The Advisor Solutions Podcast

What do you think of when you see the number #100? Some people might think of a birthday milestone. Others might think of an income goal related to the number.  For me, the number #100 relates to what you are reading about or listening to today, my one-hundredth episode of the Advisor Solutions Podcast. Whew…it means one hundred weeks of writing, recording, editing, and posting these podcasts. Hit...

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” However, have you considered when that first impression is? Maybe it’s before you ever meet that person. Some people might hear about you or read about you before you speak with them. And, if that’s the case, do you know if you have a good reputation or brand?  Most financial advisors, insurance agent...

Are you on an emotional roller coaster? Do you find it challenging to regulate your emotions when faced with a volatile market, client concerns, compliance, or any other kind of adversity? If this sounds like you, know that you are not alone! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers are on an emotional roller coaster ride, depending on what...

Do you let your failures get the best of you? Do you view losses such as not closing a prospect, losing a client, or making poor client recommendations as business setbacks? If this sounds like you, know that you are not alone! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers let business failures get the best of them. They have never realized how t...

Are you stressed out most days? Running a business in the financial services industry can be very stressful. There are plenty of things that you can’t control, such as the stock market, clients, and the economy. As a result, at times, you might be full of anxiety and stress. If this sounds like you, know that you are not alone! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch manager...

Do you know how to create an instant connection with prospects? If not, know that you are not alone! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t know strategies for creating instant connections. They have never learned the techniques and exercises to increase their interpersonal soft skills. If all you focus on is the information you prov...

Do you know how to make effortless connections? What I mean is, can you connect with anyone, anywhere, and at any time? If not, know that you are not alone! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t understand how to make effortless connections. The reason is that they have never really viewed building your business soft skills as somet...

Have you ever wondered if great leaders are born or made? I believe anyone can be a great leader if they understand themselves, understand what motivates others to want to follow them, and apply what they learn. Do you understand yourself? In other words, do you know your leadership style and how you lead others? Most likely, you don’t. If so, know that you are not alone! Most financial advisors,...

Do you consider yourself an effective leader? Whether you’re responsible for leading your clients, an assistant, a staff member, an entire team, a branch, or region, having the skill sets to be an effective leader is important because it not only makes you more productive but it also has a positive effect on others. Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers and even a...

Do you control your day or does your day control you? One way to answer that question is to think about your average day at the office.  Did it go something like this?  You arrive, grab a cup of coffee, read emails, listen to voicemails, call clients back, get ready for a meeting, get interrupted, put out that fire, go back to what you were doing, and then get sidetracked by the next interruption!...

Do you have an edge over your competition?  What sets you apart if you and your competition have the same target market, same products, and same fees?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a way to create an edge over their competition. They don’t because they have never really learned what prospects and clients want, and what...

Do you take time to prepare for your meetings? If you are meeting with a prospect or a meeting with a client, do you prepare your recommendations?  When was the last time you prepared what you will say and how you will say it?  Do you practice that preparation to make effortless connections with them?  Most likely, you don’t! Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers,...

Do you spend time practicing how to make better connections with prospects and clients?  Do you schedule time each week to role play techniques?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t know that the most essential skill sets they need to develop are soft skills (or people skills.)  They don’t know it because they have never really re...

Do you set business goals at the start of each year only to forget about them by spring?  What I mean is, that at the end of the year, you have high hopes for reaching the next level in your business. You might create goals and even a business plan, but somewhere along the way, you get busy and a day, a week, or a month goes by, and you realize that you really aren’t any closer to accomplishing yo...

Do you feel prepared with your business? Do you know what you are going to do today and have you mapped out how you are going to do it? Most likely, you have a general idea of the items you need to do, but you might need systems in place for how you could be most efficient in accomplishing those things. Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers and agency managers don...

Do you ever wonder why some financial advisors and insurance agents easily connect with centers of influence, but it is more challenging for you?  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have an effective way to connect with centers of influence. Most have never considered connecting with C.O.I.s as a step-by-step process that can be...

Are you playing at the top of your game? Are you running your business at peak performance?  Are you managing your time, prospecting, sales, client servicing, and product knowledge so that you reach a pinnacle of success?   Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers must perform at peak performance. Most have never looked at specific areas of...

Do you feel like you have all of your clients business? Probably not! Instead, you probably feel like you could do additional business with them providing additional products and services but you just don’t know how. If this sounds like you, you are not alone! Most financial advisor, insurance agent, wholesaler, branch manager and even agency managers have some client that they could do additional...

Does the thought of getting out of your comfort zone make you shiver? In other words, being in your comfort zone feels comfortable! If this sounds like you, you are not alone!  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers want to stay in their comfort zone. They never realized that being in their comfort zone is a recipe for staying on the produ...

Do you have a fear of rejection? Do you procrastinate prospecting because you don’t want to get rejected? Or, is it a hit-or-miss scenario and you don’t think you fear rejection but aren’t completely sure? Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers have some form of fear of rejection. They have never really looked at rejection as being on a sp...

Does the thought of getting out of your comfort zone make you shiver? In other words, being in your comfort zone feels comfortable! If this sounds like you, you are not alone!  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers want to stay in their comfort zone. They never realized that being in their comfort zone is a recipe for staying on the produ...

Do you know what the first step is to creating success? Do you have a way to do that? Most likely, you don’t!  If so, know this… YOU are not alone. Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a well-thought-out process for how to raise their standards. The reason is that they’ve never really learned a step-wise approach to creating l...

Are you on a production plateau and need a little nudge to get going? If so, know that you are not alone. Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a process for knowing how to kick-start their business, and they don’t even know it!  The reason they don’t know it is because they’ve never learned how to create the perfect prospectin...

Have you ever thought about how your perspective of your business affects your business? If you view every obstacle as something that is holding you back, then you will most likely be held back from success. However, if you consider every obstacle as an opportunity to build a better business, then obstacles are nothing to fear but something necessary to face to reach the next level. Now, the real...

Could your business use a little push to get off its production plateau and get you to the next level? In other words, you haven’t reached the pinnacle of your success and you don’t know what to do to get there.  Most financial advisors, insurance agents, wholesalers, branch managers, and even agency managers don’t have a well-thought-out process for reaching the next level. The reason is they hav...