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How to craft an advisor value proposition that actually sets you apart

  • Writer: Partners in Genius
    Partners in Genius
  • Mar 12, 2025
  • 4 min read

Ask ten wealth advisors what makes them different, and you'll hear some version of the same answer: "We put the client first," "We take a holistic view," or "We provide personalized service." The problem isn't that these things are untrue. It's that every advisor says them. When everyone claims the same differentiator, nobody's differentiated.


A strong advisor value proposition does something specific: it tells a prospective client, in plain language, why you're the right fit for their situation and what outcome they can expect. It's not a tagline. It's not a mission statement. It's the clearest answer you can give to the question "Why should I choose you?"


Professional suited woman in focus who is mid conversation at a board room table

The difference between an advisor value proposition and a marketing slogan


Slogans are designed to be memorable. Value propositions are designed to be useful.

A slogan might say "Building wealth, building trust." A value proposition says "We help physicians within their first ten years of practice build a financial plan that accounts for student debt repayment, disability insurance gaps, and incorporation timing, so they can focus on their patients instead of worrying about their finances."


Notice the difference. 

The second version is longer, yes. But it does something the slogan can't: it tells a specific person that you understand their specific situation. A physician reading that sentence thinks, "This advisor gets it." A retiree reading it thinks, "This isn't for me," and that's equally valuable. The best value propositions attract the right people and politely redirect the ones who aren't a fit.


Start with what your best clients actually value


Most advisors try to write their value proposition by looking inward: What do I do? What are my strengths? That approach tends to produce generic results because it focuses on inputs rather than outcomes.


Instead, start by looking at your best client relationships, the ones where both you and the client feel the arrangement is working. Ask yourself: What brought them to me in the first place? What would they say if someone asked them why they stay? What specific problem did I solve that another advisor hadn't?


If you can, ask those clients directly. You might be surprised by what they value most. It's rarely "performance" in isolation. More often, it's something like "You explained the tax implications in a way I actually understood" or "You were the first advisor who asked about my business before talking about investments."


A practical framework for building your advisor value proposition


A value proposition that works has four components: the audience (who you serve), the problem (what challenge or goal they face), the solution (what you do differently to address it), and the proof (why they should believe you).


You don't need to hit all four in a single sentence. But all four should show up somewhere in your core messaging, whether that's a bio, a one-pager, or the first conversation with a new prospect.

Here's a working example:


"We work with Canadian business owners who are five to ten years from selling their company (audience). Most have built significant wealth inside their corporation but haven't planned for what happens to that wealth after a sale (problem). Our team coordinates the tax, estate, and investment strategy before the transaction, not after, so our clients keep more of what they've earned (solution). Over the past decade, we've guided more than forty business transitions ranging from $2M to $25M (proof)."


That's specific, credible, and easy to remember. More importantly, it gives the advisor something concrete to say when a prospect asks, "So, what do you do?"


Common traps to avoid


Claiming you're "different" without saying how. If your differentiator requires a paragraph of explanation, it isn't yet a differentiator.


Trying to appeal to everyone. An advisor value proposition that targets "all Canadians" will connect with none of them.


Being vague about outcomes. "We help you achieve your financial goals" says nothing. "We help you retire with confidence that your income will last" says something.


It's also worth noting that your value proposition will change over time. As your practice evolves and your niche sharpens, the language should evolve with it. Think of it as a living document, not a plaque on the wall.


Putting your advisor value proposition to work


Once you've got a clear value proposition, it should show up everywhere: your bio, your website, your LinkedIn summary, your prospecting deck, and your elevator pitch. Consistency matters. If your bio says one thing and your website says another, prospects notice. We covered the foundations of building a strong digital presence in an earlier post, and your value proposition is the thread that ties all of those pieces together.


Where to start


Here's five questions you can start asking yourself today. Consider asking your inner circle what they perceive the answers to be too.


  1. Who is my ideal client?

  2. What challenge do I help them solve?

  3. What's different about how I work?

  4. What credentials support my expertise?

  5. How should someone reach me?


We've developed a Value Proposition Development Worksheet that walks you through each of the four components with targeted questions and examples. It's the same framework we use with the advisors we work with. To get a copy, reach out to us and we'll send it your way.


Considering tuning up your value proposition? Let us help.

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