May 18, 2021
As a response to the gap in referrals he saw financial advisors experience across the industry, Dan Allison created a powerful but easy-to-implement method that turns clients into advocates for their advisors. That was the origin of Feedback Marketing Group, through which Dan has been sharing his method and helping advisors gain more referrals while executing effective insurance planning over the last 18 years. As one of the foremost public speakers in the industry, Dan has worked with many prominent financial services firms, including TD Ameritrade and Northwestern Mutual. Today, Feedback Marketing is part of Model FA. In addition to the work he does with Model FA, Dan also serves as President and Managing Partner for Brokers Clearing House, an organization that supports clients in insurance and risk management planning.
Dan joins me today to share his background and experiences as a public speaker and to discuss how he began his career as a consultant for financial advisors. He describes what it’s like to be an introverted extrovert and highlights why public speakers need to do marketing for themselves. Dan also describes how he developed his affinity for grit, hard work, and entrepreneurship through the influence of his parents, who were entrepreneurs themselves, and explains what inspired him to start Feedback Marketing.
“If you can be a good public speaker, you’re a rare animal. It’s not an easy way to make a good living, but once you get credibility, you can be a business.” - Dan Allison
This week on The Model FA Podcast:
- Dan’s background and how he learned entrepreneurship from his parents
- Why Dan hesitated to sell his first company and what made him eventually decide to sell it
- What prompted Dan to create Feedback Marketing
- How Dan was introduced to the financial services industry
- The biggest corporate client Dan served through Feedback Marketing
- Dan’s career as a speaker and the amount of talks he has done in a typical year
- What it’s like to be an introverted extrovert
- My first keynote gig and how Dan and I met each other
- Missed opportunities in Dan’s public speaker career and three things every public speaker should do
- Dan’s experiences with the impostor syndrome
- How to deal with the impostor syndrome using a “praise folder”
Resources Mentioned:
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
- The E Myth: Why Most Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber
- The Power of Simplicity: A Management Guide to Cutting Through the Nonsense and Doing Things Right by Jack Trout
Our Favorite Quotes:
- “A lot of advisors focus on getting referrals, but there is more value in the feedback clients give you.” - David DeCelle
- “Every time you give a speech to 500 people, your next speech is in that audience.” - Dan Allison
- “The more you focus on the law of large numbers and averages, the more likely you are to get business.” - David DeCelle
Connect with Dan Allison:
- Brokers Clearing House
- Book: Feedback Marketing: How to Duplicate Clients, Attract Prospects, and Create Advocates...Without Talking by Dan Allison
- Email: dan@modelfa.com
- Dan Allison on LinkedIn
About the Model FA Podcast
The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no “gotchas” or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.
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Our Team:
President of Model FA, David DeCelle
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