Martin R. Baird is president of Advisor Marketing, a full-service marketing management firm that provides a variety of services to financial advisors to help them improve their marketing methods and increase revenues, including seminars and conference speaking engagements on such topics as referrals, marketing, client communication and transitioning to fee. The firm's Web site, www.advisormarketing.com, offers free marketing information and tools for financial advisors, including a free weekly e-mail newsletter.

One of the things I love about my work is that I have the opportunity to learn from others. When I speak at conferences or meetings, I try to attend as many of the programs as I can to learn from other people's ideas and views.

For example, I was at a conference in San Diego recently, and Lawrence Kudlow was the keynote speaker. I've seen him on television, and I was looking forward to seeing him "live" for the first time.

As an economist, his subject is not an edge-of-your-seat thriller. He talks about what is happening in our economy now, what has happened in the past and how he thinks the two will affect the future. He's well recognized, works with major financial companies and is an advisor to high-ranking government officials.

So what did I learn from him that will help you grow your business? I learned a couple of things.

First, when there are interest rate cuts and tax cuts, people have more money to spend and invest. This means you will have more opportunities to help your clients and prospects make the most of their new-found money.

The important part of this, from a marketing point of view, is education. You can educate your clients so that as these things happen, they are prepared to sit down with you and give you the opportunity to help them.

You want to cut through the media clutter and be the guiding light that they use to reach their financial goals and dreams. If you won't educate them, who will? The answer is simple - other companies that want them to spend their money rather than invest it. The sooner you start the process the better.

Here's the second thing I learned: we are on one side of the valley, and we can look across and see the other side. Yes, we may have to endure more economic downside, but we can see the next upside.

By talking to your clients now about the coming improvement in the economy, you are educating them about the wonderful opportunities that will present themselves some day in the future. It's easy to get off track in a down market. The average, uneducated investor is looking down and not across to the other side.

You want to be the person who helps them look up and see the investment opportunities that are ahead. Share your vision with them so they can make the most of the future. I guess this shows that even a marketing guy can learn from an economist if he pays attention.

But how do you use what I have just told you to help more people and grow your business?

You will help more people if you share this information with them. By sharing your views on what's happening in the economy, you're positioning yourself. And you become more than just the expert. You're also the person who helps your clients understand what is happening around them.

People get information from a variety of sources. But some of those sources are just running around saying the sky is falling. You want to be the resource they use to get good, solid information that they can use to make informed and educated decisions.

You could consider having seminars on the economy and how it affects your clients and their families. Seminars can be a great way to help your clients and meet new people. By having a seminar that's timely, you have a great opportunity to reach people who normally do not attend such events.

Now is also a good time to contribute stories and articles to your local media. You can help the media provide good information to their readers, listeners or viewers and position yourself an expert that journalists can seek out. Hometown reporters and editors often welcome a local viewpoint on the national economy.

They say that the pen is mightier than the sword. Now is a time when information is very mighty! Use the information that you have to help more of your clients.

During a down cycle, marketing is more important than ever. Now is the time to use the information you have to position yourself as the leader and resource for your target market.

The economy is a very hot subject right now and you can use that to your advantage, even your clients' advantage. By providing your clients with the information they need to make good decisions, you are helping them through these challenging times.

You have so many opportunities to help people. Some of the people you touch through contributing to your local media may never be able to repay you for your help, and that is a very noble thing.

Share the information and ideas that you have about what is happening with our economy to help others and great things will happen for you, too.

Martin Baird is president of advisormarketing.com., a Web site that offers free marketing information for financial advisors. Baird may be reached at mbaird@advisormarketing.com.

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