Prospecting

In my last article, I talked about the importance of creating an online presence. Specifically, the focus was on personal websites, which today have become even more important than a business card. Think about it. Potential customers utilize the internet every day whether it’s for social interaction, shouting their thoughts to the world, or researching goods and services. They come …

Even though I speak to groups of financial professionals ranging from 20 people to 5,000 strong, I’m a pretty shy person when it comes to networking events. Over the years, I have learned to get pretty good at these types of business-building events. In this article, I’d like to tell you what I’ve learned, so you can turn networking events …

Starting out as a financial advisor promises a steep learning curve as you try to learn about how to provide valuable advice while ramping up your business with relentless prospecting at the same time. Fortunately, you don’t have to start out “cold,” and you can avoid many of the mistakes made by financial advisors who have gone before you. If …

Hi there! I am a customer searching for life insurance protection. May I share with you what I am looking for from an insurance agent, and why you may or may not win my business? First of all, always remember that everybody is having a tough time. From our first “hello”, I want you to exude upbeat, confident cheer laced …

Technology has changed a lot for the modern annuity salesperson—whether it’s the fixed product purist or the VA-touting Registered Representative. Today’s agents have cell phones, email, laptops, iPads, social media, and a lot of other tools that salespeople didn’t have a generation ago. That is an advantage, but it is also an obstacle. Why? Because today’s prospects have the same …

When you sit down with a prospect or a client, you probably open the conversation with a brief comment about the weather followed by a discussion about families, or work, or a news headline. At some point, the conversation shifts, and you discuss some aspect of the client’s finances or portfolio—perhaps listening to their ideas or giving advice from research …

The goal of every presentation is to successfully influence how listeners will think or act. That said, few presentations make the cut. Although many treat presentations rather casually, every one counts and each one is equally important. And here’s why: we are our presentations. We’re the one on stage, and we’re judged by our listeners not only on what we …

I own a business and have a question for all the health insurance agents out there: Where are the agents focusing on suitability requirements for worksite supplemental benefits? Employer groups are not one-size-fits-all when it comes to their employees, and assuming so may insure some of my employees well, but leave others majorly exposed. When a group like mine is …

Our modern day methods of communication value fast, short, and information-rich conversations. With the rise of social media and texting as key ways to communicate information, conversations seem to be abbreviated. But, it hasn’t always been this way. For thousands of years, long before we had mobile devices or even the printed page, communicators have relied on one key tool …

Although I have written lots of articles about the features and benefits of End of Life Planning, this article is focused on helping financial professionals learn how to have “the conversation” regarding End of Life Planning. Having “The Conversation” You may have heard this saying: by failing to plan, you are planning to fail. However, in our industry, there are …