From technology to marketing and client skills, here are 20 tips from Industry experts that will hopefully give your business the edge!

1. Stop Asking for Referrals

Referrals are not really about asking, they're about crafting your stories. What problems did you solve for your most successful client relationships? What types of clients have you helped? Bring your stories to life by incorporating them into your overall communication strategy.

If you can ask engaged clients for more feedback, ask what words they use to describe you. Behind their referrals there's often a story of them helping a friend with a financial problem by suggesting your services as a potential solution. Incorporate these stories of people you've helped through diverse situations in your blogs, website and speeches to encourage these kinds of referrals.
– Julie Littlechild, president and founder of Advisor Impact

2. When It Comes to Clients, Be Selective

In order for you to refresh your business, you have to make a conscious decision about every client; and that's just business. Use client selection ratios to determine: is this a viable client for me? It's OK to take pro bono clients, you just need to know that's what they are.
- Deena Katz, CFP®, associate professor at Texas Tech and founding partner of Evensky & Katz

 3. Embrace Technology and Social Media

Technology will not replace people; people who use technology will replace those who don't. So use technology but don't be enslaved by it. Investigate, but don't jump off the bridge. Be bold, not stupid.

Ninety-two percent of people will check a LinkedIn profile before a business meeting. And go mobile; in the next two years most people will use the Internet on their mobile device, not a computer.
– Gerd Leonhard, futurist and CEO of The Futures Agency

4. Keep It Consistent

Have a Facebook page but keep it Updated. Use LinkedIn, but push it through your work e-mail so it can be properly archived. Overall, have a policy. Social media is nothing more than a website; you can't say anything that is not third-party corroborated. Don't do anything interactive because you can't control it.
– Thomas Giachetti, J.D., chair of the securities practice group at Stark & Stark

5. Jump on the Video Wagon

If you don't have videos on your website, start making them. Two billion videos are watched on YouTube every day. Video will be crucial to your success, so get yourself a flip camera and get going. People want to know what you look like; they want to get a feeling for your firm. We are television; television is us. Believe it or not, people are interested!
– Gerd Leonhard, futurist and CEO of The Futures Agency

6. Be a Filter
Be a filter for your clients. The problem isn’t information overload, it’s a lack of filtering. The job of the future in an ocean of information is to be the filter and create value. Become a platform where people can connect and you can add value.
– Gerd Leonhard, futurist and CEO of The Futures Agency

7. Get on the Map
Register your business with Google Places (places.google.com/business). Doing so can help you with search engine results, and people can rate your business. An unintended consequence of being able to rate your business is that people can post negative comments.
– Andrew Gluck, CEO of Advisor Products Inc.

8. Become a Google Pro
Set up Google alerts (google.com/alert) for your name, your company name or your clients’ names. It’s free, and any time Google finds something new it sends you an e-mail. Use this to get information for contacting clients. Did they just get a new job? Send them a congratulatory note.
– Sam Richter, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of ActiFi

9. Create Engaged Employees
Employee engagement is a competitive advantage because client behavior is influenced by emotion. Research shows that highly engaged employees put forth 57% more effort and boost client engagement by as much as 240%. Give your employees a line of sight as to how their careers fit into the mission of your firm. The key for good management is to know them, grow them, involve them, inspire them and reward them.
- Waldemar R. Kohl, vice president of practice management at Fidelity Investments

10. Get a Library Card
Your public library has a wealth of business information and journals all available for free at your public library; they’re the same databases of information that big companies are paying hundreds of dollars for. And most, if not all of it, is available online.
– Sam Richter, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of ActiFi

Reference: 
Article courtesey of Count Financial: http://www.count.com.au/