Delightful + Not So Delightful Learnings: Building and Innovating - FiComm

2020 taught us that trying something new, especially in strange times, can be scary but also incredibly rewarding. In building our Advisor Education offering, which launched in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, there have been many times when we’ve been delightfully surprised by how well something works, or quite honestly even the opposite – not so delightfully surprised by how something we thought was clear, cool, and smart didn’t work.

What were our lessons learned? Here are some delightful surprises from our latest 1-day DIY Video Workshop to inspire innovators in anything they may be building!

Key things to know:

Taking on something new is scary. While advisors from across the country join our workshops excited to take on something new, there’s also a slight sense of nervousness. They have asked me questions like:

• Can I really do video?
• Can I really be authentic in my marketing?
• Can I really create a business in alignment with my heart?

Unequivocally, the answer is always “yes!”

But the truth is that we feel the nervousness too. We’re often asking ourselves similar questions…

• Will this work?
• Will you get it and find it impactful?
• Were we correct in our assumptions in how we built this?

Here were our top 3 delightful lessons learned:

Lesson 1: People want to learn in sprints

• In our post-workshop surveys – every single one of our participants gave us a 5/5-star rating for their experience in the workshop
• Every single participant also completed 100% of the training – tired, but fulfilled – which is a feat considering how busy we all know advisors are

Lesson 2: Workshoppers are hungry for more peer collaboration + feedback!

• In addition to 1:1 coach and group feedback, they wanted to break into smaller groups for more detailed feedback from their peers. Who knew?!
• Due to that, we will be adding this to our workshop structure moving forward. Talk about adapt!

Lesson 3: The need for video is real

• Even though we marketed to advisors – non–advisors were some of our best participants!
• CMO’s + Marketing teams signed up because they wanted to lead the digital evolution of their firms with first-hand experience.

Have something new you’re building? My advice is to learn, iterate and never stop watching what works, what doesn’t, and how to continue serving your clients even better!

We’d love to hear about your innovation! Send me a note to tell me about it! Candice.carlton@ficommpartners.com