Giving you the right track to run on

CHRISISMS
A fortnightly pearl of wisdom to fast track your success

  • Chrisism #101 - Implementation Is The Key

    At the end of a first client meeting it is essential that we get a commitment to action to ensure we are not wasting our time in putting together our recommendations (see Chrisism#75).

  • Chrisism #100 - Be Aware of Body Language

    There have been numerous books written on the subject of body language and this Chrisism is certainly not designed to cover the full gamut of this particular science. What I want to focus on today are what I believe to be the most important aspects of body language in the crucial initial stages of a first client meeting.

  • Chrisism #99 - Ongoing Client Engagement

    Why is it that advisers are typically prepared to bend over backwards to accommodate a prospect on their way to hopefully becoming a client even though at this stage they have a dollar value of zero, and yet as soon as they become a client and therefore represent a huge dollar value (now and in the future), the adviser drops them like a hot potato and moves on to the next prospect who is worth nothing to them?!

  • Chrisism #98 - Closing Techniques (Part Two)

    In my last ‘Chrisism’, I outlined some basic principles that apply when overcoming resistance on the part of prospects/clients and covered off in detail on two of the most commonly used closing techniques, namely the Alternative Close and the Triplicate Close. As promised, in this ‘Chrisism’ I will be sharing with you some more closing techniques which will hopefully help to minimise the amount of times that you let business slip through the cracks that is there for the taking.

  • Chrisism #97 - Closing Techniques (Part One)

    In previous 'Chrisisms' we have identified that it is human nature to resist commitment, especially commitment of time or money, which is a bit inconvenient for us, isn't it? Because when we are looking to make an appointment, we are looking for a commitment of someone's time and when we are looking to do business, we are looking for a commitment of someone's money - so we shouldn’t be surprised if we meet with some resistance. Indeed we should be concerned if we don't!

  • Chrisism #96 - Repetition is the Best Form of Learning

    Although this is an expression that can be and is used in a whole variety of situations, for the purposes of this Chrisism, I am specifically referring to the importance of this concept when it comes from going from the “Wants Analysis” on the Fact Find through to the recommendations for the client’s personal protection package.

  • Chrisism #95 - Girl Friday Cover

    This Chrisism will outline suggested content for a prospecting letter that can be sent to all of your “professional” clients, the purpose of which is to set up an Income Protection policy for the professional’s ‘Girl Friday’.

  • Chrisism #94 - Mirroring Your Income

    In Chrisism#93 I shared with you my methodology for recommending an appropriate level of Death Cover for a non-working Mum/Dad & Homekeeper. In this Chrisism, I want to share with you my methodology for recommending an appropriate level of Death Cover for a breadwinning spouse.

  • Chrisism #93 - Mum/Homekeeper Cover

    When sitting in front of a breadwinner with a definable earned income, it is not hard to put a dollar figure on the value that person represents to the family unit, thereby enabling a calculation of the level of cover that might be required in the event of that person no longer being around.

  • Chrisism #92 - Working More Effectively with Accountants in the Risk Area

    Why do accountants make potentially good referrers of risk business? Firstly, because their clients are typically highly qualified referrals, since the accountants themselves tend to be highly regarded and well respected by their clients. Secondly, because there is a logical overlap of advice, since both the accountant and the risk adviser are seeking to maximise net income for their clients in as many situations as possible.

  • Chrisism #91 - The Savings Paradox

    This Chrisism will fascinate you or infuriate you, or both! It will also present you with a delicious paradox by proving that a person who decides to stop saving can save considerably more than someone who decides to save diligently all the way to age 65!

  • CHRISISM #88 - Succeeding Daily

    Back in the 80s in the UK and in the 90s here in Australia, I managed a team of advisers with a company that was very performance based and that operated a system of monthly targets. How great would it be for managers and salespeople if 25% of a monthly target was achieved in week one, 50% by the end of week two, 75% by the end of week three and the balance mopped up by the end of week four? This would be called a stress-free existence. So why is this seldom a reality?

  • CHRISISM #87 - Asking The Right Questions

    In a number of previous “Chrisisms”, we have looked at the importance of asking questions during the client engagement questions (see references to previous “Chrisisms” below), but in this “Chrisism” I want to drill down specifically to the type of questions we should be asking.

  • CHRISISM #86 - What You Can Measure You Can Manage

    This Chrisism is primarily aimed at those of you who are relatively new in the business and who are finding their way in what is an ever changing environment. However I suspect it may also be a worthwhile refresher or reminder for those of you who are more seasoned campaigners and for whom from time to time it may not be a bad idea to get back to the basics.

  • CHRISISM #85 - What’s Your Understanding of “Communication”?

    Since we are all in the ‘people business’, being able to communicate effectively with prospects and clients is a pretty fundamental requirement when seeking to bring people on board as clients and build strong and meaningful relationships on an ongoing basis. Therefore understanding the relative importance of the three component parts of communication is a very necessary starting point.

  • CHRISISM #84 - The Importance of In-House

    Do you typically see prospects for a first meeting in your office or in their office or home? If the answer for you is the latter, then you may want to consider the advantages of the former.

  • CHRISISM #83 - Only Sell an Appointment

    When seeking to make a first appointment with someone you haven’t met before, whether it is a red hot referral or a relatively cool lead, there are certain basic rules that need to be followed in order to maximise your chance of making the appointment – and one of those basic rules is to remember that you are only selling an appointment.

  • CHRISISM #82 - Establishing A Budget

    When I first started in the business (just over 40 years ago!), I was told by my manager that, whenever I sat in front of a potential client for the first time, I had to make sure I did a detailed budget on that person i.e. found out exactly on what their current income was being spent.

  • CHRISISM #81 - P Plater Protection (Revisited)

    Almost exactly 3 years ago in Chrisism#5 I introduced you to the concept of P Plater Protection. I believe this concept is particularly relevant (and therefore extremely marketable) at this particular time of year, namely over the Christmas holidays.

  • CHRISISM #80 - Fancy Some Free Life Insurance?

    Do you ever recommend stand alone Trauma Cover to clients under the age of 50? If so, you may want to rethink – especially given your “Best Interest of Client” duty.

  • CHRISISM #79 - Post Mortem of the Lost Sale

    In the event of you failing to do business with a potential new client, how analytical are you with regard to identifying the reasons why that business did not eventuate? Or do you just shrug your shoulders and move on to the next prospect?

  • CHRISISM #78 - Three Simple Steps

    Are you on a mission to keep things as simple as possible for your clients – or are you inclined to make things as complicated as possible in order to justify the certificates on your wall?

  • CHRISISM #77 - Grudge Purchase vs Fantastic Opportunity

    How often have you experienced the onerous burden of the negative perception of this thing called ‘insurance’? So how would you like to be able to create a paradigm shift in the way your clients view their personal protection package, so that instead of viewing it as a grudge purchase they came to view it as a fantastic opportunity? Well, in order to do this, I will first of all have to create a paradigm shift in the way you view your clients’ personal protection package.

  • CHRISISM #76 - Protection NOT Insurance

    Have you ever been engaging with a potential new client and imparting what you believe are really valuable and important messages, but for some reason you don’t seem to be getting through to them and business isn’t eventuating when you feel it could and should have?

  • CHRISISM #75 - Getting a Commitment to Action

    How often have you done a great job with a prospective client at a first meeting, everything has gone swimmingly and you’re confident that he/she will come on board as a client next time, but business doesn’t eventuate when it really could and should?

  • CHRISISM #74 - Smile Down The Phone

    How often do you fail to get the result you are seeking when making a phone call and, if it’s more than just occasionally, have you asked yourself what the most common reason for this may be?

  • CHRISISM #73 - Having a Structured Process

    When you go into a meeting with a client, how confident are you that you know how the meeting is going to pan out? One thing’s for sure, and that is if you have a structured process for the meeting in question, then there will be a far higher degree of predictability with regard to the outcome of that meeting.

  • CHRISISM #72 - The Importance of Perception

    It is hard to over emphasise the importance of the role that perception plays in the client engagement process. As I pointed out in Chrisism#8, we need to be very aware of the negative perception that the terminology we use with our clients can create – thereby giving them the justification to put up the shutters and say “No!”.

  • CHRISISM #71 - Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset

    What percentage of people do you think have insured their house, their car and their possessions but not their income? I reckon it would be a fairly high percentage.

  • CHRISISM #70 - Child Trauma Cover - An Absolute Must (Part II)

    In Chrisism#41, I outlined how important it is that every single eligible child is added to one of their parent’s adult policies as a life insured for Child Trauma Cover, and I pointed out that typically the most valuable benefit of such cover is that the payment of a lump sum enables the breadwinner to take time off work to spend with the child. In this Chrisism, however, I want to point out another perhaps more obvious potential benefit of Child Trauma Cover using a real life example.

  • CHRISISM #69 - Separating Yourself From The Pack

    What is the perception of the financial services industry that is currently being created by the media? I would suggest it’s something like:- “Everyone in financial planning is a shark who doesn’t give a damn about their clients and are only in it for their own benefit”.

  • CHRISISM #68 - Boxes To Tick Right Up Front

    In Chrisism#67 entitled “Setting Out Your Stall”, I identified four boxes that I believe we have to tick right up front with our prospective clients, thereby achieving four identifiable outcomes that are crucial in putting our client at ease from the word go.

  • CHRISISM #67 - Setting Out Your Stall

    What does the introduction to your first client meeting look like? I know I certainly tried a lot of different techniques for this introduction when I first joined the business, and I know that to some extent it’s probably horses for courses, but for a long time now there has been no doubt in my mind which introduction strategy worked better for me – and indeed for my clients.

  • CHRISISM #66 - MS - Increase Awareness

    Do you know or know of anyone who is suffering from multiple sclerosis? Whenever I ask this question of any group of people to whom I am presenting (be it small or large), at least one third of the people in the group raise their hands – and often considerably more than one third. Multiple sclerosis is a lot more prevalent than most people think, and we need to increase our clients’ awareness of this – especially those clients between 25 and 35 years of age.

  • CHRISISM #65 - The Price of Survival

    Have you ever had a client tell you that Trauma Cover is very expensive? If so, how have you responded? My response was always:- "Compared to what?"

  • CHRISISM #64 - Trauma Cover - The Need for Sustainability

    Are you still trying to get Trauma Cover over the line with the cheaper option of stepped premiums for your clients?

  • CHRISISM #63 - Disturb / Reassure

    This is an age-old sales technique that works by pressing your client’s emotional hot buttons and it is especially effective in the risk advice client engagement process.

  • CHRISISM #62 - Terminology Time Again - "Disability"

    When engaging with a client in the risk advice space, how often do you think you use terminology that creates a negative perception? I'll wager it's more often than you think.

  • CHRISISM #61 - Don't Get Sucked Down the Blame Drain

    When something doesn't go according to plan or even worse goes pear shaped, how many of us immediately look for someone or something else to blame other than ourselves?

  • CHRISISM #60 - Clients’ Thought Bubbles

    How structured is your first client meeting? Do you have clearly identifiable stages to the first client meeting with specific objectives that you are seeking to achieve at the end of each stage?

  • CHRISISM #59 - Be Reliable

    How reliable are you?

  • CHRISISM #58 - FSG - Sales Tool or Compliance Document?

    Do you regard the Financial Services Guide as a sales tool or a compliance document? If your answer is compliance document, then you may want to change your thinking...

  • CHRISISM #57 - Terminology Time - "Superannuation"

    Have you ever encountered a negative reaction from a prospect or a client when you mention superannuation? If so, maybe it’s time to consider using alternative terminology

  • CHRISISM #56 - Creating a Quality Experience

    We need to guard against our risk advice process becoming too transactional. There is a big difference between completing a transaction for a client and creating a quality experience for them.

  • CHRISISM #55 - Heart Vs Head

    Are you selling protection from your heart or your head? If you’re selling from your head, you’re probably finding it tough, but if you’re selling from your heart, I would guess you’re finding it a hell of a lot easier.

  • CHRISISM #54 - Two Ears One Mouth

    There is a good reason why we were given two ears and one mouth and I strongly suggest you use them in the proportion that they were given to you, thereby doing twice as much listening as talking.

  • CHRISISM #53 - The Psychology of Objections

    Do you ever wish you could close more business without having to handle any objections along the way? If so, be careful what you wish for!

  • CHRISISM #52 - The Importance of a Daily Target

    Do you finish every single working day knowing whether you have succeeded or failed? If not, then maybe you need to break down your primary personal financial goal into bite size portions.

  • CHRISISM #51 - Are You an Idealist or a Realist?

    I think a lot of us joined the world of financial services with a pretty idealistic frame of mind, but I believe it is just a matter of time before we learn to adopt a more realistic approach.

  • CHRISISM #50 - Income Protection or Income Replacement?

    As advisers, we are often guilty of describing the concept of securing a client’s income as “income protection”. If you use this terminology in this way with your clients, then I believe you should consider a change in terminology.

  • CHRISISM #49 - Financial Planning: Rocket Science or Common Sense?

    Are you on a mission to keep things a simple as possible for your clients or are you on a mission to make things as complicated as you can to justify the certificates on your wall? I strongly recommend the former!

  • CHRISISM #48 - Physical Positioning of You and Your Client

    Have you given much thought to how you set up a client meeting from a physical positioning perspective? If not, you may want to give some consideration to this issue once you have read this article.

  • CHRISISM #47 - Seeking Client Feedback

    Do you make sure you seek a client’s feedback when they come on board as a client for the first time? If you haven’t already got referrals at the point of sale, then I believe the policy explanation meeting (see Chrisism#40) gives you a fantastic opportunity to do so.

  • CHRISISM #46 - The Miracle Benefit

    A month ago in Chrisism #44 we looked at “The Miracle Product” – now we need to appreciate “The Miracle Benefit” within “The Miracle Product”! Let me introduce “The Miracle Benefit” by suggesting that you avoid recommending stand alone Trauma Cover to clients who are under 50 years of age. If you want to understand why – then read on!

  • CHRISISM #45 - Communicating Your Value

    The current changes to risk adviser remuneration models remind me somewhat of the introduction of commission disclosure back in the 90s, which meant that for the first time risk advisers had to disclose the amount of commission they were being paid for the cover they were recommending. An awful lot of seasoned advisers threw their hands in the air and exclaimed: “I don’t want to tell my clients how much I earn!”, and I would say “Don’t, then”, and they would say “But I have to now by law”, and I would say “No you don’t have to tell your clients how much you earn – tell them how little you earn!” If you think you’re being overpaid for the value that you represent to your clients, then you should probably get out of the business.

  • CHRISISM #44 - The Miracle Product

    According to the Collins English Dictionary, if you say that something is a miracle, you mean that it is “very surprising and unexpected”. I believe that Trauma Cover puts a bigger tick in these two boxes than any of the other personal protection products we have to offer our clients.

  • CHRISISM #43 - Trimming the Platinum Package

    As those of you who have been to my Risk Workshop will know, the types and levels of cover that I would be recommending to my client up front are called "The Platinum Package", and typically this would not be affordable for the majority of clients. The process of trimming the platinum package to accommodate the client’s budget will therefore usually be one of the 12 steps of my initial advice process.

  • CHRISISM #42 - Your Role In The Underwriting Process

    Do you ever get the feeling that underwriters don’t want the business any more, that there is no longer such a thing as a cleanskin and you spend an awful lot of time selling loadings and exclusions? If so, read on to find out how you can turn all of these into an opportunity to create a quality experience for your client!

  • CHRISISM #41 - Child Trauma Cover - An Absolute Must

    If you are not currently making sure that all eligible children are covered with Child Trauma Cover on their parent’s adult trauma policy, then you need to read on and rectify this situation.

  • CHRISISM #40 - The Policy Explanation Meeting

    Do you have a face to face meeting with every new client once the policy documents have been issued? If not, then you may want to read on to check out the commercial value of this meeting.

  • CHRISISM #39 - Client Meetings – One Hour Max

    What would be the average duration of your initial client meeting? If the answer is typically much more than one hour, then there are some home truths you need to be aware of..

  • CHRISISM #38 - Risk Adviser v Investment Adviser

    Unlike a lot of views I have read recently, I believe the opportunity for a specialist risk adviser (especially a younger one) has never been better than it is right now and will continue to be moving forward.

  • CHRISISM #37 - Who's Doing Who The Favour?

    How often do financial advisers (especially newer ones) think that someone is doing them a favour by becoming a client? It is this very mindset that puts advisers on the back foot from the very start of a client engagement process.

  • CHRISISM #36 - Prepositioning Referrals

    The large majority of advisers would substantially improve the number of referrals they get from new clients if they simply disciplined themselves to ask every new client for referrals at the conclusion of initial business. However, I believe we can improve our results in this area even more by putting just a couple of building blocks in place during the initial advice process.

  • CHRISISM #35 - The Tunnel Analogy

    An analogy that was introduced to me a long time ago which I found quite useful at times was that the sales process is like standing at the beginning of a long tunnel with your prospect and, when you look down the tunnel, you can see a tiny circle of light at the end and all along the way there are doors on either side all of which are open.

  • CHRISISM #34 - Helping Prospects Become Clients

    Have you ever had a really good prospect (or just a prospect for that matter!) who you know could and should have become your client, but for some reason remained a prospect for someone else? If so, did you ask yourself what were the things that you didn’t do to help that prospect come on board as your client?

  • CHRISISM #33 - Stepped vs Level Premium Trauma Cover

    Are you still recommending stepped premium Trauma Cover to your clients? I was too – until my lightbulb moment in 2007. To find out what my lightbulb moment was, read on..

  • CHRISISM #32 - Prospecting For Gold

    What constitutes gold in your business? Would it by any chance be quality clients? If so, are you prospecting for gold in the most efficient manner? To find out, read on.

  • CHRISISM #31 - Intergenerational Advice

    Have you ever heard an adviser say something along the lines of "Well, insurance is not really relevant for most of my clients, because most of them are pre or post retirees". If you have - or if you've even said something similar yourself, then read on...

  • CHRISISM #30 - The Platinum Package

    Have you kicked a “needs analysis” into touch and replaced it with a “wants analysis” yet? If so, then it’s time to embrace the concept of “The Platinum Package”

  • CHRISISM #29 - The Until Philosophy

    Have you ever expended time and effort agonising over whether you should persist with a potential client who is messing you around and procrastinating time after time? Do you want the solution?

  • CHRISISM #28 - The Importance of Attitude

    There are 5 component parts to the “Cycle of Success”, namely Activity, Appointments, Sales, Enjoying Life and the Right Attitude and all are essential pieces of the jigsaw, but only one of the component parts acts as the catalyst for all the others and without which the whole cycle breaks down. Do you know which one it is?

  • CHRISISM #27 - The Importance of Purpose

    "It's just as hard to get somewhere if you don’t know where you're going as it is to come back from somewhere you've never been!"

  • CHRISISM #26 - Have You Ever Lost Business That Was There For The Taking?

    Let’s face it - pretty much every time you pick up the phone to make an appointment and certainly every time you sit down with someone for a first meeting, the business is there for the taking. So what are the most common reasons why business doesn’t happen when it could and should? Read on to find out...

  • CHRISISM #25 - Waterproofing the Business at the Point of Sale

    Have you ever had new business not complete due to the client getting “cold feet” and would you rather it didn’t happen again?

  • CHRISISM #24 - Keep It Simple, Stupid

    Have you ever failed to do business that you could and should have done? What do you think the most common reason for this is?

  • CHRISISM #23 - Your Primary Role

     Call yourself an adviser? You might want to think again..

  • CHRISISM #22 - Hosting A Chat Show

    Have you ever been guilty of talking too much at a first client meeting? If so, take a slap on the wrist and read on!

  • CHRISISM #21 - Annual Premiums vs Monthly Premiums

    Do you recommend your clients pay predominantly monthly or annual protection premiums? If the answer is monthly, then you may want to read on if you want to fulfil your “best interest of client” duty and demonstrate value to your clients.

  • CHRISISM #20 - Regularity & Continuity of Service

    Generally speaking, what do you think are the most common things that people fear they are not going to get from a financial adviser? I believe they are regularity and continuity of service, so we need to reassure them on both these counts at the earliest opportunity.

  • CHRISISM #19 - Life Insurance vs General Insurance

    Do you ever get the feeling that most people tend to lump anything called "insurance" into the one basket? I believe it is absolutely crucial that you establish certain points of differentiation between Life Insurance and General Insurance right from the outset so as to avoid some really damaging misconceptions on the part of your client.

  • CHRISISM #18 - Is Trauma Cover Just For Old People That Get Sick?

    Do any of you struggle to sell Trauma Cover to the under 40s because of the perception that Trauma Cover is for old people that get sick and then you struggle to sell Trauma Cover to the over 40s because it’s too expensive? Read on..

  • CHRISISM #17 - Trauma / TPD Cover Keeping It Simple

    When Trauma Cover became a new addition to our personal protection product suite back in the early 1990s, it opened the door to potential confusion on the part of clients and advisers as to the need for Trauma Cover AND TPD, and it became crucial to understand why both products are essential components of a client's personal protection package.

  • CHRISISM #16 - Are You a Qualified Crystal Ball Gazer?

    Have you ever wondered how appropriate it is to make a recommendation to a client when what may or may not happen to that client is unknown and therefore predicting what will be required is nothing more than conjecture?

  • CHRISISM #15 - Positioning Protection With a Wealth Creator Client

    Have you ever implemented capital accumulation investment strategies for a client before (or even worse without) making sure they had an appropriate personal protection package in place?

    If so, then you need a couple of client engagement tools that will ensure that you never do things in the wrong order again!

  • CHRISISM #14 - The Irresistible Combination

     Can you motivate your clients to want as much Trauma Cover as they can reasonable afford and to want to own it for as long as possible?
    If not, would you like to know how to? Then read on……

  • CHRISISM #13 - Red Lights / Green Lights

     Have you ever likened the sales process to driving down a long straight road where the only potential hazards are traffic lights?

  • CHRISISM #12 - Waterproofing Appointments

    Have you ever made an initial appointment with a potential client who you never got to meet?
    If so, then maybe you should make sure that you are waterproofing the appointment before you hang up.

  • CHRISISM #11 - The Importance of Visualisation

    Whether it be a personal protection package or investment strategies, financial planning is common sense not rocket science, right? To understand the difference, read on..

  • CHRISISM #10 - Standing Up On The Phone

    When speaking with clients on the phone, are you sitting down or standing up?

    When calling a potential client to set up a first meeting, are you sitting down or standing up?

    If you don’t think it makes any difference to the result of the call whether you are sitting down or standing up, then you need to read this article.

  • CHRISISM #9 - Needs Analysis vs Wants Analysis

    Do you get more enjoyment out of talking about what you want or what you need? And do you think it’s any different for your clients? I don’t know of anyone who is more motivated by their needs than their wants.


    Why is it therefore that you continually deprive your clients of the opportunity to derive greater enjoyment out of coming on board as a client?

  • CHRISISM #8 - The Importance of Terminology

    Have you ever found yourself engaging with a potential client and imparting what you believe to be really important and valuable messages, but for some reason it doesn’t seem to be resonating with them and business that was there for the taking simply doesn’t eventuate?

    It struck me quite recently that one of the most common reasons why business doesn’t happen when it could and should is because of the terminology the adviser is using, which is creating a negative perception on the part of the client, thereby giving them an escape route.

  • CHRISISM #7 - Professionals Practice - Amateurs Ad Lib

    Are you 'winging it' with clients? When you meet a potential client for the first time, do you go into that meeting with a high predictability of outcome or do you just keep your fingers crossed and hope it pans out the way you want? The difference between the two will be your level of preparedness.

  • CHRISISM #6 - Removing The Fear Of The Unknown

    When someone meets you for the first time in a business context, they will always have a degree of anxiety in their head. This will be caused by their fear of the unknown. How do you deal with this and how do you put these people at ease and help them relax?

  • CHRISISM #5 - P Plater Protection

    Do your kids or your clients’ kids have P Plater Protection? Do you or they even know such a form of protection exists?

    As we move towards the Christmas holiday season when car accidents involving P Plate drivers seem to escalate alarmingly, wouldn’t it be a good idea to cover them specifically for the most common injuries sustained in car accidents?

  • CHRISISM #4 - Job vs Opportunity

    If you are a financial adviser and you think you have a great job - think again! There are no jobs in financial advice; only great opportunities.

    Do you appreciate the difference between a job and an opportunity? Go to my latest CHRISISM to find out the key distinction between a job and an opportunity.

  • CHRISISM #3 - Knowledge is Power (as long as you don't share it!)

    How often have you told yourself (especially when you were newer in the industry) "If only I had more knowledge, I'd be killing it"?

    The problem with this is that having more knowledge can be a distinct advantage, but it can also work against you — depending on how you use that knowledge. Indeed you can even use your lack of knowledge as a positive client relationship building tool.

  • CHRISISM #2 - Failure Cannot Live With Persistence

    There has certainly been no shortage of opinions put forward over the years on how to be successful as a financial adviser and indeed the large majority of the ideas put forward will undoubtedly contribute to your success.

    However, I believe that the opportunity we have as financial advisers is unique in that it only requires us to do one thing and one thing only to guarantee our success!

  • CHRISISM #1 - Overcoming The Price Barrier

    How much resistance would you get from your clients to owning appropriate levels of personal protection if to do so cost them nothing?!

    How would you like to look forward to your client asking you the question:

    "This all looks great, but how much is it all going to cost?”

    I have been using a simple engagement tool for the last 15 years which has dramatically lowered the bar when overcoming the price barrier.

    It involves 3 simple questions at the Fact Find stage of the process and then running with one client friendly concept throughout the rest of the initial advice process.

  • ARTICLE IN RISKINFO MAGAZINE - "THE IMPORTANCE OF TERMINOLOGY AND THE PERCEPTION IT CREATES"

     

  • Client Best Interest - 20 Issues - Published in Risk Info Magazine, March 2014

     Risk Info Magazine asked what for my thoughts on Best Interest of Client in the Risk advice space. This published article in the March issue identifies 20 areas within the risk advice process where advisers to be most mindful. Have a read!

  • ADDING VALUE TO YOUR RISK ADVICE PROCESS

    'Adding Value to your Risk Advice' - Published in Risk Info Magazine May, 2012

    As we approach a brave new dawn in the financial planning sector and FOFA lurks on the ever moving horizon, phrases such as “quality of service”, “value proposition”, “value of advice” and “fee for service” are uppermost in most financial planners’ minds, but more often than not the risk adviser is perceived as being a separate entity with its head in the sand continuing to knock out a stream of commission based transactions.

  • UNDERINSURANCE EPIDEMIC IN AUSTRALIA

    Last week I came across Rice Warner’s latest ‘Underinsurance in Australia’ in the latest Risk Info Magazine. I wanted to expand on some of the insights raised around this 'Underinsurance Epidemic' in Australia.

  • ADVISERS CHALLENGED TO ENSURE TRAUMA COVER LASTS LONGER

    'Advisers Challenged to Ensure Trauma Cover Lasts Longer' - Article Published in Risk Magazine Online

  • 2 SESSIONS DRIVEN BY THE CURRENT INDUSTRY CLIMATE

    SESSION ONE: BEST INTEREST OF CLIENT - DIFFERENTIATING RISK ADVICE STRATEGIES

    This session will outline the benefits of HIGH QUALITY risk advice - both for the adviser and the client.

    SESSION TWO: COMMUNICATING YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION

    Identifying & Communicating your Client Value Proposition has never been more important than it is now in the new FOFA environment.

    Find out more..

  • NEW ESTATE PLANNING SESSION !

    Estate Planning - Rules of Client Engagement

    Estate Planning is an essential part of a risk adviser's offering - comprehensive risk advice should include a personal and/or business succession plan.

    The good news is you don't have to be the technical expert in this field - you simply have to initiate the client engagement and facilitate the implementation of the appropriate strategies.

    For more information on my  "Rules of Client Engagement",click on the Risk link above.