal. It just means you’re almost there. Rejection is just success moving at a slower pace. Keep trying, keep working, and do not fear feedback. Embrace it.
“Who the h— wants to hear actors talk?” — H.M. Warner (Warner Brothers) before rejecting a proposal for movies with sound in 1927.
Fifth, collaborate:
We all like to think we are the most creative one in the room and our ideas are the best. But I have found most often that my good idea is made better when I collaborate. Don’t be scared to ask for help or bounce ideas off someone. Oftentimes I use my wife and my young child to get a different perspective and mold an idea into a winner. In the same spirit, you can open your gaze to other industries or subsectors of the financial world to take inspiration for an improved business.
Think of collaborating like you and a friend playing Legos. “What should we make?” – “Let’s make a monster!” – “What kind of monster?” – “Maybe one with wings?” – “And what if he breathed fire?” Brick by brick, you build off each other, and at the end, you have an accumulation of creativity.
“My partners taught me that in order to create wealth, I needed to pair up with people whose strengths compensated for my weaknesses.” — Kevin O’Leary
Sixth, have a reason and stand behind it:
Imagine reaching out to a new client who just agreed to work with you and saying this: “Hey, here are some cool financial strategies I like, let me know what you think.” While that’s a nice message, not only does it fail to communicate your researched expertise in the financial pathways you’ve constructed for them, it fails to give them a clear path forward. When considering new marketing strategies, the same structure must be followed. In my world, Some people present an opinion, idea, or a design concept with little to no reasoning. They just send an email saying, “Here are the logo ideas I came up with. Let me know what you think.” Why would you do that? Likely, that person spent painstaking hours creating, doubting, erasing, and trying again. In some instances, this project took over thier life. And now when they go to present it, they haven’t made it clear why each decision has been made. Give the why, explain the details, and breathe life into your ideas.
“One key to entrepreneurial success is to get a great group of people around you who believe in your idea.” — Richard Branson
Seven, being creative is not work, it’s play:
Many financial advisors struggle to make real impact on their marketing goals because they fail to see that thinking outside the box is deadline-oriented, it doesn’t get completed simply by going through the motions, it’s not normal “work” in that sense it’s structured “play.” Don’t think of being creative in terms of hours or deadlines. Recall what I told you above over and over again? There are no wrong answers here. Being creative should be fun. Consider it play. It’s like being youthful again. You’re back to being 8 years old on a beach, building a sandcastle and protecting its walls from the waves. You use a dune stick as your sword and wear a sand bucket on your head for a helmet. But before you know it, you start to be attacked from behind by a giant crab, so you must grab your boogie board, which instantly becomes an impenetrable shield. Lighten your expectations, loosen up, and enjoy yourself in the process.
“The most sophisticated people I know – inside they are all children.” — Jim Henson
Finally, “They’re almost always wrong.”:
Don’t fear rejection, use it. My fifth tip is an accumulation of all of the others wrapped up in one nice package. Here is a shocking fact: people are flawed, and oftentimes, we are wrong. We may not even be judging your idea on the actual idea itself. Perhaps they don’t like you, or maybe they are preoccupied, had a rough nights sleep, or a bad day. If there are no wrong answers or rules in the creative process, then the only people who are wrong are the ones who say no. Behind every successful idea, there are dozens and dozens of “noes.”
Just for fun, here are a few:
“You’d have a decent book if you’d get rid of that Gatsby character.” — Feedback to F. Scott Fitzgerald from an editor for The Great Gatsby
“Your work looks as if it were done by four different people. – - Resubmit when consistent and when you have learned to draw hands.” – Marvel Comics editor to famed Comic artist Jim Lee
“Too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling.” — Rejection critique sent to Dr. Seuss
