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Recently, LinkedIn released a new tool called ProFinder. It is designed to help members find and connect with local professionals, including wealth managers and Certified Financial Planners™.
Here’s a quick introduction to this new service.
How does this affect you?
Although still fairly new, ProFinder may prove to be a useful application for both its members looking to be connected with professionals, as well as any business wishing to grow their client base. LinkedIn is asking members if they need services from professionals including CFPs®, Chartered Financial Analysts™, Certified Public Accountants, wealth managers and insurance, personal tax, retirement-planning or accounting professionals.
Take the first step and set up your profile
In order to use the features that ProFinder has to offer, you must first register as a member with LinkedIn. Whether you are a professional or a prospective client, create and complete a comprehensive profile, so both parties have the necessary introductory information.
How do people connect?
LinkedIn will ask the member to choose the type of professional for whom they are looking or would like to be matched. Most often, once a member clicks on their choices, a list of professionals will appear for their review and selection. When a match is made and the request is filed, the adviser will have the option to accept or reject the request. If a request is accepted between a prospective client and advisor, they can then go off-line to continue to discuss other services and see if a more solid and productive client-professional relationship can be built.
The cons
ProFinder is not without its cons. It’s all very new, and improvements are still being made. Professionals should be aware that this is not the ideal network to find and secure affluent clients. Very rarely do clients with large amounts of money to invest turn to sources such as ProFinder to find highly qualified financial advisors or wealth managers. Your business will not rapidly acquire clients or generate substantial interest from this tool. Given the fact that ProFinder matches members with local professionals, there may not be a lot of prospective clients searching for your type of business within a close enough distance to your area.
The pros
The benefits to using ProFinder are that it’s quite easy to use and only takes a few minutes to set up. It could help expand your branding and visibility. Any chance to further market and make your company accessible is always a benefit, so why not at least give it a shot?
So, go ahead and sign up today.
Crystal Butler is an entrepreneur, creative marketer and results-driven business consultant with over a decade of experience helping financial advisors. At Crystal Marketing Solutions, LLC she provides marketing services for financial professionals by communicating a cohesive brand and building business relationships to help them grow and thrive. Connect with Crystal on LinkedIn at crystallbutler or learn