sales adrenaline

Go into next year with a solid marketing plan based on results of 2011
Posted 12.15.2011

Nearing the end of 2011, most of our Advisors are not only running annual client reviews, but also reviewing their business structure, revenue, marketing plan and mapping their calendars and production goals for 2012. The best way to ensure you exceed your goals is to proactively go into next year with a solid marketing plan based on results of 2011, ensuring your business runs like a business. This can be defined by allocating resources to the most profitable marketing channels according to ROI. Based on many of the conversations we are having, many of our top Advisors' greatest marketing resource is actually their existing client base. However, many of their year-end reviews have revealed that the bulk of their marketing money was spent on seminars for new clients instead of creating a system that allows their “biggest fans” to introduce them to their friends, family and colleagues.

The statistics below from a study of 750 high net-worth individuals with at least $500K of investable assets tell much of the story…

Nearly all of our top producers are running monthly or quarterly client social events. This can be a very powerful opportunity to leverage your existing client base!

One of our Advisors tracked the results of monthly events in 2011 very closely, and the results were unbelievable: Expenses less than $3,000, and generation of over $110K in commissions! We have outlined the six implementation steps for this client appreciation event, and if you'd like to walk through this very duplicable process, just email me at me@advisorsexcel.com or call (866) 363-9595.

(CLICK HERE for a great referral script to pair with client events).

Regular appreciation events will provide an avenue for your best clients to introduce you to others that can benefit from your services - don't miss this opportunity as you plan for 2012!

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Create a sense of authority and credibility among your prospects
Posted 12.7.2011

In today’s environment, it's becoming increasingly important to create a sense of authority and credibility among your prospects. In the past few months alone, many of our advisors have netted short appearances on CNBC, Fox News or other local media outlets. Getting those appearances is one thing. Leveraging them in every way possible to create authority and credibility with people who may not have seen you on the original broadcast is another, and it's the latter that does the real work for you and your practice.

Here is a quick idea that comes from Bill Smith, one of our top producers who brought in $25 million in assets last year. Bill is one of the featured trainers at our Complete Advisor Boot Camp, and he is a master at seminars and a firm believer in creating authority, celebrity and exclusivity. Setting the stage in his seminar is critical - having the attention of his audience and conveying a message that carries weight often makes the difference in having his appointment book filled to capacity immediately following his workshops. What does Bill do to set the stage with his credibility? He uses a life size banner featuring several of the media appearances he's had throughout his career. He places this banner at the front of his seminar room, adding undeniable authority to the message he conveys to attendees. This is a very simple idea that's easy to implement.

CLICK HERE to view a copy of Bill’s current media banner.

If you have media exposure you're not fully leveraging, give this idea a try. Bill's had several seminar attendees comment on his banner, noting that they've seen him on the news or read his articles in the paper - invaluable, subtle confirmations that they view him as an authority they feel they can trust. Give it a shot at your upcoming events, and let me know how it goes!

Bill Smith and Chad Slagle will be hosting the next Complete Advisor Boot Camp on February 19-21st, 2012. They will be opening up their practices, running through 8 different marketing strategies and showing attendees how they're able to bring in roughly $40 million in assets every year. For more information, check out www.CompleteAdvisorBootcamp.com, and if you'd like to register for the event, give me a call, and I’ll email you the registration form!

The 2011 Holiday Card Competition
Posted 12.1.2011

This week, I thought I'd share a great holiday idea from one of our top advisors. This is an easy way to give back to your clients while, at the same time, creating a fun competition that brings you and your clients closer together.

Here's the concept: Hold an annual competition to design your company's holiday card - a tradition your clients can begin looking forward to each year. Award the winner a noteworthy contribution to a 529 College Savings Plan.

Accept entries from your clients' children, grandchildren or other children in their families. The only requirement is that all entries must incorporate your firm's name somewhere on the card and must also design the card around your stated theme for the year (Ex. The 2011 theme is “Protecting Your Money”).
All children ages 12 and under can participate and all entries must be received by December 10th. The most colorful and creative handwritten artwork will be selected (no computer artwork will be accepted).
(For added PR and exposure, you could announce the winner in your weekly e-mail or your monthly or quarterly newsletter.)

The winner and their parents should also be invited to the annual Holiday Party so they can be honored and presented with the actual contribution. At the event, call up the child and parents to receive a BIG check, 30 printed holiday cards to send to their friends and family and a nice frame which includes a winning certificate and the actual drawing the child produced. Have a photographer on hand to capture the moment, and send copies of the pictures as keepsakes as well as displaying them in your lobby throughout the holidays as a great reminder of your charitable act and the relationships you forge with your valued clients.
What better way to have a tremendous impact on a child’s life while bringing you and your clients closer together! Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

"Maybe Income" vs. Guaranteed Income
Posted 11.21.2011

As we all know, the Baby Boomers are retiring by the droves. In fact, roughly 10,000 Boomers are retiring every day for the next 18 years, and only about 15% of them have pensions.1 That means roughly 85% of them will need to be their own "pension managers," and unlike their parents, leaving money to their children will likely be a secondary objective. For the most part, their ability to maintain their lifestyle is what many seek, and lifestyle requires cash flow.

Let's go back to 1980 and get an idea of how the typical Joe Boomer may have done with his retirement portfolio. In 1980, he's 35 years old and wants to retire at age 65. He does his research and finds out that if invests $5,000 a year and earns and average of 10% in the market, he will have $1 million at age 65. Then, he'll take 4% withdrawals, giving him $40,000 to live on for the rest of his life. So what happened in this very common scenario?

If you look back at the last 30 years, the market actually averaged 9.68%. So Joe Boomer almost received his anticipated 10% average, but as you see, he's only accumulated $562,821. So how did he only get halfway to his $1 million goal if he averaged nearly 10% over those 30 years? Unfortunately for Joe, all positive returns happened in the first 20 years (when his account value was smaller), and the bear market hit during the final 10 years of his investing.

Using the same example, what would happen if you reversed the returns, incurring the negative returns in the first 10 years and the bull run during the last 20?

As you can see, in this example, that same 9.68% average got Joe Boomer to his $1 million goal by simply using a different order of returns. So what's the moral of this story? If relying solely on the market to reach your retirement goals, not only do you have to hope to receive a 10% return, but you also have to hope you get the returns in a specific order!

With 18 more years of 10,000 Boomers retiring every day, we are going to come across countless prospects in this all too familiar situation. So what is their thought process?
Because of the prominent myth shared by investment advisors for years, millions of Boomers are probably expecting a 10% average return from the market. Thus, your 50 year old Boomers who are planning on working 15 more years are hoping they will double their money twice in that time period, meaning if they currently have $250K, they should have roughly $1M at age 65.

Then, when they turn 65, they may plan to simply take 4% withdrawals and have $40K to live on for the rest of their lives. So, what is the problem? The problem is you can’t predict future returns, and you certainly can't predict the order in which you'll receive them. Therefore, many of today's Boomers are simply hoping to achieve their goals - maybe they'll reach them and maybe they won't - and at the end of the day, hope isn't much of a retirement strategy.

So, what is the most effective alternative? Consider an index annuity with an income rider. In this same scenario, you can take all the finger crossing out of your clients' planning and guarantee* they will have no less than $40K at age 65 for the rest of their lives. Remember, for Boomers, this cash flow is the LIFEBLOOD of their LIFESTYLE, and your ability to guarantee* it could very well be the difference in closing your next sale.

Happy selling!

P.S. I would like to thank Mike Reese for this presentation. He is the featured trainer at our IRA College, and if you would like the charts above to use in your seminars or client presentation as well as a 20-minute presentation featuring Mike going through this information, just give me a call or reply to this message. I'd be happy to send those resources right over!

1"10,000 Boomers to Retire Each Day for 19 Years." Newsmax.com. Accessed 11/21/11. www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/RetirementCrisis/2010/12/27/id/381191.
*Guarantees subject to the financial strength and claims paying ability of the issuing insurer.