Welcome to the April 2008 Edition of the Removing Your Roadblocks E-Newsletter.

It’s 2pm on Friday, April 18th and I’m in my office just about to sit down and debrief the week and get ready for next week. This mirrors the process that I recommend in the following article about The Quarterly Review Process. I started writing this article as a Blog for Monday, April 21st about A Two Camera Shoot / Speaking Presentation For Graham Calder of London Life/Freedom 55 Financial and I’ve decided to offer it as intro for my April 2008 E-Newsletter.

Enjoy the read.

Simon Reilly
The Financial Advisor Coach
sreilly@leadingadvisor.com
1 877 248 6019

This edition of the E-Newsletter Includes:

• A Two Camera Shoot / Speaking Presentation For Graham Calder of London Life/Freedom 55 Financial
• Attract The Second Quality Assistant
• Why Assess a Candidate's Values & Behaviors?
• DBS Private Client Group Inc.
• Trust The Process
• In Slowing Down We're Doing Less; We're Doing More
• In The Footsteps Of Thomas Leonard
• Quarterly Review
• Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmare

A Two Camera Shoot / Speaking Presentation For Graham Calder of London Life/Freedom 55 Financial

I want to extend a huge thank you to Graham Calder, Director, Business Development for London Life/Freedom 55 Financial, Nanaimo, BC.

Graham Calder & I, April 18, 2008 Tigh-Na-Mara Resort, in Parksville, BC

Graham put his faith into an idea that I had about offering a presentation of Removing Your Roadblocks to the members of the Nanaimo & Victoria London Life/Freedom 55 Financial Offices at a venue that I sponsored at the Tigh-Na-Mara Resort, in Parksville, BC which is just three minutes away from where I live.

Tigh-Na-Mara Resort, in Parksville, BC

The reason that I sponsored the venue goes back to me feeling very frustrated with a couple of past filmings that I have tried to do of my Removing Your Roadblocks presentations while I have been on the road.

The producers of the events at associations and companies where I have done past filmings have been gracious enough to allow me to bring in cameras into the room but through no fault of there’s, it just hasn’t worked out for a number of reasons that include;

• We don’t have enough time to set up our equipment between speakers
• The room configuration is all wrong … an example is the entry to the room is too close to the stage and there is always someone arriving late which interrupts the filming
• A few wonderful souls don’t get that we are filming and even though we ask that they turn off their cell phones, pagers and crackberrys they are still a ringing and on top of that they are so mindless that they walk out in the middle of the presentation and get in the way of the camera
• The room is too small for the presentation and there is nowhere to put the camera except at the side at a very odd angle
• The lighting is wrong and the room décor is tacky and hasn’t been redecorated since Donna Summer came out with The Last Dance in 1978.
• We are always on the road speaking and it makes it 10 times harder to do a filming when you are in a strange city and venue

I wanted to film the presentation to update our Showreel which is out of date and it suffers from some of the similar logistical challenges.

All of this frustration has served me well and has served as a catalyst for me to attract and create something better.

I remember reflecting back about all of this about 8 weeks ago while driving down the road around the corner from where I live and as I got into the frustration I thought, “how can I do a speaking presentation that is close to home that I can film”, and then it hit me.

Graham Calder has seen me speak a number of times through his roles with Advocis and London Life/Freedom 55 Financial at events that are a few minutes drive from where I live versus many plane flights. Graham is a fantastic person and I contacted him suggesting that I sponsor the venue and asked Graham to invite his team from London Life/Freedom 55 Financial, and Graham said YES!

Sponsoring the venue allowed me to choose the venue, the lighting, the room and the seating configuration to allow us to get an unobstructed two camera shoot.

I haven’t seen the footage yet, but I am certain that we have loads of film that we will be able to use to introduce my speaking to financial advisor associations and companies. This certainty is confirmed by the smile that is on my face in the picture that we took right after the presentation.

At the same, time three financial advisors asked me to have a conversation with them about becoming a client. There is business in my own back yard!

Once again, many thanks to Graham Calder!

Attract The Second Quality Assistant

I drafted the following script for a client to enable them to get their existing assistant on side with their expansion plans.

I am looking for your help and I need your job description that we talked about done before you start anything else.

The reason that I am asking for your job description is it is going to be a win for both of us and the clients that we serve.

It is no secret that there is a shortage of excellent and qualified financial advisors … and I believe we can do a lot more.

At the same time, I believe that we both could be doing more of what we love to do and less of what we don’t love to do.

I would like you to create / update your job description so that we can review it.

I have gone through what I love to do and what I don’t love to do and I would like to review this with you once you have done the creation / update of your job description.

Together we can identify what we love to do best and create a delegation list for the new assistant that I want to hire. The delegation list will help to form the job description and the ad that will enable us to attract the quality of assistant that we wish.

Thank you for your help.

Why Assess a Candidate's Values & Behaviors?

A. “Values” are WHY you approach your business and personal goals - therefore what Motivates your Behavior.
B. “Behaviors” are HOW you are currently taking action towards your business and personal goals.

Most people are not aware of the “Values” that are required to be a success in today’s business world. They may not fully understand the source of what Motivates them. Therefore they may have inconsistent “Behaviors” in taking action towards their personal and business goals. At the end of the day they may experience: conflict, inconsistency, lack of motivation, poor communication, problems with management, and even worse, unfulfilled business and personal lives.

Benefits of the Telephone Debriefing of the Values and Behaviors

It is not unusual for candidates to adapt their Values & Behaviors to suit the position that they are applying for, only to have their employer find out six months later that the candidate has a completely different set of Values and Behaviors which in turn causes conflict in communication, management and motivation which affects ownership, clients and the team.

Through our years of business experience we have been able to benchmark and identify the specific Values and Behaviors that are required for a particular position or job and eliminate costly hiring mistakes as candidates can mask the following during the interview process;

• Control issues
• Indecisiveness
• Low self esteem
• Obsessive behavior
• Unresolved anger

DBS Private Client Group Inc.

Dear Simon:

I want to thank you for your insights, practical tools and strategies. Your values based approach has provided me with a number of tangible benefits and has given me a solid foundation to accelerate the growth and success of DBS. Your services exceeded my expectations.

With Gratitude,

Paul Ghezzi, CA
Founder
DBS Private Client Group Inc.

Trust The Process

Monday, April 7, 2008 was a great day as Laura and I invested the day in a live planning session with one of our long term clients and their executive assistant.

My client and I have been working together since December 7, 2000.

As we worked on systems to yet again expand their vision using systems that include a quarterly review process, setting new 90 day goals, improved time management as well as creating additional support systems my client commented that;

We have been working together for the best part of ten years and when I first started working with you I could feel my resistance and I remember you said “trust the process and a year from now, you will not believe the progress that you have made”.

My client has made millions of dollars and they have made many millions of dollars for their clients in turn.

I truly feel honored to be in the business that I am in working with my clients to “kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight” - Bruce Cockburn

In Slowing Down We're Doing Less; We're Doing More

A late start Monday, April 14, 2008 “on purpose” as I invested the majority of last week in the one on one live planning sessions with some of my very best clients and I didn’t get home until 9pm on Saturday evening so I extended my weekend into Monday morning.

I’ve just started reading Marianne Williamson’s newest book called “The Age Of Miracles” and the comments on the back cover resonate and relate to where the main focus seemed to go with last week’s one on one live planning sessions.

While I laid out a “menu” on both the business and personal side of the one on one live planning sessions that look like the following, the majority of the focus of the work always went back to the personal work to sustain the work on the business.

Business;

• 90 day review 1st quarter,
• Vision
• Financial review
• ID projects, actions, delegation
• Time management / schedule projects, actions
• 90 day goals 2nd quarter

Personal;

• Clearing limiting unmet needs, beliefs and emotions
• Meditation
• Values
• Feelings
• Giving thanks
• Affirmations
• Attraction

“The highest most creative work is the work of consciousness, then in slowing down we’re doing less; we’re doing more.” - Marianne Williamson

In The Footsteps Of Thomas Leonard

The late Thomas Leonard was the founder of Coach U / Coach University and an absolute genius. I enrolled in Coach U in early 1995 and had my orientation call with Thomas which was possible in those days as they had fewer than 500 students.

The lower enrollment created the opportunity to be on Coach U Curriculum Training Calls when Thomas was the facilitator which also included being on The Irresistible Attraction Program and The Million Dollar Coach calls that Thomas facilitated.

In 1996, Thomas and I were featured on The CTV National News along with just about every major city newspaper right across Canada.

Wednesday April 9, 2008 was a Buffer Day and a clean up day as I am still getting on my feet after getting rid of airplane flu and in the words of Thomas Leonard, “if you want to attract clients into your business, clean up your office”.

So today included a rigorous review of the following computer files/softwares, hard files and office items that have been created since Laura and I got back from Maui in late February;

• E-Mails
• Files
• Journal Notes
• Maximizer
• Microsoft Excel & Word Documents
• Mind Genius

All of this helps to get back on track with one’s vision, projects, budget, 90 day goals, actions and schedule.

The main point to remember is the SMART goal setting process so that everything doesn’t turn into a priority;

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

It’s called running your business versus the business running you.

Thursday brings a live one on one client planning day in Vancouver, Friday brings a speaking presentation for The Independent Financial Brokers in Vancouver and Saturday brings a live one on one client planning day in Kelowna and I will be home on Saturday night.

Quarterly Review

Here are my thoughts on how to inspire the second quarter of 2008 …

Write down all the Projects that you are involved with that relate to the following Areas Of Your Business And Personal Lives;

Business:

Vision
Administration
Computer
Finance
Marketing
Office
Planning
Product
Production ( Clients )
Sales
Team
Training

Personal:

Auto
Clothes
Exercise
Family
Finance
Friends
Health
Hobbies
Holiday
Home
Intellectual
Practice
Spouse
Spirit
Storage
Training

Using Marketing as an example and using our business as an example our Marketing Projects are;

Articles
Blogs
E-newsletter
Public Speaking
Referrals
Testimonials
Web site

In your journal write down everything that you can think of to give thanks for in all areas of both your business and personal lives and write down how this makes you feel.

Using Production (Clients) as an example and using our business as an example;

I am so thankful that I am working with my clients who have taken the steps / are taking the steps to Remove Their Roadblocks To Success and through their work they are attracting business effortlessly and easily and therefore we both feel appreciative, energized, excited, happy, and I am looking forward to the second quarter of 2008.

Using Marketing – Testimonials as an example and using our business as an example;

I am so thankful for the speaking opportunity for Advocis Calgary which generated the following testimonial and referrals and therefore I feel appreciative, energized, excited, happy, and I am looking forward to the second quarter of 2008.

Removing Your Roadblocks drew the largest crowd and was the most engaging lunch and learn presented by the Calgary chapter so far in 2008.   We didn’t receive one negative comment.  Simon brought enthusiasm to the presentation right from the get go, causing the audience to immediately look up from their lunch because there was something that was really going on.  
 
The presentation addressed how to leverage the advisor's time and challenged the audience to determine whether they were busy doing $20 & $25 per hour work.  This really resonated with people and caused them to ask themselves whether they were choosing to really invest in their business or just sit and be frustrated with the paperwork.  We can all be busy just being busy.  But Simon spoke about the need for prioritization, being leaders and making a positive impact on both our clientele and staff.  The presentation also addressed succession planning for the financial advisor.  The reality is that it doesn’t make sense for financial advisors to talk to their clients and prospects about succession planning and then not practice what they preach.  
 
Simon really caused the audience to look at the emotional side of their business and to understand that in times of change the best get better and the worst disappear.
 
Jeff Dyck
Advocis Calgary Program Chair ( 2008 )
PPI Financial Group
Calgary, AB
Jdyck @ ppi.ca

Using Sales Results For The First Quarter Of 2008 as an example;

I am so thankful for the sales results for the first quarter of 2008 and therefore I feel appreciative, energized, excited, happy, and I am looking forward to the second quarter of 2008.

Using the Projects that relate to Areas Of Your Business And Personal Lives, write out your 90 Day Goals for the Second Quarter of 2008.

You can compound the value of what you want to create in the second quarter of 2008 by modeling the following affirmations.  Caution!  In the absence of these affirmations one is left with the ego mind's fears that there isn't enough time, and that there will not be enough, and the outcome will be two unhappy trips.

Using Sales Results as an example;

• I have decided to -  easily and effortlessly attracting the sales results of $100,000 for April – June and therefore I feel appreciative, energized, excited, happy, and I am looking forward to the second quarter of 2008.
• God is allowing me to -  easily and effortlessly attracting the sales results of $100,000 for April - June and therefore I feel appreciative, energized, excited, happy, and I am looking forward to the second quarter of 2008.
• I am in the process of -  easily and effortlessly attracting the sales results of $100,000 for April – June and therefore I feel appreciative, energized, excited, happy, and I am looking forward to the second quarter of 2008.
• A lot can happen to -  easily and effortlessly attracting the sales results of $100,000 for April – June and therefore I feel appreciative, energized, excited, happy, and I am looking forward to the second quarter of 2008.

To stay in a state of attraction one must remember to practice;

• Meditation
• Clearing when required
• Journaling I observe my unmet need of _____________ is being met whenever I take the follow action of _____________________________________-.
• Giving thanks

This writing is circa April 2008. I offered the following questions that relate to a Quarterly Review back in April of 2005. These are more left brain and the April 2008 version is more right brain and you can take the best strategy that works for you.

• What goals did you accomplish in the first quarter of 2005?
• Why are they significant?
• How do they make you feel?
• What didn’t you accomplish that you intended to?
• What changes do you need to make?
• In what area(s) do you need coaching or training?
• For the next 90 days, what further progress could you make towards your 90 day goals?
• What are your new 90 day goals?
• What are you resisting doing?
• How can you use your personal strengths to commit 3 needed actions this week to meet your 90-day goals.

In closing, thank you for the opportunity to work with you and I am reminded that in repeating and documenting the attraction work, it will come to both of us in kind.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmare

Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmare is the best BUSINESS Show on TV.

Michelin-star chef and cookbook author Gordon Ramsay, the explosive, foul-mouthed black sheep of Britain’s culinary scene, unleashes his wrath on struggling restaurants. Ramsay prescribes drastic measures and doesn't mince his words as he visits a different kitchen in each episode with the aim of transforming the floundering eatery within one week.

Thank you for sharing your time.



Simon Reilly
The Financial Advisor Coach
sreilly@leadingadvisor.com
1 877 248 6019