Advertise on podcast: Advisers Assemble - Lead Generation For Financial Services

This is the first episode of a new Advisers Assemble segment. We send people a link and ask them what really winds them up about websites, and what they love. Personal branding coach Bob Gentle goes first, and Alex and Stephanie talk through his answers. Bob's pet hate is "get in touch" as a call to action. You'd never invite someone to a barbecue by saying "I would like you to come to my barbecue". You'd tell them it's going to be great fun, low-key, and full of people they'll like. High value, low threat. He says your website invitations should work the same way. What we cover:• Why "get in touch" undersells the one thing you want visitors to do, and what we've seen when we test it against something more specific.• Why "book an appointment" or "book your fact find" can put people off. Lots of enquirers just have a few questions and don't want to give up their time yet.• Get a short, early conversation going. Show interest in the person and they stop looking at other advisers.• Bob's surprising like: people who openly say they're using AI. "Hi, this is Jimmy's AI assistant" got him to reply.• Why uncertainty kills more deals than anything else. Not knowing if you're talking to a person or a bot feels worse than knowing it's AI.• Being honest about using AI removes the stigma and builds trust straight away. If you want more enquiries, stop asking visitors to get in touch and start inviting them to something they'd actually want. Find Bob Gentle:Website: https://www.amplifyme.agency/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobgentle/Roadmap: https://www.amplifyme.agency/roadmapPodcast, Building Your LeaderBrand: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/building-your-leaderbrand-personal-branding-digital/id1439009077 Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

Alex and Stephanie dig into the enquiries mortgage and protection advisers are getting from ChatGPT. Most of them arrive through the homepage, yet they're niche enquiries (CIS, doctors, visas) where the AI has read a specialist page and then sent the person to the brand.Key takeaways: Your niche pages may be working harder than your stats show. AI reads them, then links to your homepage.ChatGPT enquiries are around six times longer and four times more likely to sound ready to go: offer accepted, deposit ready, DIP needed.People copy and paste a message ChatGPT wrote for them, so make sure your form has a message box.AI visibility tools ask made-up prompts. Rand Fishkin found AI gave the same list of brands less than 1% of the time.There's no Search Console for ChatGPT and no mortgage ads on it yet, so you have to earn these leads with in-depth content. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

Six people, two teams, a basketball being passed around, and a question on screen: how many passes did the players in white make? Somewhere in the middle of it a person in a gorilla suit walks straight through the group, and most viewers never see it. In this episode Alex Curtis and Stephanie watch the famous focussed attention experiment and use it to answer two objections advisers raise about their own websites.Stephanie counted 14 of the 15 passes, clocked the gorilla for a split second and assumed it was meant to be there. Watch it back knowing what's coming and it's impossible to miss. That gap is the whole point: when someone has a task, everything irrelevant to that task disappears.What we cover: The experiment itself, and why the gorilla is obvious on the second viewing and invisible on the firstObjection one: "the enquiry form at the top of every page is too pushy, it's like proposing before a first date". It's a logical argument, and logic is not what drives behaviour. Someone reading for information simply scrolls past it, no offence taken. Someone who came to make contact finds it instantlyWhy the homepage is not a shop window: plenty of people arriving there are on their second visit and are ready to get in touchObjection two: "if I build niche pages I'll look like a one-trick pony, or like I'm not an expert". Someone searching for a specific scenario lands on that page, not the homepage, and never sees your other services. They are gorillas to that visitorThe second page people actually do look at, and it isn't your other product pages, it's About Us and the teamWhy advisers overanalyse what else should be on a page. Real visitors don't audit your whole website, only compliance doesServe the thing the visitor came for, make it easy to find, and everything else is noiseIf you want more enquiries from your website, stop optimising for the objection nobody raises and start making the one thing each visitor came for impossible to miss. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

The fastest way to ruin a good idea is to ask people what they think of it. In this episode Alex Curtis and Stephanie go through the businesses that would never have existed if they had listened to their own market research, and what that means for the way advisers test their marketing.Red Bull: a smaller can, more expensive than Coke, and it tastes worse. No survey would ever have approved it, and it built a business that owns Formula One and football teams off one product.Domino's: customers said the crust tasted like cardboard, so the answer should have been the recipe. The biggest sales jump came from the 30 minute guarantee and the pizza tracker, because the real blocker was not knowing when the food would arrive. Same reason Uber worked, you can see the car coming.Apple, Dyson and Porsche get the same treatment: business people wanted a physical keyboard, nobody said they wanted to see their own dirt, and Porsche were told an SUV would ruin their heritage. The Cayenne became their best selling car.What we cover: Why asking for an opinion pushes people into slow, analytical thinking, when almost every real buying decision is instinctThe mental pairings that drive those instant decisions: if other people use it, it's safe; if it's expensive, it must be goodThe air fryer example, and why the cheapest option does not winWhy you should never ask friends or family whether they like your social post, website, logo or email signature. If they say yes it probably won't work, and if they say it's a bit weird you probably won't post itFrom coupons to analytics: direct response marketing measured with mail order coupons, and how reach, watch time, on-page engagement and leads do the same job now with better dataWhy trial and error beats opinion, and why the most bonkers tests are often the ones that workIf you want to know whether an idea is any good, stop asking and start measuring. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

Why do people copy a room full of strangers doing something with no explanation at all?In this episode Alex Curtis is joined by Stephanie to talk through a classic conformity experiment filmed in an opticians' waiting room. An unsuspecting visitor sits down with a group of actors. A beep sounds, everyone stands up and sits back down, nobody speaks. By the third beep she is standing up too, with no idea why. The actors leave, she keeps standing on her own, and every new person who walks in ends up doing the same.From there we get into what this means for mortgage brokers, protection advisers and any financial services firm trying to turn website visitors into enquiries.What we cover: The experiment, step by step, and the moment she stands up alone in an empty roomWhy the brain feels resistance to being the odd one out, and why going with the flow is easier than thinking it throughConformity vs social proof, and why social proof beats a logical argument almost every timeThe mistake to avoid: negative social proof. Don't highlight that most people skip protection, or that most people wait for rates to fall. You are showing the crowd doing the wrong thing and the crowd is what people followStaying compliant while using it. Don't invent numbers or claims, use what is genuinely trueWhy Google reviews are the strongest, cleanest form of social proof, and why we show them three or four times on a single pageConsistency beats volume: recent, steady reviews create a chain reaction, dribs and drabs don'tYou will never convert everyone. Use these principles and you convert more than averageIf you want more leads from your website and your ads, this is the mindset shift: show people what the crowd is already doing, don't try to argue them into it. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

In this episode of The Advisers Assemble Podcast, host Alex Curtis explains how behavioural science can make marketing much more effective. Just like an architect has to build with gravity in mind, marketers should use proven psychological rules instead of just guessing. Alex shares real-world examples, like how changing the words on a hotel sign or a tax letter can actually change how people act. Learn how simple tweaks to your messaging can get much better results without spending extra money. Key Topics & Timestamps[00:00:00] The Architect & Gravity Analogy: Why marketing should rely on established scientific rules of human behavior rather than guesswork.[00:02:30] Why Campaigns "Fail": Why business owners often prematurely declare advertising channels like Facebook, TikTok, or Google Ads as "dead" without analyzing the actual message or psychological triggers.[00:03:45] The Psychology of Social Proof: The restaurant analogy (empty vs. busy) and why people look to the behavior of others when making decisions.[00:05:00] Robert Cialdini's Hotel Towel Experiment: How changing standard environmental signs to social proof cards ("most people staying in this room reuse their towels") boosted compliance.[00:08:00] System 1 vs. System 2 Thinking (Daniel Kahneman):System 1 (Instinctual): Fast, automated thinking used during social media scrolling or catching a thrown ball.System 2 (Logical): Analytical, slow thinking. Why putting too much complex information (like rates tables) in front of prospects triggers System 2, causes decision fatigue, and makes them leave.[00:11:45] David Cameron's "Nudge Unit" (Behavioural Insights Team): How adding a simple, true statement ("9 out of 10 people pay their tax on time") on self-assessment letter demands recouped millions in tax revenue with zero additional cost.[00:15:00] When Social Proof Backfires: Why tailored messaging is critical, illustrated by how energy-saving letters backfired for below-average energy consumers.[00:16:30] The Default Option & Nudge Theory: How auto-enrolling employees in workplace pensions ("opt-out" instead of "opt-in") successfully got more people saving for retirement.[00:18:00] Visual Verification: How adding a photo of a citizen's actual car to vehicle tax letters skyrocketed compliance.[00:19:15] Pioneers of Scientific Advertising: References to advertising legend David Ogilvy, Claude Hopkins' 1923 book Scientific Advertising, and BJ Fogg's behavior model (applied by Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger to build a billion-dollar app).[00:21:30] Six Core Behavioral Biases Explored:Anchoring: How sales prices (e.g., TK Maxx) anchor value against high original prices.Authority Bias: The influence of perceived experts/authorities (e.g., lab coats).Availability Bias: How recent news (e.g., shark attacks) distorts our statistical risk perception.Chunking: Breaking down complex tasks.Consistency: Getting prospects to agree to minor commitments first.Decoy Pricing: Creating options that make the target package look like the best value.Key Takeaways & Episode NotesScience over Speculation: Human behavior is highly predictable. Leverage proven behavioral science rules to optimize your campaigns.Reduce Cognitive Friction: Avoid overcomplicating forms and landing pages. Keep prospects in System 1 (instinctive/reactive) mode for smoother conversions.Wording Matters: The UK government's Nudge Unit proved that minor phrasing changes cost next to nothing but can deliver millions in returns. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

In this episode, Alex and Stephanie dive into the common challenges businesses face when trying to reach new leads. From navigating phone call screening technology to cutting down overly long outreach messages, they share practical advice and real data on how concise communication dramatically improves conversion and response rates. Key Topics Call Screening Challenges: Understanding why consumers use call screening tools and how brokers/businesses can navigate them effectively. Short vs. Long WhatsApp Messages: Why sending long-winded initial messages lowers response rates, and how simple call-to-action prompts (like asking for a thumbs-up emoji) boost engagement. The "Word Jenga" Technique: How to strip away unnecessary "fluff" and keep messages punchy without losing the core meaning, inspired by the principles in Writing for Busy Readers. Email Click-Through & Survey Data: Real-world stats showing how reducing word count in newsletters and surveys can double or triple click-through and completion rates. Leveraging AI for Concise Writing: Using custom AI prompts and tools (like Gemini gems) to perform "Word Jenga" on draft communications. Timestamps [00:00:00] - Introduction and discussion on call screening technology. [00:02:00] - Discussing lead response rates and the problem with lengthy WhatsApp messages. [00:03:00] - Example of an overly complex message vs. a simple prompt; introducing "Word Jenga". [00:06:00] - Comparison of long vs. short emails and industry click-through benchmarks. [00:09:00] - Data on email length, word count, and survey completion rates. [00:12:00] - Using AI tools and pre-loaded prompts to streamline outreach. [00:14:00] - Final takeaways on concise communication and closing thoughts. Key Takeaways Less is More: People scan text rather than reading word-for-word. Shorter messages reduce cognitive effort and increase response rates. Make Replying Frictionless: Asking a quick, direct question (e.g., "Are you free for a call now?") allows leads to reply with a simple thumbs-up emoji rather than typing out an essay. State Your Identity Clearly: When facing call screening, state clearly who you are and where you're calling from so users know it's not spam. Practice Word Jenga: Regularly review your template emails and text outreach to remove fluff. Leverage tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to auto-edit for brevity.   Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

In this episode, we dive into a recent landing page experiment where a single formatting change—switching the main H1 headline from sentence case to ALL CAPS resulted in a 59.82% increase in leads for a mortgage broker's website. We break down the test methodology, the results, and the psychological reasons why this simple, low-effort tweak outperformed the status quo. Key Talking Points The Experiment Setup: We ran an A/B test over 23 days with 216 visitors from Google Ads. The only variable changed was the H1 headline; every other element (form, photos, content) remained identical. The Results: The ALL CAPS headline generated 59.82% more leads per click. Conversely, when the sentence case version was live, the blended cost per lead increased by 59.39%, and the conversion rate dropped by 21.10%. Dispelling the "Shouting" Myth: Contrary to the belief that ALL CAPS feels like shouting or aggressive, bounce rates were identical. Visitors didn't leave the page; they actually spent 27.54% longer on the ALL CAPS page, indicating higher engagement. The Psychology of Clarity: Capital letters are processed faster by the brain because their shapes are more distinct and uniform. In a high-stakes search context where visitors have one question—"Am I in the right place?"—ALL CAPS provides instant clarity and signals authority, much like road signs. The Caveat: A headline change is not a "silver bullet." This experiment succeeded because it was backed by a high-quality page, including 5-star Google reviews and content tailored to user intent. The headline simply served as a more effective first impression. Actionable Takeaways Run Your Own Split Test: If you're running Google Ads, create a duplicate landing page with a capitalized headline and split your traffic. Monitor Performance: If you aren't running ads, simply apply the change and track your leads over the next 30 days. Low Effort, High Impact: This is one of the lowest-effort tests you can run. No developers or designers required—just hit Caps Lock on your headline and measure the results. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

In this episode, explore the role of inbound calls in Google Ads campaigns for mortgage leads. He argues that businesses often overlook the power of immediate phone contact, treating it as an afterthought rather than a primary conversion channel. The discussion covers why these leads are unique, the importance of operational processes, and how to effectively track call performance. Key Takeaways The Urgency of Inbound Leads: When a user clicks to call directly from an ad, they have a clear intent: they want answers immediately. They are bypassing the standard web form journey because they are ready to talk now. Abolish the Phone Menu: Complex phone menus (IVRs) act as a barrier to potential clients who are already in a "solve my problem now" mindset. Alex advises businesses to remove these menus for ad-driven traffic, or use a dedicated phone number that connects directly to an adviser. Availability is Critical: Running Google Ads without a plan to answer the phone is "throwing money in the fire." If you miss the call, the lead will almost certainly move on to a competitor. If you cannot answer, consider outsourcing call handling, though speaking to an adviser directly remains the gold standard for conversion. The Power of Tracking: Use Google’s call tracking numbers to get the full picture. This enables you to report on which specific keywords, ads, and landing pages are driving the most calls, allowing for better ROI analysis. There is no "Standard" Split: The ratio of web forms to inbound calls fluctuates wildly depending on the business. Data from various clients shows ranges from 80% forms to 80% calls. Don't assume a standard conversion ratio; track your specific data to understand your business reality. Actionable Advice Audit Your Process: If you are running ads, ensure someone is available to answer the phone immediately. If it's just you, prioritise availability during your active campaign hours. Clean Your Data: When reviewing call reports, filter out calls shorter than 10 seconds. These are often accidental "fat finger" clicks and will skew your conversion data. Be Accessible: Don't overthink the "professionalism" of being a small team. People want to know who they are working with; they don't need a corporate phone menu to feel secure. Connect with Alex For more insights into content experiments and lead generation data, subscribe to The Lead Engine newsletter on LinkedIn via Alex Curtis's profile. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

Summary: In this episode, we explore why "boring," straightforward, and simple content is far more effective for generating mortgage leads than "jazzy" or highly entertaining marketing copy. Mortgage clients aren't looking to be entertained; they are seeking safety, reassurance, and clear answers to their problems. We discuss why stripping back your content to the essentials helps you convert strangers into clients. Key Takeaways: The Path of Least Resistance: Users on search engines and social platforms are looking for quick, easy-to-read answers. Complex, wordy copy often feels like high effort and leads users to scroll past. The Power of "Boring" Content: Data from our experiments consistently shows that plain, factual, and direct content increases click-through rates on Google Ads and time-on-page metrics compared to more exciting, sales-heavy copy. Less is More: Extra words act as a tax on the reader's time. We discuss the benefits of short-form emails and direct, concrete language over abstract adjectives like "amazing" or "incredible." The Q&A Strategy: Building your content around simple, frequent questions (like "Joint Borrower/Sole Proprietor") provides immediate value. This approach builds trust and helps your content rank better in search and AI results. The "Well" Analogy: When a potential client has a mortgage problem, they are "stuck in a well." They don't need entertainment; they need a clear, direct ladder to get out. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

In this episode, we dive into a cost-free, highly effective strategy to boost your mortgage website's performance. We explore why adding a simple adviser photo is one of the most powerful changes you can make to increase trust and lead volume. Key Highlights: The Experiment: We break down a recent test on a mortgage broker’s website that compared identical web pages—one with an adviser photo and one without. The results? The page featuring the adviser's face generated 11% more leads. The Science of Trust: Ambiguity Aversion: People feel uncomfortable discussing private financial matters with strangers. Seeing a face reduces this uncertainty and builds immediate rapport. Hard-Wired for Connection: Our brains are evolutionarily designed to assess trustworthiness through faces, making them a more powerful trigger for trust than logos alone. Eye-Tracking: Studies show that when a user lands on a page, their eyes are naturally drawn to human faces immediately. Authenticity Wins: We discuss why generic stock photos are easily identified by users as "filler" and ignored. Real, authentic photos of your team members are essential for improving credibility. Practical Implementation: Every Page Counts: Don’t relegate your team to just the "About Us" page. Every page is a potential meeting point with a client. Equipment Doesn't Matter: You don't need a high-end photoshoot to start. A simple, well-lit photo taken on an iPhone is significantly better than no photo at all. Avoid the Fake: A genuine iPhone photo will always outperform an AI-generated image that looks "too perfect" or fake, as visitors are naturally wired to spot authenticity. The Bottom Line: While showing your face is a major conversion booster, remember it works best as part of a solid foundation that includes persuasive copy, 5-star reviews, and a clear call to action.   Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

The Problem with Too Much Choice Decision Paralysis: More choice makes it harder for people to make a decision, even though they may feel helped by having options. The Jam Study: An experiment showed that while 24 flavours of jam drew more viewers, only 3% bought. When only six flavours were offered, 30% bought jam (10 times the sales). Simplicity outweighs options when the goal is to influence a decision. The Mortgage Experiment Results The experiment compared a website with a mortgage rates table (offering many choices) against a simple web form (offering one choice: get mortgage advice). The rates table cut lead volume by 100%, meaning no calls or callback requests were generated. Presenting a selection of mortgages causes confusion for clients who are actually seeking expert advice. What Mortgage Brokers Should Do Instead The website should function as a tool to persuade people to book an appointment with an adviser, not to sell the mortgage itself. Offer a Single Choice: The only option presented on the website should be to get advice. Make the Form Prominent: Do not hide the form behind a button. The form should be at the top of every page, as many visitors are returning, and a prominent form leads to more conversions. Build a Strong Foundation: Removing the rates table is a major part of the solution, but it is not a "silver bullet" on its own. Successful pages in the test included a variety of elements alongside the form: Recent Five-Star Reviews: Google and Trustpilot reviews are crucial assets, as they are sources people know and trust. Persuasive Copywriting. Niche Content: Tailoring content to a specific mortgage scenario (e.g., first-time buyers with a self-employed partner) helps address the client's exact problem and increases their likelihood of reaching out. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

Handling Leads and "Flash to Bang" Time: Learn why contacting a lead instantly is "massively important" to prevent competition. David explains how to open the call with high energy, demonstrating that you are an expert and are "cool, social, relevant, interesting and intriguing".1 The Science of Sales: Understand how to utilise principles of influence, such as reciprocity, framing, negotiation, and future pacing, so clients say yes to your requests at a higher case value.1 Protection Conversation: David shares his highly effective technique for introducing protection early by asking, "If you lent me £250,000 and I died, would you want your money back?". He stresses the need to always present a client with three choices: a good, a better, and a best option.1 The Open Loop Referral System: Discover how to get more recommendations than you can "ever dream of" by neutralizing reciprocity. The system involves telling a client, "Don't thank me now, Alex," and setting up an "open loop" for them to repay the favor later by providing referrals.1 Recruiting and Training: David explains that he looks for four key traits in advisors—energy, an edge, the ability to execute, and a winner’s attitude. He details how systemised training, using models he learned as a top financial advisor, can get an advisor banking £12,000–£15,000 a month within two to four months.1 If you're ready to build a strong, systemised business that can scale and sell, this is essential listening. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

Your phone just pinged with a new lead—now what? Stop losing potential revenue by waiting. This episode with Terry Blackburn reveals the critical, almost instantaneous action you must take to increase your conversion rate by up to 80%. You will learn the secrets of a repeatable phone process, including how to master six different tonality types to immediately influence the conversation and why speed to the appointment is as crucial as speed to the call. Discover the single closing technique that eliminates objections, ensuring clients book the fact-find immediately. Finally, find out why leaving a descriptive voicemail is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, and the simple, counter-intuitive calling strategy that guarantees a return call because, as Terry asserts, a lead is never truly dead until one specific condition is met. Terry Blackburn is the founder of The Wealthy Advisor Club, a community and group coaching platform for brokers that has grown to over 692 members in just over eight months. After selling his firm, bespoke, Terry started the club to coach and help more brokers. The club offers three training sessions a week, typically covering lead generation, sales training, and other industry-related topics like mindset, habits, or building a property portfolio. Terry shared testimonials of clients who have seen significant results after implementing his processes: Two businesses doubled their revenue within three months, adding hundreds of thousands of pounds to their turnover. One advisor increased his biggest ever written commission month from £40,000 to over £100,000 as part of the Sesame Network. The ROI for the paid version of the club ($97 a month) is described as overwhelmingly high. The Wealthy Advisor Club can be found by searching on Google, LinkedIn, Insta, or Facebook, and is hosted on the SKOOL platform. A free version is available, which provides one training session a week. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.

Tune in to discover: The Experiment: Learn about the A/B test that compared a webpage with a financial advisor’s photo to one without, and what this revealed about immediate user trust.The Psychology of Trust: We explore the science behind why the human face is the most powerful and immediate trigger for trust, and how ambiguity aversion impacts your call-back requests.Authenticity is Key: Find out why stock photos and generic AI images won’t cut it, and how to ensure your photo improves credibility and conversion rates.Actionable Next Steps: Get practical advice on where to place your team photos for maximum impact, what type of photos to use (smartphone or professional), and the critical elements that must be in place along with your photo for a successful lead generation strategy.Don't miss the insights that could transform your website from a generic landing page into a personal, trust-building lead machine. Brought to you by the team at The Lead Engine who specialise in generating mortgage leads.