EP 88 | Building Authority and Expertise as a Financial Advisor with Mike Saunders

Mike Saunders is the President, CEO, and Authority Positioning Coach of Marketing Huddle, an organization dedicated to empowering financial professionals. By helping them build authority and expertise, Mike elevates financial professionals to become trusted financial advisors. He is the bestselling author of Authority Selling and serves as a member of the Forbes Coaches Council. Mike is also the host of the Influential Entrepreneurs podcast, where he interviews elite business leaders and experts to help his listeners elevate their businesses to the next level. 

Mike joins us today to discuss how financial advisors can move from obscurity and become trusted heroes by building authority. He explains how choosing the right social media platform can help elevate your status as a financial advisor and outlines how to start building expertise through content creation. Mike also shares his advice on branding through service and highlights the value of understanding the buyer’s journey.

“Stand out from your competitors by building authority. Be an educator and advocate for your target audience’s success.” – Mike Saunders

This week on The Model FA Podcast: 

●        Establishing your brand through different social media channels

●        What it means to be omnipresent on various social media platforms

●        How advisors can begin working on publicity and choose which social media platforms to focus on

●        How platforms can help elevate your status as a financial advisor

●        Understanding the buyer’s journey and creating content

●        How to humanize yourself to your prospects and clients

●        Building authority by creating impactful content around frequently asked questions

●        The power of being a guest on podcasts

●        Mike’s advice on building your brand

●        Trust triggers and what “earned media” means

●        Optimizing your portfolio of “authority-positioning” assets

Resources Mentioned: 

●        Book: The Medium is the Message: An Inventory of Effects by Marshall McLuhan

●        Book: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller

●        Book: Shift: Digital Marketing Secrets of Insurance Agents and Financial Advisors by Jeremiah Desmarais

●        Traffic Geyser

Our Favorite Quotes: 

●        “Social media allows you not just to increase but also to maintain your relevance to the eyes of the people you want to serve.” – David DeCelle

●        “Trust isn’t built on elapsed time alone but also on the accumulation of experiences.” – David DeCelle

●        “Build your brand by serving, teaching, and giving value.” – Mike Saunders

Connect with Mike Saunders: 

●        Marketing Huddle

●        Authoritize Your Agency

●        Podcast: Influential Entrepreneurs

●        Book: AUTHORITY MARKETING FOR LAW FIRMS: How to Attract High-Value Cases in Lucrative Industries

●        Book: Authority Selling: Opening More Doors to Closing More Business

●        Book: Believing Your Why: The 7-Step “Morning Huddle” System to Finally Achieve Your Goals!

●        Book: Dental Marketing Fusion

●        Book: The P.R.I.S.M. Salvation: A 3-Step Solution to Social Media Domination for Busy Business Owners

●        Marketing Huddle on LinkedIn

●        Authority Positioning Coach on YouTube

●        Mike Saunders on LinkedIn

●        Mike Saunders on Twitter

●        Email: [email protected]

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. 

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you’d love to see covered. 

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle 

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.