Imagine you are a Gardener, and you look at the leaves of a Tree in your garden.

The leaves have turned brown.

What would you do?

1. Paint the brown leaves green?
2. Try and understand why the leaves have turned brown and then focus on the roots and soil?

I do not think anyone will choose option 1.

Option 1 is all about working on the Symptoms.

Option 2 is all about figuring out the root cause of the problem and then focusing your entire energy, effort, and resources on solving the problem.

I bet all of you would agree with me.

Sadly, when it comes to our firm or investing in our firm, we almost always choose option 1.

Think about it.

Ajay says, “I am not growing.” Then instead of addressing the real problem, he does “Social Media Marketing.” His real problem lies somewhere else. This is the case with most distributors and advisors. Majority of their problems lie in the foundational elements of their business model, service model, value proposition and client experience. One of the biggest issues for RIA’s is pricing. Yet many do not even realize the depth of their pricing problem but that is a post for some another day.

The reality is that we look at the symptoms and try to treat them. In short, we start painting our brown leaves Green.

Painting the leaves Green will not solve the real problems your practice or business faces.

What type of Gardener do you want to be?

The one who works on the Symptoms or the one who works on the root causes and solves the real problem.