Archive for February, 2010
LaValley: Providing valuable retirement advice
Friday, February 26th, 2010
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Business planning for 2009: Lessons from a climb up Kilimanjaro
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Four years ago this past summer, I did the trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (popular misconceptions aside, there are no ropes or technical climbing entailed in scaling Kilimanjaro – all that’s involved is a steady uphill walk).
I’m currently in the process of finalizing my own business plan for 2009. In reading the journal from my trek up Kili, I was reminded of a number of key takeaways that apply to my business and that might apply to yours.1 Set stretch goals
Doing the trek up Kilimanjaro was a stretch goal for me – I could certainly have embarked on something less ambitious, but would have missed the satisfaction and reward of a substantial challenge.
Tags: Assets Under Management, Base Case, Business Plan, Business Planning, Climb Kilimanjaro, Ele, Leap, Little Bit, Misconceptions, Momentum, Mount Kilimanjaro, Own Business, Pipeline, Prospects, Reading Journal, Ropes, Simple Exercise, Stretch Goals, Substantial Challenge, Takeaways, Tanzania, Trek, Visions
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Do You Know What Professional Selling Is All About?
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
This article is a guest contribution by Bill Brooks*, www.BrooksGroup.com.
In this article we’re focusing on how sales managers can help salespeople harness the power of questions to make the sale. It’s really what professional selling is all about.
As an organization that trains thousands of salespeople every year, we’ve observed that salespeople talk their way out of more sales than they listen their way into. We often refer to this as “jawbone” selling. Those who subscribe to this practice probably lose many sales that they could make – simply by talking less and listening more.
Tags: Bill Brooks, Discover, Guest Contribution, Heart, Interaction, Jawbone, Organization, Problem Solvers, Professional Selling, Professionalism, Questioning Skills, Sales Managers, Salespeople, Salesperson, Successful Selling, Trains
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Must read articles to send clients
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Given today’s uncertain markets, many investors are looking to their advisors for guidance and direction, as well as useful insights.One way to help provide those insights is by forwarding articles from credible publications that shed light on markets, in the process helping educate clients, providing support for your advice and reinforcing your own professionalism.
Below are nine articles from eight different sources. Among them, these articles address concerns about another depression, highlight some of the positives underneath the bad news and make the case for being in the market.
Tags: Address Concerns, Bad News, Barrons Online, Consumer Spending, Cx, Depression, Economy Recession, Financial Institutions, Forbes, Fortitude, Great Depression, Guidance, Insights, Investors, Joe Nocera, Mismanagement, Morgan Stanley, Morganstanley, New York Times, Optimism, Professionalism, Roach, U S Stock Market, York Times Magazine
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Become a Celebrity in Your Target Market
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
This is a guest post by Bill Bachrach, Bachrach & Associates.
You may never see your name in lights or dazzle the crowd at Carnegie Hall. Yet there’s no doubt that a trusted advisor can achieve celebrity status among the people who matter most—your target market.
This kind of “stardom” means prospects recognize your name as soon as they hear or read it, you are looked upon as an expert, and your business is 100% referral-based. The benefits of this kind of usiness are obvious: extraordinary credibility that leads to countless introductions and natural, easy prospecting conversations—plus the bonus of knowing you are truly outstanding in your field.
Tags: Bill Bachrach, Carnegie Hall, Celebrity Status, Conversations, Credibility, Egos, Enhancement, Financial Choices, Financial Success, Introductions, Mail Campaign, No Doubt, Professional Association, Prospects, Publishing A Book, Referrals, Sophisticated Magazines, Stardom, Target Market, Write A Book
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Retired Superheroes Keep Kicking
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
At some point, the iconic superheroes of your childhood grow old, too. Sure, you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see Wonder Woman smoking like a chimney or Batman sporting silvery sprouts of chin hair from atop his motorized chair on wheels, but that’s life, right?
Actually, no it’s not. It’s funny cartoons featuring superheroes in their sunset years.
link and pics:// Artsy Time
Source: Urlesque.com
Tags: Batman, Chimney, Funny Cartoons, Sprouts, Sunset Years, Time Source, Wheels, Wonder Woman
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Today’s Most Important Client Conversation
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Canadians today have lots of financial concerns – some are worried about the prospects for the economy and their jobs, others about whether they can rely on their company pension to be there for them.For those Canadians who aren’t in pension plans, the number one concern often relates to their retirement – and what effect have recent markets had on their retirement plans.
Where this is a client’s pressing issue, it’s essential that advisors address this directly. Unless you do that, clients will not fully listen to your recommendations – and will also be more open to talking to another advisor who offers to take them through the process of revisiting where they stand. Concerns about revisiting where clients stand
Tags: Answer Questions, Canadians, Company Pension, Conversations, Core Questions, Economy, Exercise, Financial Concerns, Investment Advice, Investment Strategies, Investors, Jobs, Pension Plans, Prospects, Retirement Planning, S Market, Software Packages
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Bringing discipline to client portfolios
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
In light of the events of the last nine months, investors and advisors alike are reexamining the process used to build portfolios.
A May 25 in the Globe and Mail highlighted two tools to overcome investors’ (and some advisors’) emotional reactions to market movements, creating the impulse to buy and sell at exactly the wrong times. The article quoted the words of Walt Kelly’s 1950’s cartoon character Pogo: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Tags: Advertisement, Buy And Sell, Buy Sell, Cartoon Character, Client Portfolios, Emotional Reactions, Globe And Mail, Globe Investor, Globe Mail, Impulse, Institutional Investors, Investing, Investment Ideas, Investor Investment, Lt, Mail Tools, Nine Months, Podium, Pogo, Portfolio, Strict Discipline, Target, Two Tools, Walt Kelly, Warren Buffett
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Four steps to effective written communication
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Recently, a successful advisor asked me for my comments on a brochure designed to capitalize on growing interest in charitable giving. This marketing piece’s good and bad points offer some useful insights about how to communicate with clients effectively in general.
There were a number of things to like about the brochure which was 8 ½ by 11 inches in dimension, printed in full colour and ran 8 pages.
1. The overall look and feel of the brochure was very high end and reinforced this advisor’s high quality positioning.
2. There was consistent visual imagery across the brochure and it was very well designed.
Tags: Bottom Line, Brochure, Case Studies, Compendium, Core Message, Developing Marketing, Effective Communication, Effective Written Communication, Emotional Punch, Face To Face, Flip Side, Four Steps, High Quality, Insights, Marketing, Marketing Material, More Than Words, Photo, Photos, Prospects, Target, Telephone Conversations, Typeface, Visual Imagery
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How a Small Change Made A Big Difference
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
When advisors think about ways to drive their business forward, they often look for dramatic initiatives that hit the ball out of the park.
Last week, I had a conversation with a twenty year veteran who’s a perennial qualifier for his firm’s Chairman’s Club. He described a change he made to his routine ten years ago that’s had a big impact on his business.
Every morning, his assistant prints out a “Conversation Diary” which has four columns.
The left hand column lists all the clients and prospects he’s meeting with or are on his schedule to call that day.
Tags: Accountant, Capital Gains, Compendium, Diary, Gap, Information Gap, Initiatives, Left Hand Column, Phone Call, Phone Conversation, Prints, Prospects, Score, Strides, Target, Veteran
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Proof That Active Managers Can Outperform
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
In the investment industry, few debates are waged more intensely than that between “active” and passive” investing. As investors read media coverage about the futility of trying to pick stocks and the advantages of investing via ETFs instead, more and more are questioning the fees they’re paying for investment advice.
That’s why an award winning research paper by two Yale academics, looking at active managers in a different light is so important. This research, which is the focus of my column in today’s Globe and Mail, identifies a new measure called “active share” – and demonstrates that managers with high active share can in fact beat their index over time.
Tags: Active Share, Award Winning Research, Book Argues That, Burton Malkiel, Chairman John, Cost Index, Different Light, Efficient Market Theory, Exchange Traded Funds, Globe And Mail, Investment Advice, Investment Industry, John Bogle, Launch, Low Cost Index Funds, Princeton Professor, Professor Burton, Random Walk Down Wall Street, Target, Vanguard Funds
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Income Producer vs. Business Builder
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
By Norm Trainor
In my experience, there are two types of entrepreneurs: Income Producers and Business Builders. Let’s illustrate what we mean by income producer vs. business builder through an entrepreneur I talk about in my book, The 8 Best Practices of High-Performing Salespeople. The story relates to Tony Henderson who I met in August of 1988. At t that time, Tony was just starting out and was what we describe as a classic income producer.
Tags: Best Practices, Boss, Business Builder, Business Builders, Business Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurs, Focus, Freedom, Income Producer, Income Producers, Instances, Norm Trainor, Salespeople, Tony Henderson
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Final Words: Building community
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
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Bulloch: The impact of retirement
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
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Holmes-Winton: Garth, you don’t impress me much
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
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Covering expatriate employees
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
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Tapping into today’s #1 client concern
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
In today’s competitive world, attracting new clients often requires clearly differentiating yourself.
One way to do this is to address today’s number one concern among many investors approaching and in retirement – “Will I run out of money?”
How big a problem is this?
A report released last week by the U.S. Center for Retirement Research found that 51% of Americans are at risk of reduced living standards in retirement – including 42% of those in high income households. And if the cost of health care and long term care were included, these numbers would be even higher.
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Ten Steps to Boost Your Resiliency
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
There are many qualities that are essential for advisors to succeed – focus, self discipline, a strong work ethic and good listening and communication skills to name just a few.
But there’s one other essential quality to success, especially during tough markets such as we’ve seen of late – that quality is resiliency, the ability to bounce back from disappointment and frustration.
Tags: Aptitude, Close Relationships, Comfort Zone, Communication Skills, Conversations, Disappointment, Discouragement, Failure, Frustration, Long Time, Norm, Outbound Call Center, Rejection, Resiliency, Retirement Plans, Self Discipline, Steady Stream, Strong Work Ethic, Telecom, Time Clients
Posted in Dan Richards | 1 Comment »
Articles You Can Send Clients (August 12, 2009) – Quality, Quality, Quality
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Each Wednesday we are sending you 3 articles you can send to clients to stay in touch and to promote open lines of communication with them. Its especially difficult to be motivational when there is so much skepticism about the economy and the market. When the market was a screaming buy, clients were not exactly beating down your door, and now that the market has had a massive rally, the skepticism turns back to downside concerns.
Tags: Amp, Bet, Discipline, Downside, Excuse, Gmo, Immobilization, Investor, Jeremy Grantham, Lean Years, Massive Rally, Overruns, Pantheon, Quality Quality, Quality Stocks, Quiet Giant, Reuters, Rigor Mortis, Skepticism, Underweight
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Professionals ask important questions
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
This article is a guest contribution by Bill Brooks, the CEO and founder of The Brooks Group, a sales and sales management training firm.
In this article we’re focusing on how salespeople can harness the power of questions to make the sale. It’s really what professional selling is all about.
As an organization that trains thousands of salespeople every year, we’ve observed that salespeople talk their way out of more sales than they listen their way into. We often refer to this as “jawbone” selling. Those who subscribe to this practice probably lose many sales that they could make – simply by talking less and listening more.
Tags: Bill Brooks, Brooks Group, Ceo, Control, Guest Contribution, Heart, Interaction, Jawbone, Problem Solvers, Professional Selling, Professionalism, Questioning Skills, Sales Management Training, Sales Managers, Salespeople, Salesperson, Success, Successful Selling, Trains
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