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they're talking about guaranteed contracts with an insurance company as opposed to the market or public pension systems.

In my case I have gone to mechanic and paid for advice so that I could fix the problem myself.

With that said ...

What about expanding the financial services you provide to areas outside of just fee based securities?

Many people have questions about finances where the answer doesn't come in the form of an investment. It's the "advisor" part of being a Financial Advisor.

This might be a way to expand your endeavour and possibly generate a new source of revenue.

Advertising won't get you appointments. As one poster already said, sales is sales. YOU have to get out there and turn over rocks. Develop a model a picture of your ideal client:

1. Who will benefit most from your services?
2. Where do those people congregate socially?
3. Get out there and meet them. It's all about the relationship.
4. Follow up with everyone you meet.
5. Ask for referrals from everyone you meet. "Who do you know that may need some help organizing their finances?"

Activity within your target market will generate pipeline. Put your plan on paper. Set specific goals for activity.

This is one of the topics I was going to be covering with you on our telephone call. I was MDRT and top 1% in the Nation for 18 straight years before I retired, averaging $20,000 a month in commisions / bonuses. VAnimrod aka Sean Clarkston can verify this if someone needed such as he worked in the saame business and overall carrier(s) as me for a few years and saw my name on the reports.

A succsessful agent will ALWAYS have THREE or more marketing systems working for him and in play at all times. To be good in this busineses, one must be a good presenter, a good closer and a GREAT marketer.

Some marketing sytems that worked well for me included:

Direct mail hit pieces with response cards

Multi topic/panelof experts Seminars/workshops with response cards for attendees to fill out (AWSOME leads and clients from these events, but expensive to do right)

Cold calling - STILL works when done right or hired out like I did

Door to door - again still works when done correctly

REFERRALS! Free, terrific leads, and EASY to get when one asks the right way. If you make the phone call to me that I have been waiting for I will give you all of the details on the refferal system as well as how I filed up large rooms with affluent folks for workshops.

This business can either be the hardest $50,000 a year job you ever had or the easiest $200,000 a year job you ever dreamed of. Just a few clues and ideas separate the big winners from the masses who struggle.

PM incoiming with my new phone number, now up to you.

MARK

will be contacting you monday early afternoon if that's a good time.

sorry for missing the phone opportunity, they have me busier than heck with learning technique and studying for various tests, running appointments, etc.

+1 on the referrals. I had my own insurance agency and also did financial planning. Then changed to securities only and had employees do the insurance.

Besides referrals, require each employee to ask every customer who calls for service, who does their retirement planning, and who helps them with their investments. Many calls for service can lead to sales of other products.

I think your advice is spot on Rem6mm, mirrors my experience in biz.

nada wrong with doing a lil advertising to legitimize a new biz, but in the end, it's the word of mouth that either makes or breaks a biz.

our biz is competitive, about 1000 potential clients for each biz in our community, not enough to survive upon. there's external marketing and then there's internal marketing

the internal marketing can make you rich, the external marketing can make your ad agency rich.


to the OP, you're lucky you have the insurance biz to support you while you build the financial planning biz.

if you're really going to have success with the financial planning it's going to be slow at first. Most people aren't in the know concerning finances.

And if you concentrate your financial planning on just selling the products you have through your insurance broker, I doubt you'll be as successful as you could be as a CFP.


when I got those two names provided and was actually able to present to them, the folks that gave me those names would get a free tuneup on their financial plan.


and like any biz, you're best clients and advocates will be the folks that need it the worst but are hardest to convert.


but you're going to have a dilemma, to my way of thinking, for my money the majority of folks that are CFP's are sponsored for their schooling by a major insurance co.

and as far as I can tell most are just glorified insurance salesmen that went to a seminar so they can sell more of that company's products. That's who they ultimately help get wealthy.


personal interactions are great too, provided you have the fruit from the tree, that you are financially sound. Lots of folks making good loot that can't figure out why they're basically broke.


imo there's a world of difference between selling someone an annuity or insurance policy versus being a financial planner.

it's the slow plan helping folks become financially independently wealthy, but it's a good plan. Satisfied clients will eventually provide an income stream that regular advertising could never hope to duplicate or sustain ime.


wish you well in your endeavors

I agree self branding is huge. Don't go in debt advertising.
Get out of the office and self promote yourself. Huge key.

thanks guys. keep it coming.

i quit the insurance job i had to start this new one, which is an all-encompassing one including planning and insurance and such...whatever is needed.

an insurance company did sponsor me but their rules are i can sell anything i want, as long as i do enough business with their stuff in a year to make it worthwhile for them to keep me in an office and lights on etc.

i can honestly say without bragging, that i am pretty good in front of a client, and that i know for sure i have their best interests at heart, as i have left many dollars on the table due to making damn sure to do the right thing for the client. not worth it to "talk someone into" anything.

the problem, i can already see, is filling that pipeline with prospects. i know this is something most people struggle with.

No worries, Monday works just fine. Done correctly and consistently you will never be wanting for prospects ever again. If you are licensed over here, or GET licensed over here I could even open up my 12+ drawers full of client files and a couple thousand prospects that I did not have time to follow up on for you. Sean did, and we both made a boatload of money until I got too sick to even ride along on appointments. I am up and around for only a few hours each day now, until I get rid of thes huge, cyst infected Kidneys and exchange them for hopefully at least one good one. I am looking forward to that, and might even go back into business myself if I feel as good as I am told I will after such an operation.

When I was at my peak in getting reffereals etc, many times our Regional marketing guy would offer me free, fresh leads and I declined them because I was already too busy and behind just working my refferals and workshop contacts. True story. I also built a pretty good sized sales team during my stint as a training manager, called an Agency Deveopment Associate by my Co back then. Quit that with the 5th ranked team in the Nation under me, decided I am not cut out to try and babysit grown men and women and try to get them to work. Had a pretty good sized Safari Co going at the time, too. I miss those days and being able to manage all of that daily.

Talk at ya some on Monday.

MARK

Self employed for 20 years, can't help you tho as it revolved around providing a service to only 4-5 companies in that time frame and 95% of it to 2 companies.

You will need to form yourself into a C corp at some time in the near future to legally and ethically re-name a some of your income as travel expenses and other pre tax dollar shell games. Part of the fun, donchaknow.

When I was at my peak, my considerable salary that I paid myself from the C corp went into the bill pay account for momma to buy groceries etc with and the expenses checks got cashed and were my play/buy guns money. All with legally pre tax (and pre momma seeing them) dollars!

All YOU needed to make money was to be a fuucking liar, a cheating son of a bitch, a heartless bastard, and a useless piece of shiit. And you WERE and ARE each and everyone of those things in SPADES.

Don't hold back. ML.

Tell us how you really feel...

I would beat him to no end given a chance.

Guess that blows the Lady thing for a while again.

Not at all. We'd still respect you afterwards.

Even more so.

My hats off to you guys that can move and shake out there, my customers get sent to me, Wifey and Accounting firms take care of the legality/particulars, I mostly fookoff with cows and guns.

OOPS, didn't realize this was a 2 year old thread.

In any case, YOU GO MISS LYNN!!!!!, we got your back.

Prospect!


It's the only way to be successful at insurance, car sales, etc.

I kicked azz as an agent but hated that end of the business. I especially concentrated on new minorities. When I was an agent I had all the Filipino and Vietnamese families in the area signed to some line of insurance, and as their fortunes grew, so did mine. They had close networks in their communities, and I gave them great service.

I always asked every client if they knew anyone ELSE I could help with their insurance and planning. Then I X-dated every prospect and contacted them 60 days prior to their renewal date for their policies with other companies and agents. I sent letters and called them.

Also, watch the "Births" section of the newspaper and send the new parents a congratulatory card with contact information.

A little here and there built a good book of business.


For some stupid reason I missed claims and went back to that end of the business...BAD Move.