Creating staff clarity from a sense of ownership and regular review
Ownership is a theme that we implemented right before COVID. We have an office manager, and one of the things we have really pushed is the idea of, “Hey, you...
Tag Archives: mdrt podcast
Top 3 MDRT Podcast episodes of 2022
Each month, the MDRT Podcast delivers insights from members about how they handle challenges and changes in their practice. These were the most popular episodes in 2022. Enjoy, and thanks...
Seeing family members as separate clients rather than one unit
You spend years developing a relationship with a client, and eventually they are going to pass away. If you have made sure that you’ve involved the next generation, the money...
Learning how staff members like to communicate
As a team, we’ve done personality profiling of our team members, looking at how they like to be communicated with. It took me awhile to realize that not everybody communicates...
Identifying if a COI relationship is reciprocal
We talk a lot about the value we provide to centers of influence (COIs). If it’s a reciprocal relationship, they have to provide value to us as well. So, are...
Questions to help clients prepare to sell their business
Succession planning sometimes requires business owners to make hard decisions. If something were to happen to them and they became permanently unable to perform their duties, should they tell the...
Recognizing when high-net-worth clients are charitably inclined
When we think about gifts for clients, we notice there is a tendency toward repetition: “Hey, this is exactly what their dentist is doing for them.” We have been on...
Motivate colleagues by holding yourself accountable
How do you keep your staff members motivated? For Adam Llewellyn Morse, CFP, a nine-year MDRT member from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, that means verbalizing the things he is going to...
Why I decided to part ways with my mentor
This is one of the major decisions I had to make during my business career. When I started in the financial services profession, I was with a mentor, and she...
Identifying the four stages of transition for widows
While the journey through grief and widowhood is unique to each widow, it will likely progress through four stages of transition. The following are the four stages and what you...
How I convinced my father that he needed more coverage
You’ve got to take care of your family first when you’re in the business. Looking at the situation with my own parents, I saw that my father didn’t really have...
Establishing a team agreement to drive peer recognition
With a coach’s help, we’ve done a lot of work around team culture in the last couple years. One of the big things we did was set up a team...
Using a scorecard to enhance your referral process
I was getting introductions, but they weren’t to the right people. So, I created a scorecard and gave it to all the people who refer introductions to me. This took...
Figuring out how to respond to client complaints
When a client calls to complain and is really irate, you’re taken aback. It’s like, Now what do I do? Almost to a point where you start doubting yourself. And then you go back and review: “OK, this was done.” But at...
How to appropriately bring up what you do in a social setting
If I’m at a social gathering, I’m never going to bring our products or services into that conversation. But if somebody mentions investments or insurance or anything like that, if they...
