How does Don Quixote give us a road map to explosive growth?

Statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza at the Plaza de Espana in Madrid, Spain

Getting outside of the box.

We’ve all said it. Why does it matter in this independent financial advisor space?

When everyone looks or sounds alike, consumers default to choosing brands. That’s an expensive space to compete in.

But when we get outside of the box, go beyond product-driven marketing and actually present ourselves as someone who understands the advisor’s circumstances, challenges and motivations; then we have differentiated ourselves. When we are connecting with our audience they listen and they begin to trust. Our audience is not homogeneous. It’s a collection of personas.

The Man from La Mancha is a fictional character. But he is a great example of a persona. We understand a little about his past, his motivations and his pain points.

Roy Williams, the Wizard of Ads, writes this description:

“Don Quixote saw beauty in Dulcinea when everyone else saw commonness, so he decided to be her champion. And because he was tired of being safe at home, he went looking for adventure. The balance of his epic book are the tales of his battles: his victories and his defeats, his parades and his embarrassments, his glistening moments of accomplishment and his painful regrets.  Quixote challenged lions, fought giants, and struggled with adversaries on every side.”

“And I know if I’ll only be true
To this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I’m laid to my rest.”

“And the world will be better for this;
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.” ^[1]

“Scorned and covered with scars…” describes every true entrepreneur.”

If you’re in the business of working with small business owners or financial advisors, then this persona gives you important insight and direction about how to connect and solve their problems with your product or service.

It’s a road map about how to structure your value proposition and messaging.  It would certainly shape your company’s narrative.

Research says financial advisors ignore 90+% of the sales and marketing messages they receive.

“Advisors are starting to report having less time for wholesaler visits, which underscores the importance of communicating with advisors according to their distinct preferences,” said Meredith Lloyd Rice, vice president at Market Strategies

Why? Certainly they are overloaded but research also tells us they don’t perceive value in those messages.

The world is a really noisy place. It can be incredibly challenging to deliver messaging to your customers that gets their attention and gets results. Your best chance is to personalize your communication and engage customers at the individual level at every touch point

According to a study at the University of Texas, one reason we prefer personalized experiences is because they help reduce information overload. Or, more precisely, personalization can help reduce our perception of information overload.

Who are the personas in your niche? How are you tailoring your messaging and communication? How is your value proposition aligned to solve their problems?

[1] from The Quest, also known as The Impossible Dream, from Man of La Mancha, a 1972 play about Don Quixote. Lyrics by Joe Darion.