Jon Cook

The argument: an all-in-one interface connecting the tech stack will serve advisors better than another standalone tool, and a platform’s handling of ordinary workflows matters more than its feature list. The platform-by-platform findings appear in a linked video, not in the post.

A client uploads a tax return to storage, and hours later someone discovers it’s for the wrong year.

• With an advisor operating system, the system scans the document for accuracy of intent and asks the client to upload the correct year.
• Cook estimates this saves the client, admin and advisor at least three hours of delay, frustration and friction.

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Cook favors a deliberately paced approach, moving the right talent and processes into place over a year, over broker-dealers that raced forward in a "splash" of new tech.

Cook writes that Cambridge’s work with Zocks and another strategic partner across nearly all of Cambridge’s custodian-sided technology is about to make more than 4,000 advisors happy. They name Slant CRM, GReminders, Zocks, Vanilla and Orion as standout providers, with a nudge not to sleep on Denali AI.

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Summarizing a discussion with Slant CRM co-founder Thomas Clawson at Ignite, Cook describes the way forward as "consolidation of tech and expansion of relationships."

• In the post about the Clawson interview, they note that "relationships matter" is more than a mantra for that team.
• The point aligns with the advisor operating system thesis: technology matters because of the relationships it frees up.

Cook calls Ignite the most family-conscious environment they have seen at an advisor event, with advisors’ families treated as part of what the industry is built around.

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One post makes attention itself the theme: other platforms are getting the spotlight, but Slant CRM’s work on the agentic side of an AI-native CRM environment is impressive and warrants closer attention.

Cook opens with a Shaq quote — "I owe you an apology. I wasn't really familiar with your game." — and singles out the Slant University approach as top-notch, praising Max Metcalf’s presenting.

Across the posts, a relationship develops: a public admission of unfamiliarity, praise for the product’s customer education, reporting that Slant won XYPN’s AdviceTech Competition and that more than 2,000 advisors had switched to it in the past year, and finally a founder interview.

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Cook also treats content creation as an asset: at Ignite, they were surprised by how little content anyone recorded or created on site, and count founder interviews and commentary as the after-party to an event that was largely missed. In the Clawson interview, the guest’s arguments — "slop grenades" in advisor tech and the shift from legacy CRMs to AI-native platforms — carry through Cook’s platform.

In the Ignite recap, Cook states the rule for the work: "Create to help people first, and you can't go wrong."

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Start here to see the method: a stated research period, named products, a clear thesis, and a practical workflow example.

Jon Cook says the post draws on four months of reviewing demos from Zocks, Jump - Advisor AI, Altruist, Hamachi.ai, Advyzon, Wealthbox, and more.

• The central question: Is the traditional CRM dead?
• Cook describes the promise of an "Advisor Operating System" as an all-in-one interface that connects a firm's tech stack.
• They offer a concrete example of document processing: instead of a client uploading a tax return to storage and someone discovering hours later that it was the wrong year, the system scans for accuracy of intent and tells the client it looks like the 2023 return instead of the 2025 return.
• Cook says that saves the client, admin, and advisor at least three hours of delay, frustration, and friction, and links to a video snapshot of the findings.

For brands planning a campaign

A CRM vendor can use Cook's comparative demo review to position an AI-native CRM around document handling and workflow relief, rather than a broad AI claim. The wrong-tax-return example offers ready-made campaign material.

Cook reports back from Cambridge Investment Research's Ignite event in Orlando with nine takeaways.

• The Expo Hall, several main sessions, and breakouts were about AI, mostly in-platform capabilities, while 20-minute demos in four theaters created "prove it" moments for providers.
• Cook praises Cambridge's intentionally measured AI approach and says its work with Zocks and another strategic partner across custodian-sided tech is about to make 4,000+ advisors happy.
• Cook also notes the event was the most family-conscious environment seen at an advisor event, calls the vendor merchandise "meh," and names tech providers that stood out: Slant CRM, GReminders, Zocks, Vanilla, and Orion, with a note not to sleep on Denali AI.
• Cook adds that YouTube and LinkedIn are real connectors, and expresses surprise at how little on-site content was recorded across parties.

For brands planning a campaign

A wealthtech company can sponsor or brief Cook around conference season for a "prove it" demo review and post-event mention.

• The post shows that Cook values measured adoption, real advisor outcomes, and family-conscious event experiences.
• Lead partnership messaging with demonstrable results, not AI theatre.

Cook notes that Slant CRM won XYPN's AdviceTech Competition and that over 2,000 advisors have already switched to Slant CRM in the past year.

• That caught their attention for a recent interview with Thomas Clawson, co-founder of Slant.
• The conversation covers "slop grenades" in advisor tech, the shift from legacy CRMs to AI-native platforms like Slant, and why "relationships matter" is more than a mantra for Thomas and the team.
• Cook links to the interview on YouTube.

For brands planning a campaign

An event-tied founder interview with Cook can position a CRM after third-party validation or a visible momentum metric. For a wealthtech company, the campaign angle is earned media around a conference win, customer adoption, and a candid discussion of legacy-versus-AI-native positioning.

Cook opens with a Shaq quote: "I owe you an apology.

• I wasn't really familiar with your game."
• They say other platforms are getting the spotlight, but Slant CRM's work on the agentic side in an AI-native CRM environment is impressive.
• Cook calls the Slant University approach top-notch and says Max Metcalf does an excellent job presenting.
• They close by saying they will be paying closer attention.

For brands planning a campaign

Brands can use Cook for informed second-look reviews rather than launch-day hype. A partnership around agentic workflows or customer education can fit this pattern, especially if the product has been under-covered relative to competitors.

Cook describes a solid discussion about the future of advisor operating systems with Slant CRM co-founder Thomas Clawson at Cambridge Investment Research's Ignite event. They summarize the direction as consolidation of tech and expansion of relationships, and say a YouTube interview with Thomas is coming soon to Advisor Story.

For brands planning a campaign

Pair a conference presence with Cook's event commentary and a follow-up video interview. For a CRM or advisor operating system, the frame is tech consolidation plus relationship expansion, with Cook carrying the discussion from the show floor to Advisor Story.

They frame "Advisor Operating Systems" as an all-in-one interface that connects a firm's tech stack, and use a concrete document-processing scenario: a client uploads the wrong tax return, the system flags the mismatch and asks them to retry, saving hours of delay. The full platform-by-platform snapshot sits in a linked video rather than in the post itself.

Multi-platform demo review, comparing how each product works and what it produces for firms.

For brands planning a campaign

A CRM or wealthtech vendor pitching independent advisors should expect to be assessed as one option in a crowded field, on how the product handles real workflows such as document intake, not on feature lists. A partnership angle that supplies the firm's own AI or document-processing evidence for a comparative review would fit this format.

Examples: Source 1

One post calls its agentic work in an AI-native CRM environment impressive and singles out the Slant University approach and Max Metcalf's presenting, saying they will be paying closer attention. Another reports Slant CRM winning XYPN's AdviceTech Competition and more than 2,000 advisors switching in a year, alongside an interview with co-founder Thomas Clawson about "slop grenades" in advisor tech and the shift from legacy CRMs to AI-native platforms.

Direct product observation plus a founder interview.

Attention is concentrated on one vendor; other platforms named in the demo review receive only a mention. Ask for the linked videos to assess the deeper analysis.

For brands planning a campaign

Cook gives a single platform repeated coverage across posts and an interview, which suits a vendor that can supply product access and a founder for an on-camera conversation. A competing CRM would be entering a conversation where Slant is already the named AI-native reference point, so the pitch needs a distinct proof point rather than a general AI claim.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

The Thomas Clawson interview covers product history, an award, adoption numbers and the state of advisor tech; a separate post previews an interview recorded at Cambridge Investment Research's Ignite event and says it is coming soon to Advisor Story.

On-camera founder interviews distributed through YouTube with LinkedIn promotion.

For brands planning a campaign

A founder-led wealthtech company can be evaluated for a sit-down interview on product direction and the advisor-tech market. The LinkedIn post teases the video, so the reach comes from both the interview and the social framing around it.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

Cook describes Cambridge as taking an intentionally measured approach to AI, with work involving Zocks and another strategic partner positioned to benefit more than 4,000 advisors, and lists Slant CRM, GReminders, Zocks, Vanilla and Orion (Denali AI) as standout tech providers. They also note how little content was being recorded on site by others.

Attendee field notes from sessions, vendor demos and conversations, written as a numbered takeaway list.

For brands planning a campaign

A vendor exhibiting at an advisor conference could seek inclusion in this kind of post-event recap, where booth presence, demo quality and broker-dealer adoption are what get judged. To address Cook's note that little content was being recorded on site, a partner could offer founder interviews or commentary during the event.

Examples: Source 1

The Ignite recap quotes the theme of tech consolidation and expansion of relationships as the way forward; the Slant interview post repeats that "relationships matter" is more than a slogan for that team; and the CRM post treats an all-in-one advisor operating system as the direction worth investigating.

For brands planning a campaign

Messaging that positions a product as reducing tool sprawl and supporting advisor-client relationships is likely to land with this audience. A vendor whose pitch is an additional standalone tool sits against the grain of the argument Cook keeps making.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3

The posts describe coverage and interviews, not a paid engagement.

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Zocks was also one of the platforms included in Cook's four-month review of advisor AI demos.

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The posts do not state Cook's formal relationship to Advisor Story.

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Both focus on the operating infrastructure of an advisory firm in short LinkedIn posts that point to longer interviews or coverage elsewhere.

Gale writes as a founder making the case for VastAdvisor, their own product.

• Their posts focus on client acquisition, growth ROI and firm valuation rather than product selection.
• Cook doesn’t sell or run a platform; they test platforms through demo reviews, then bring a founder on camera to make the case.
• Their angle is closer to analyst and interviewer than vendor advocate.

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Both write about firms’ operating choices for people who run or staff advisory businesses.

Cardenas writes about the people side of running an advisory firm: recruiting channels, referral pipelines, retention and board reporting.

• Cook covers the software side: CRM and AI platforms, vendor demos and conference tech.
• Their work is complementary rather than overlapping: a reader looking for how to staff a firm has little use for Cook’s platform comparisons, and vice versa.

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The posts speak directly to that audience: they frame recruiting as a board-level growth conversation, argue that a lack of recruiting becomes a retention problem, and explain why self-sourcing, internal sourcing and third-party recruiting all fail. That is a stronger match for a CRM vendor positioning its product as the firm's operating system for alignment and pipeline visibility, or for a campaign aimed at decision-makers who own recruiting budgets.

The tradeoff is category distance and audience uncertainty.

• Paul Cardenas does not review CRM platforms, compare advisor-tech products or demonstrate CRM workflows; the content focuses on recruiting, retention and firm alignment.
• A CRM-to-advisor campaign would have to recast the product as recruiting and retention infrastructure.
• The posts do not publish audience demographics, engagement rates or commercial formats, so ask for reach and buyer-composition data.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

The posts make a direct infrastructure case: most RIAs depend on referrals and lead buying, client acquisition is an infrastructure problem, and RIAs with systematic organic growth engines were valued at 2x peers without one. If the wealthtech product is positioned as growth infrastructure and the proof point is measurable client acquisition, this is a closer narrative fit than Jon Cook's CRM demo reviews.

Philip Gale's posts are attached to VastAdvisor, a growth-infrastructure product, and do not compare CRMs or offer neutral advisor-tech evaluations.

• A CRM vendor may be seen as adjacent to, or competing with, the growth stack rather than as the subject of the analysis.
• Ask for audience data and commercial terms.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2

Consider them only if the campaign shifts to manufacturing employers, women in industry or retaining experienced technical talent. The posts address those subjects directly: leaving Bentley to start Ignite Improvement, backing your own expertise, charging for value, and speaking at Women in Manufacturing UK about keeping women in manufacturing through career stages.

For the stated wealthtech CRM decision, Angela Hodgson has no advisor relevance.

• The posts contain no wealth management, independent-advisor, CRM or advisor-tech material, and no audience data showing financial-advisor reach.
• Choosing Angela Hodgson would require a different buyer, channel and message.

Examples: Source 1 · Source 2