The impact of ensuring your clients’ kids have powers of attorney
By James J. Silbernagel, LUTCF, CFP We had a client whose kid was going to school in Colorado and got in a car accident. The friend that was with him called...
Tag Archives: MDRT
A quick no is better than a slow maybe
When he was just starting out in the financial services profession, Tommy Archer, CFP, found himself acquiring countless index cards identifying people who told him, “I can’t talk right now;...
3 questions to ask yourself if you want to be happier
The thing about tips to being happy is they sometimes seem so obvious. “Be grateful? Of course it’s a good idea to be grateful. I don’t need you to tell...
Finding ways to encourage millennial clients to meet in person
Working primarily with clients in their mid- to late-20s, Heather Lindsley, LUTCF, RICP, a three-year MDRT member from Green Bay, Wisconsin, said it is important for advisors to ensure these...
Understand the value of preparation by thinking of yourself like an actor
By Dale W. Martin, CLU, ChFC Think of the last movie you went to. You sat in that comfortable seat with your popcorn and soda. For the next two hours, you...
The payoff of “no agenda” contact with clients
If your client outreach has long been focused on worthwhile but familiar gestures like birthday cards, perhaps it is time to explore some new ideas. Renee Hanson, CFP, ChFC, a five-year...
A regulatory environment provides a chance to lead your clients into the future
A group of competitive rowers encounters harsh ocean waves in their small boat. They cannot see where they are going, and without their team member guiding them from the back...
10 reasons millennials want to work with you
By Aaron L. Hammer, LUTCF Millennials are going to continue to dominate the workplace. As they enter their peak earning years, it’s important that we’re able to communicate with them and...
3 common mistakes of succession planning
At some point, you’re going to retire. Whether that’s partially or completely, you’ll need to execute a successful transition for your business, and that doesn’t happen overnight. It’s more like...
If a client’s phone rings during a meeting, should you encourage them to answer?
Perhaps you frown on clients answering their phones during a meeting — you hope they’re engaged in your conversation and would think twice about an interruption. In fact, you should make...
3 principles that help bring longevity to a study group
How does a study group celebrate its 50-year anniversary? For Show ‘N Tell, a study group of high-producing advisors founded in 1968 to focus on pensions but expanded to include advanced...
Seeing free time as an opportunity for motivation, not mindlessness
Some people throw on a pair of sweatpants and cue up reruns of their favorite sitcom as soon as they leave the office. This is their way to unwind and...
This is why clients should understand your process
Seasoned advisors may assume that clients automatically give them the benefit of the doubt in terms of how they conduct themselves. From the client’s perspective, though, it never hurts for...
6 costs to an organization that doesn’t encourage employee input
By Tom Green Are your employees consistently telling you everything you need to hear? Or are they instead telling you what they think you want to hear? Silence is expensive. Creating a...
This is why clients shouldn’t try to be amateur financial mechanics
By Theodore S. Rusinoff, CFP Sometimes a prospect’s lack of trust can delay the implementation or even identification of a plan. Often, the prospect broadcasts that lack of trust by acting...
