Strategic Advisor Best Practices Resource Library
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Use these resources for LivePlan certification and learning
If you intend to review these resources to gain credit toward renewing your LivePlan Expert Advisor certification, please enter the same email address used for your LivePlan account before viewing any of the sessions. This will allow us to give you credit towards your certification renewal. If you’re a Certified LivePlan Expert Advisor, you will receive credit for ongoing training towards your annual renewal as long as you watch the video(s) in full.
If that credit is not relevant to you, please feel free to disregard entering your email address and enjoy the sessions.
Featured session — LivePlan’s new forecasting features and navigation for a better advisory experience!
LivePlan is better than ever! This webinar explores LivePlan’s new design and enhanced forecasting experience.
Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work, completely overhauling LivePlan’s interface and navigation. Improved co-branding, easier QuickBooks/Xero connection, a redesigned nav bar, and an adaptive forecast view all create a more intuitive and streamlined experience for you and your clients.
This is a BIG upgrade for your productivity! The new features and design changes all came from feedback we heard from you, the LivePlan Advisor, and we’re excited to showcase how these changes will impact your advisory experience.
Originally recorded on November 18, 2021
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LivePlan learning
Everything you need to know about leveraging LivePlan’s product features to deliver effective strategic advising services.
LivePlan 101 — Intro to forecasting, cash planning, and reporting
If you’re just starting out with LivePlan or need a refresher of the basics, this session is for you. Learn the basics of using LivePlan for forecasting, reporting, and strategic advising.
See how to use LivePlan to help your clients make spending decisions, understand their profitability, and provide meaningful monthly reporting and advice. We’ll also show how you can offer LivePlan strategic advising as a regular part of your advisory services, and the bundled services we recommend offering.
Skill level: Novice – Intermediate
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Bring more value to your clients through Strategic Advisory
Small businesses, now more than ever, need your guidance to help them through uncertain economic factors. This presents a unique opportunity to provide value beyond reporting and compliance, and that’s where Strategic Advisory comes in.
In one hour we’ll discuss the value strategic advisory services provide to your clients, and why financial forecasting is at the heart of this work. Learn how to communicate value to your clients and build long-term client relationships.
Skill level: Novice – Intermediate
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Get more out of LivePlan — Forecasting and mapping
Forecasting doesn’t need to be a daunting task. Whether you’re starting from accounting data or building a forecast from scratch, learn how to take your client’s data and mold it into a strategic forecast. In less time than your lunch break, we’ll show how you can build a useful forecast for your client.
Skill level: Advanced
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Get more out of LivePlan — Dashboard and reporting
A strategic forecast for your client is only as good as the data that feeds it. In order to accurately track against your projections, you need useful and well-structured data. We’ll share real examples of strategies advisors used to overcome messy data, and how those strategies helped them create better and more strategic forecasts for their clients.
Skill level: Advanced
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LivePlan best practices — Financial forecasting
Learn how to use LivePlan’s extensive forecasting features to inform and guide your client’s business management and growth processes.
LivePlan best practices — Reporting
Providing real-time insights for your clients is the best way to help them define and reach their business goals. Learn how to use LivePlan’s reporting capabilities and dashboards to better serve your clients.
LivePlan best practices — Advising services
Learn how to develop your advising services, initiate a kick-off meeting, and build stronger more engaged relationships with your clients.
LivePlan best practices — Business planning
Learn how to use LivePlan’s Pitch tab and planning features as part of your advising service offerings.
Marketing best practices for strategic advisors
Learn how to grow and engage with your customer base using email marketing, informational content, and strategic marketing tools.
Email best practices to build client relationships
How to leverage newsletters to engage with clients
Content ideas for your firm website and blog
Marketing tools and strategies your firm should be using
Additional resources for strategic advisors
We’ve streamlined advisory work into a simple process, known as the LivePlan Method. This recurring system not only brings value to your clients each month and helps them grow their business, but ensures that you remain profitable and consistent. With this method, you’ll learn to optimize your advising services and provide the greatest value for your clients at every step.
You can start learning the LivePlan Method for Strategic Advising by reviewing the following help center articles linked below.
Looking for more support with the LivePlan Method? Sign up for our online training! Learn more here.
The LivePlan Method: Kickoff Phase
In the Kickoff phase, you’ll set up several sections of LivePlan to help you demonstrate the benefits of having an ongoing strategic advisory relationship. Most of these steps will be very quick, consuming only a few minutes. The bulk of the time will be spent meeting with your client.
The LivePlan Method: Plan Phase
In the Plan phase, you’ll have a one-hour meeting with your client to complete a Lean Business Plan, using the Pitch tab in LivePlan.
The LivePlan Method: Build Phase
In the Build phase, you’ll build your client’s forecast in LivePlan and update the mapping to the Scoreboard.
The LivePlan Method: Advise Phase
In the monthly advisory meetings with your client, you’ll present a review of the previous month’s performance, show how it compares to the goals set out in the forecast, and discuss any adjustments that may be needed to help the business stay on track toward those goals.
