Here is one of my favorite origin stories.
Years ago, when I was just starting my own company, Chris Willis brought a production team to film an interview with me for a project. I was nervous. Then, in walks a rumpled, professorial-looking guy with a houndstooth jacket and elbow patches.
Yep. The President of Fidelity Investments.
He’d served on nearly every board in the country. And here I was, trying not to freeze up while being filmed across from someone I’d idolized in the business.
Needless to say, that moment stuck with me. And it reminded me just how important clear, confident communication can be—especially when the stakes are high.
When I first started my career at Fidelity Investments, they hadn’t run a single TV commercial. Their brand was built on trust and word of mouth. But even Fidelity eventually realized something: communication matters.
They discovered it takes at least seven client touchpoints a year to retain someone’s business—and that’s assuming you’re communicating well.
Now ask yourself: Are you actually being understood?
In this episode of Money in the Bank with Franck, I sit down with Chris Willis, Chief Marketing Officer of Axios HQ, to unpack why most financial advisors (myself included) struggle to communicate with clarity—and how Smart Brevity can change that.
“Just Tell Me If I Need to Worry”
Chris doesn’t mince words. He’s not just a communications executive—he’s also one of my clients. And in this episode, he reads me for filth (in the best way) as we dissect one of my own client emails.
“I opened with a warm intro. I added a market update. I threw in some portfolio strategy lingo. It was 426 words of solid information… right?”
Wrong.
Chris rewrote it live on air using the Smart Brevity method, cutting it down by more than half, leading with the point—“We plan to stay the course”—and eliminating the need for guesswork.
Why? Because in today’s information-saturated world, clarity is kindness. And trust is built when you tell people exactly what they need to know—up front.
Smart Brevity Isn’t Just a Style—It’s a System
Axios HQ’s communications platform helps teams—from financial firms to Fortune 500 companies—write smarter updates, client emails, and team newsletters that actually get read.
It’s not about dumbing things down. It’s about writing for humans.
Whether you’re emailing clients during a market downturn or briefing 10,000 airline staff, the rules are the same:
Lead with the headline.
Cut 80% of the fluff.
Structure for clarity.
End with what's next.
Even Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, became an early adopter. His investor letter now uses Smart Brevity—and it's one of the most readable and respected reports on Wall Street. That’s no accident.
Why This Episode Matters
You don’t need to be a Fortune 100 CEO to benefit from smarter communication. If you:
Struggle to explain complex ideas to clients
Feel like your emails get ignored
Want to build trust without over-explaining
Need a system to make team updates less painful...
this conversation is for you.
Check out the book: Smart Brevity on Amazon
Learn more at smartbrevity.com
What Do You Think?
Have you ever sent a client email and wondered if it even landed? Have you tried to "sound smart" only to lose your audience?
Let’s talk about it in the comments
#SmartBrevity #FinancialCommunication #AxiosHQ #ClientTrust #Marketing #Podcast #MoneyInTheBankWithFranck
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