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Published Articles

 

 

 

  • GOALS TO STRIVE FOR
    • What are your goals for this year?  Take a systematic 3 pillar approach.
  • YOUR PRACTICE ON PAPER
    • Using a graphic overview to reveal your unique business process can help you click with your client and separate you from the pack.

 

 

 

 

    • Let’s face it. You hate paperwork and administration. Nineteen percent of respondents to this year’s Annual Dollars & Sense Survey identified “paperwork/administrative” as the number one greatest single challenge they face on a day-to-day basis, while another 6% chose “compliance/regulation.” Both elements go hand in hand and are a big part of doing business in the financial services industry.
  • BEFORE BEING REFERRED, YOU MUST BE REFERRABLE
    • Admit it. Referrals don’t occur as often as you would like. Once you are able to articulate value, systemize your business and coordinate your teams, there will be no reason for your prospects to look any further, and no reason for clients to leave.
  • THE BRILLIANCE OF RESILIENCE
    • Getting clients to talk about change can sometimes make them uncomfortable. Most clients are not ready for the ups and downs that their own transformation will bring. So how do advisors prepare clients for such an experience? They train clients to be resilient from the beginning.
  • HOW TO GENERATE REFERRALS: SIX PROVEN TACTICS
    • Getting clients to talk about change can sometimes make them uncomfortable. Most clients are not ready for the ups and downs that their own transformation will bring. So how do advisors prepare clients for such an experience? They train clients to be resilient from the beginning.
  • MAKE THE MEDIA YOUR MARKETING PARTNER
    • Many financial professionals are intimidated by the media. And it’s easy to understand why. When it comes to the financial services industry, the mainstream media isn’t always fair, balanced, or even well-informed.
  • THE OPPORTUNITIES OF A LIFETIME
    • As an advisor, you know the best decision for your client is to stick to the plan. But your client doesn’t see things that way. He wants you to do something. Now. And if you don’t, you’re worried he’ll take his business to a competitor.
  • THE RULES OF NICHE MARKETING
    • When I ask advisors to define the niche they specialize in, it becomes pretty clear they haven’t thought a lot about what niche marketing is, and how it works. It’s one thing to say you serve a market niche. It’s quite another to articulate it and do it right.
  • RETHINKING THE MARKETING NEWSLETTER
    • I suppose you could call the newsletter the Rodney Dangerfield of the marketing world — it doesn’t appear to get any respect.  But the newsletter has a massive impact on connection.  Add to it a meeting and a reach out for an update.
  • THE ULTIMATE MARKETING TOOL (PART 1 OF 2)
    • Over the years, I’ve seen many tools used to market or promote a financial practice. But if you’re looking for the "ultimate" marketing tool — the one piece that entrenches long-lasting credibility in a highly crowded marketplace — you need to …
  • GOALS TO STRIVE FOR
    • What are your goals for the upcoming year?  How are you going to articulate value, improve systems, and capture the biggest opportunities?
  • TELLING YOUR STORY
    • Every interaction you have in a day — every conversation you have with a friend, business associate, client, prospect or even a stranger — is an opportunity to articulate your value.
  • REACH FOR THE TOP
    • Do you know REALLY KNOW WHY your clients are working with you? And does it matter?
  • E-MAIL NEWSLETTERS: NINE RULES FOR SUCCESS
    • As easy as it is to create, an e-mail newsletter is not something that should be thrown together without thinking about the strategy behind it. If you publish an e-mail newsletter for your practice, commit to making it better by following the nine rules  It could make your newsletter into the most powerful marketing tool you’ve ever used.
  • ADVISOR WEBSITES: EIGHT RULES FOR SUCCESS
    • In an increasingly digital world, a well-constructed website can provide a strategic advantage. Those who take the time to create an effective site and social media program are sure to be rewarded by a loyal following of prospects and clients alike.
  • THE 15 MINUTE PRACTICE ASSESSMENT
    • Is your practice satisfying you? Are you happy with the number and quality of clients you serve? Are you professionally challenged? Are you excited and energized by your work? Do you get a "charge" every time you come into the office? If not, then you may be operating in habitual mediocrity.  Not a good place to be.
  • IT’S ALL IN THE MIX
    • All clients get the same level of service. Yet when you start to plan this out, you’ll see that the top end of your book will not get exactly what they need, and the bottom half of your book will get more than they value OR PAY FOR.
  • PROSPECTING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS
    • People do business with people they know, respect and like. So, if your business is lacking in the growth department, you need to ask yourself three very simple questions
  • A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS
    • The only enduring way to compete in this commoditized industry is to brand your business process — to craft and refine, then artfully articulate who you are, what you do, and what your clients can expect.  And last but not least, keep them engaged
  • THE GRAPHIC OVERVIEW DIALOGUE
    • By emphasizing your process, you become more than an advisor, you become a guiding hand, helping your clients organize their financial affairs and bringing them closer to their financial dreams one step at a time.
  • TEAM BUILDING FROM THE INSIDE OUT
    • Talking to advisors around the country, I get the impression that team building is a constant source of frustration.  While I certainly understand these problems, I have to say that the perfect team doesn’t just “happen.” The advisors I know with excellent teams have put a good deal of time into team building.  Have a look at what I've observed...
  • BY THE NUMBERS
    • Two of my articles from 2007 that were most requested and most frequently downloaded during the year, are available to you here.

 

 

 (USA)

  • Telling Your Story
    •  If you have confidence in your lure, you will catch fish,” a quotation from the Thomas J. Stanley book  The Millionaire Mind.  There’s wisdom for advisors in those words.

 

 

 

  • Advisors urged to exercise due diligence when choosing coaches
    •  Advisors should give careful consideration to certain key factors when hiring coaching services, according to Vancouver-based YouFoundation Inc., a consulting firm providing business development and marketing solutions to the financial services industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (USA & CANADA)

  • Horsesmouth helps financial professionals educate their clients and grow their businesses. Every day, they serve tens of thousands of advisors, consultants, agents, accountants and other professionals, representing every major financial firm and business model.
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