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Yellow and Red Alerts
There must be some reason certain firms generate achieve better organic growth than others. Said another way, if two equally skilled firms compete, then why does one produce double digit growth and the other negative growth? The answer: pro-active management of red and yellow alerts leads to growth. To help my clients improve their sales…
Start Focusing on Sales Behaviours
Many firms mistakenly believe a good compensation program is the way to motivate professionals to achieve superior results. Wrong. Compensation programs do not motivate; in fact, some can be de-motivators. I speak with many professionals who don’t know about their compensation or about how it works. Worse still, I meet leaders who are unable to…
10 Steps For Running Results-Oriented Sales Meetings
The sales meeting is an effective way to build a culture of accountability. It helps individual producers, and the business as a whole, to stay on track to achieve growth goals. Unfortunately, sales meetings can also be a source of frustration for leaders, who often allow meetings to run them and to weigh everyone else…
5 Steps to Attracting High Quality Prospective Clients
How are your marketing efforts working for you? Are they filled with good intentions, but delivering few tangible results? I speak to financial services leaders and professionals every day. I know that attracting, and acquiring, new business is one of the toughest challenges they face. Even experienced professionals, who have grown their business organically, via…
How to Create a Proprietary Marketing Network
If you’re struggling to produce solid organic growth every year, consider creating your own proprietary marketing network. Financial services marketing falls into three categories: One-dimensional traditional marketing. The focus is on short-term tactics for client acquisition Two-dimensional relationship marketing. The focus is on client retention, achieved by building long-term relationships Three-dimensional proprietary marketing. The focus…
11 Ways to Leverage Prospects That Don’t Buy
A sales leader had the following conversation with a professional: Leader – I recommended you try referral marketing to boost your productivity. Professional – Referral marketing is not a reliable enough system. Leader – Why not? Professional – Because if you have a slump for a while and don’t make any sales, you run out…
How to Build an Effective Referral Network
Did you know that networking is one of the most talked about but seldom realized marketing activities? Why? Because many professionals simply don’t understand what effective networking is. As a result, they approach it with the wrong right mindset. Effective networking is about helping others; more importantly, it’s about helping other people to get new…
9 Steps To Turn Prospects Into Clients: Build Your Advantage
The fundamentals of marketing services are the same as they have been since I became involved in the industry, 30 years ago. And I’m certain they will remain the same for the next 30 years, and beyond. To gain new clients, you must put yourself in front of new prospects and build strong, trusting relationships….
It’s All About the Results
A client asked me an interesting question the other day: ‘What is the secret that enables some firms to produce superior organic growth results consistently, while others seem to struggle?’ In my experience, it’s all about the having the right objectives – about having in mind a precise number for surpassing the previous year’s results…
Marketing vs. Prospecting
Did you know that for a shark to breathe, it must keep moving? This movement forces water through its gills; if it stops, it drowns. The same is true for your marketing program. It must remain active; if it stops for any length of time, it loses its strength. I often see professionals experience difficulties…
