The Best Advisors Seem To Have The Deepest Scars

February 23, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

They say that wisdom enters through the wound and the core of the passion to serve is based on life experience both positive and negative and the best advisors seem to have the deepest scars.

The life experience equipped them with the knowledge and the skills to pass onto other people to help them move forward.

This experience gives one something interesting to stand up and say rather than;

Hi, I’m Joe Advisor and I sell investment products and life insurance.

They use what has happened to them both personally and professionally, good and bad and use it as a catalyst to pass their experience and passion onto other people.

Here is an outstanding example of a Parable from Rod Tyler of Tyler & Associates in Regina, SK.

My Graduate Degree – by Rod Tyler

“I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it ceased to be one” – Mark Twain.

When I was 24 years old, I left university and graduate school to live in a northern Manitoba mining town and write my thesis. This was the 1970′s and the cost of living in northern Manitoba was skyrocketing. I had only my scholarship funds and a promise of a job on which to survive financially. Before too long, I had spent all the scholarship money and was working at three jobs to make ends meet. One of those jobs was running a truck leasing and rental operation. After six months of working at this job, my friend and chartered accountant, who had convinced me to take this job, said that he had good news and bad news. The bad news was that I wasn’t going to get paid. The good news was that I could buy the rental company and assume its debt.

For six months, I continued to fulfill another contract, unloading 540 washers, dryers, fridges and stoves, and installing them in a townhouse complex. Then with my money from completing that contract, I flew off to Winnipeg, to meet a high priced lawyer, one of the partners of the city’s most prestigious and powerful law firms. I handed over all my money to him and took on the debt of the rental company and the rental vehicles. I went straight to my hotel room after this signing ceremony, with the intent of flying back to northern Manitoba the next day. I no sooner sat down, alone, in that hotel room, than I began to cry. I was a grown man, sort of, supposedly educated, and I had just given away all my savings and agreed to repay a huge debt. My crying lasted all of about 10 minutes when I realized that I had only one option; I needed to get back to my newly purchased business as quickly as I could and then get on with it. I called the airline, asked if I could get on that evening’s flight, and when they said yes, I rushed to the front desk of the hotel, slapped down my room money and hailed a cab to the airport. I never spent another minute thinking about what might happen. I was, as they say in poker, “all in”.

Over the next several years I put all my efforts into making my business as successful as I could. Eventually I sold it to another budding entrepreneur. I never did finish that thesis, but I received something more valuable. I got a graduate degree in the actual practice of running a real business. It wasn’t the least bit theoretical. I also learned not to spend my time worrying about outcomes that might never materialize. I learned that it is better to take action. My business provided me with “on the job training”, including more lessons from other missteps, but with all the rewards that accrue to persistence. For that, I am thankful.

You might be temped to conclude that I place little value in education. I do not want to mislead you, because I do place a great deal of emphasis on advanced learning. When I entered the world of financial services I immediately recognized the need to learn all I could about financial planning and to obtain all the professional accreditations. And so I took action and completed all the requisite courses. Later in life, recognizing the need to continue learning, I have added to the initials you see behind my name. I also still spend a great deal of time attending advanced learning seminars and professional workshops. In addition I completely embrace the concept of the Coop Program of Studies sponsored by my alma mater, the University of Regina. I have hired students to work in our business so they can appreciate the expectations of a business while they complete their program of studies and obtain a degree. However, the experience I gained from starting and successfully running a business at 24 years of age will be the best graduate degree I could ever earn.

Perhaps someday I will return to the halls of learning to offer a course focused on the entrepreneurial initiative. If I do, it will involve some theory and a lot of actual experience in starting and successfully operating a new business.

Simon Reilly Makes The Final Round Of Advisor.ca Visionary Poll!

Dear All,

I’ve made the final round for Advisor.ca’s ‘Name That Visionary Poll’.

The Advisor.ca ‘Name That Visionary Poll’ started last April. The first step was nomination, the second step was shortlisting the top twenty and this final round is choosing a winner from the top ten so please click here to cast your vote for me.

There are two ways I could have played this:

Pretending to be a shy and demure Canadian, because that is what Canadians do, in the hope that people will vote anyway – ”I don’t take part in these celebrity competitions because it’s beneath me”
Bold, outrageous and provocative – ”asking for the business” – vote for me because I love the exposure!

Another reason that I am doing this is to demonstrate the power of E-Nurture Marketing & Social Media as you are a reader of my Blog or E-Newsletter and we were initially introduced through financial advisor speaking or via the internet.

Honestly, it would cost tens of thousands to receive the exposure that this poll can create.

So I’m asking for your help.

The next step is to vote for one of the top ten finalists and you can do this by CLICKING HERE & PLEASE VOTE FOR ME.

Again, why am I asking?

■ The exposure is absolutely great for my professional career development

■ The publicity is a vindication for all the hard work done with clients and the philosophy and ideas that we share in these and other pages

■ The encouragement to me to keep fighting the fight for quality career and independent financial advisors

■ My coaches and mentors all get to take a break as my unmet need of recognition is satisfied

To vote CLICK HERE.

Please note that given Advisor.ca is a publication for financial and investment advisors, I humbly submit that I do not profess to be a Financial or Investment Visionary as far as financial planning, products and services.

If one were to see me as a Visionary it may be because of doing my best to walk my talk as a Financial & Investment Advisor Coach, Speaker & Writer that uses systems like a E-Nurture Marketing & Social Media in their own practice and this is why I suppose I gained the nomination in the first place for Advisor.ca Visionary Poll.

To vote CLICK HERE.

Filed under: Uncategorized
Tagged: financial advisor blog, financial advisor business plan, financial advisor business planning, Financial Advisor Coach, Financial Advisor Coaching, Financial Advisor Speaker, Financial Advisor Speaking, financial advisor trainer, Financial Advisor Training, investment advisor blog, investment advisor business plan, investment advisor business planning, Investment Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Speaker, Investment Advisor Speaking, investment advisor trainer, Investment Advisor Training, Leading Advisor, Leading Advisor Inc., One Page Business Plan, simon reilly

Don’t Use The Words Financial Planning In The Title Of Your Presentations

February 22, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

Using the words “Financial Planning” in your speaking presentation title is the same as us using the words “Business Plan” in our speaking presentation titles.

Whether it is a Financial Plan or Business Plan, the potential attendee of your speaking presentation already has an opinion of what a Financial Plan or Business Plan is and your value added presentation could be easily written off.

Here is the latest full title and overview that we are using and the other 11 titles that we could use.

You Don’t Need More Time….You Just Need To Decide!

Do you have too many scattered ideas?
Do you need to focus on a few?
Do you need to jumpstart your business right now?
Do you have no time or interest in writing a 50 page business plan?
Do you need to determine if you’re focusing on the right things?
Do you need an effective blueprint to keep yourself and team focused?

Join Simon Reilly in this value packed presentation to learn how the One Page Business Plan can help you to write a clear, concise, and understandable business plan using key words and short phrases in the fastest, easiest and simplest way possible.

29 Disciplines For Growth & Success
Getting Things Right When Everything Seems Wrong
Stop Using A To Do List, It’s Killing Your Inspiration
29 Tools & Tricks For Business Planning
What Will Your Practice look Like In 2014?
The Traditional Business Plan Is Dead
How To Re-Think Your Business In 29 Steps
The Disciplines Of Business
Reflections On What Works And What Doesn’t Work In Business
The 90 Day Business Plan
How To Fire Up Your Business In 90 Days

Simon Reilly Makes The Final Round Of Advisor.ca Visionary Poll!

Dear All,

I’ve made the final round for Advisor.ca’s ‘Name That Visionary Poll’.

There are two ways I could have played this:

Pretending to be a shy and demure Canadian, because that is what Canadians do, in the hope that people will vote anyway – ”I don’t take part in these celebrity competitions because it’s beneath me”
Bold, outrageous and provocative – ”asking for the business” – vote for me because I love the exposure!

Honestly, it would cost tens of thousands to receive the exposure that this poll can create.

So I’m asking for your help.

The next step is to vote for one of the top ten finalists and you can do this by CLICKING HERE & PLEASE VOTE FOR ME.

Again, why am I asking?

■ The exposure is absolutely great for my professional career development

■ The publicity is a vindication for all the hard work done with clients and the philosophy and ideas that we share in these and other pages

■ The encouragement to me to keep fighting the fight for quality career and independent financial advisors

■ My coaches and mentors all get to take a break as my unmet need of recognition is satisfied

To vote CLICK HERE.

Filed under: Financial Advisor Speaking
Tagged: financial advisor blog, financial advisor business plan, financial advisor business planning, Financial Advisor Coach, Financial Advisor Coaching, Financial Advisor Speaker, Financial Advisor Speaking, financial advisor trainer, Financial Advisor Training, investment advisor blog, investment advisor business plan, investment advisor business planning, Investment Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Speaker, Investment Advisor Speaking, investment advisor trainer, Investment Advisor Training, Leading Advisor, Leading Advisor Inc., One Page Business Plan, simon reilly

Plan · Play · Profit – February 2011

February 21, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

Is Your Business Plan Or Lack Of One Causing You To Choke?

Plan · Play · Profit | February 2011

Welcome to the February 2011 edition of our Plan · Play · Profit E-Newsletter.

Seth Godin’s words of “You Don’t Need More Time … You Just Need To Decide” jumped right off his blog page at me on February 9^th as it resonated with what we had been talking about the day before on a One Page Business Plan Consultant’s Call with Jim Horan, the creator of the One Page Business Plan.

One of the One Page Business Plan Consultants had remarked that business people that have time management problems often times don’t have a business plan.

Whether on paper or in their head, business people that don’t have a business plan keep going over the same to-do list over and over again sucking up their valuable time and focus reminding themselves of what they have to do over and over again without making a decision about what action to do next leaving them in overwhelm.

It is the absence of a decision making plan, because that is what a business plan is, that keeps them going over and going over the same to-do list over and over again that causes the time management problem.

To make my point, haven’t you grown tired of me writing “over and over again”?

A business plan causes you to identify what needs to be done, to make decisions on the actions that need to be done so that you are in action versus distraction.

Business people that are distracted with to-do lists do not realize that they are filling up their mind’s “working memory” which eliminates them from doing any strategic long term thinking, planning or actions because they are overwhelmed with repeated tactical thinking causing then to be in action, working in the business versus on the business, majoring in minor things and they will be in the same place, same time next year so to speak.

You voted for me to get me to the Final Round of Advisor.ca’s Visionary Poll – Don’t Stop Now February 28^th is the deadline! Please click here to cast your vote.

Jim Horan told me about doing a Strategic Planning Session for a group of Fortune 500 Executives. He started his presentation by drawing a pie chart on a flip chart, marking out Quarters 1, 2, 3 and 4. He asked the group of executives, “Who can tell me what their Strategic Plans are for the 4th Quarter?” Silence. The group of executives were all too busy working on tactics in Quarters 1, 2 & 3.

Is going over and over the same to-do list over and over again causing one to fill up their “working memory” with ”worrying memory” reminding them of what isn’t done versus taking that same energy and investing it in action?

Isn’t this creating unnecessary pressure?

According to Sian Bielock, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago in the January 14^thissue of Science …

“Pressure-filled situations can deplete a part of the brain’s processing power known as working memory, which is critical to many everyday activities. Working memory is a sort of mental scratch pad that allows people to retrieve and use information relevant to the task at hand. But it is a limited resource, and when worries creep up, the working memory people normally use to succeed becomes overburdened. That can sap the brain power necessary to excel”.

Beilock is one of the nation’s leading experts on ”choking under pressure” — a phenomenon in which talented people perform below their skill level when presented with a particularly challenging experience. Her recently published book, Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To, gives advice on how to avoid choking in situations ranging from high-stakes exams to important business presentations and athletic competition”.

Excerpts taken from “The University of Chicago News, January 13^th- Writing about worries eases anxiety and improves test performance”.

Advisor.ca’s Visionary Poll is NOT over! The deadline is February 28^th! Please Vote Simon Reilly for the win!

I was originally drawn to January 13^ththe University of Chicago News article by a newscast on Global TV about students.

“Students can combat test anxiety and improve performance by writing about their worries immediately before the exam begins, according to a University of Chicago study published in the journal Science.

Researchers found that students who were prone to test anxiety improved their high-stakes test scores by nearly one grade point after they were given 10 minutes to write about what was causing them fear, according to the article, “Writing about Testing Boosts Exam Performance in the Classroom.” The article appears in the Jan. 14 issue of Science and is based on research supported by the National Science Foundation.

The writing exercise allowed students to unload their anxieties before taking the test and accordingly freed up brainpower needed to complete the test successfully — brainpower that is normally occupied by worries about the test, explained the study’s senior author, Sian Beilock, an associate professor in psychology at the University.

Excerpts taken from “The University of Chicago News, January 13^th- Writing about worries eases anxiety and improves test performance”.

If writing can help students increase their results, then it makes the same sense for business people for are we not all students of business?

The One Page Business Plan translates the standard elements of a business plan into five simple, universal questions.

Vision: What are you building?

Mission: Why does this business exist?

Objectives: What results will you measure?

Strategy: How will you build this company?

Plans: What is the work to be done?

A Vision Statement answers the following questions:

What will this business look like in 1, 3, 5 yrs?
What type of company is this?
What markets does it serve?
What is the geographic scope?
Who are target customers?
What are the key products and services?
What sales goal are we striving for?

I made the Final Round of Advisor.ca’s Visionary Poll - Please HELP make me the finalist. VOTE today as the deadline is February 28th!

A Mission Statement answers the following questions:

Who are our customers?
What key customer needs do we serve?
What wants, needs, desires,pain, or problems do our product services solve?
What is our unique selling proposition? What is the key competitive edge or unique quality that we have in serving that need?
What promise do we make to our customer?

Objectives are short statements that quantify the end results of any work effort. Objectives are easy to write and are instantly recognizable as Objectives when you use these five easy guidelines:

Only write Objectives that can be graphed
Include numerical value in every Objective
One quantitative measure per Objective
Limit of 9 Objectives per One Page Plan
Assign names & dates to assure accountability

Strategies are broad statements, covering multiple years that:

Set the direction, philosophy, values
Establish guidelines for evaluating important decisions
Set limits on what a company will do/not do.
Provides a blueprint or roadmap for building and managing the company

Actions describe the actual “work” to be done in your company and/or department. “Plans” are the execution steps implied in the Strategy and Objectives.

Definition of specific actions/work to be done
Business building or infrastructure projects
Related to strategies and objectives
Assign names & dates to assure accountability

The One Page Business Plan Methodology causes one to get clear on their focus and direction with their Vision and Mission. Objectives are one year measures but before any Actions start, long term three year Strategies are defined to answer how the Vision and Mission will be realized in the long term so that Actions are linked to both the short and long term.

Leading Advisor is enjoying remarkable 2011 results by using the One Page Business Plan and we have completed the implementation of the following Action Plans:

Integrate Leading Advisor’s existing business planning systems with the One Page Business Plan
Hire a Social Media Virtual Assistant and write and implement a Social Media Plan
Complete the One Page Business Plan Training, Leading Advisor Client Introduction, PowerPoint, Speaking Presentations, Webinar Presentations and One Page Business Plan Senior Consultant Designation

Our next Action Plan to focus on is Update and implement a Canadian, UK & USA Center Of Influence Marketing Plan to attract:

Association speaking opportunities
Coaching referrals
Corporate speaking opportunities
Corporate workshop opportunities
Sponsorship opportunities
Webinar referrals
Writing opportunities

I will be sharing more detail on the Canadian, UK & USA Center Of Influence Marketing Plan in forthcoming blogs and e-newsletters.

You have heard the expression “be careful what you wish for” and here is what we attracted last week:

An invitation to speak at a conference in Las Vegas
An invitation to write for a US financial advisor magazine
A preliminary conversation to do a workshop in Jamaica

Looking forward to the results when the Canadian, UK & USA Center Of Influence Marketing Plan

is written!

THANK YOU! With YOUR help again I could be the winner of Advisor.ca’s Visionary Poll.

The deadline is February 28^th VOTE today!

Announcing Leading Advisor’s One Page Business Plan^(TM) Free Webinar and the One Page Business Plan^(TM) Webinars!

“If you don’t get the words right, you might build the wrong business and may never get the numbers right.”

The dates for the One Page Business Plan^(TM) Free Webinars are:

Wednesday March 16^th at 1:00pm EDT
Tuesday, March 22^ndat 4:15pm EDT

Who should attend?

Do you have too many scattered ideas?
Do you need to focus on a few?
Do you need to jumpstart your business right now?
Do you have no time or interest in writing a 50 page business plan?
Do you need to determine if you’re focusing on the right things?
Do you need an effective blueprint to keep yourself and team focused?

Then consider a fresh, simple approach to business planning that will enable you to focus on what is important…the One Page Business Plan^(TM) – a powerful tool for building and managing a business. It’s short, it’s concise, and it delivers results quickly and effectively. There can be no question as to where your business is headed when it is in writing, especially when you have the key essentials about growing your business clearly specified on a single page.

Is this another ho-hum course on business planning like the ten others you have attended – no way! I know how to capture the essence of any business in just a few minutes using the innovative key word and short phrase techniques using the One Page Business Plan^(TM).

To Register for the One Page Business Plan^(TM) Free Webinar:

Call Laura at 250 248-6012 / 1 877 248-6012 or e-mail Laura at lreilly@leadingadvisor.com and you will receive your GoTo Meeting Webinar Link, Phone Number and Access Code.

Wednesday, March 16^th at 1:00pm EDT
Tuesday, March 22^nd at 4:15pm EDT

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.

Simon Reilly

The Financial Advisor Coach

1 877 248 6019

Please visit www.LeadingAdvisor.com for more Financial Advisor Resources and Training

Filed under: Newsletter
Tagged: financial advisor blog, financial advisor business plan, financial advisor business planning, Financial Advisor Coach, Financial Advisor Coaching, Financial Advisor Speaker, Financial Advisor Speaking, financial advisor trainer, Financial Advisor Training, investment advisor blog, investment advisor business plan, investment advisor business planning, Investment Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Speaker, Investment Advisor Speaking, investment advisor trainer, Investment Advisor Training, Leading Advisor, Leading Advisor Inc., One Page Business Plan, simon reilly

Get On Board With Social Media And Protect Your Brand

February 17, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

You have all heard about the big four players of social media – Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter & Youtube? And you are probably already providing value and engaging customers on most, if not all of these social websites.

If you haven’t /aren’t, now is the time to get on board with social media. I often recommend our customers to register their name and/or brand on as many social media websites as they possibly can and do not limit themselves to the only major players mentioned above.

The reason why is quite simple, one social site is too small or just emerging today, but in 6-12-18 months time, it might be the place your clients and prospects use to look for more information about financial services, connect with peers or share their experience with an advisor. Wouldn’t you like the idea to have a profile registered under your brand name by that time instead of seeing a competitor or somebody else using your cherish brand? I know I would…

Just to put that last paragraph into perspective, 36 months nobody knew what Twitter was… Look at it today, it’s just shy of reaching 100 million users and I have seen numerous advisors reaching out to their clients and growing their online market share.

Ginny Kipling says it perfectly on Senior Market Advisor:

The only reason to use a specific social platform for business is if your audience is there. No platform is right for every company. If you’re using social media to grow a business, focus on the sites and applications that are already being used by your target audience. But you should still register or reserve your company name or “handle” on as many social media sites as you can for two important reasons:

You want to protect your brand and keep someone else from using your name.

What may be an unimportant platform now may eventually become a hangout for your audience.

Remember, there’s no one rule that’s right for every company. While much of the advice you hear might be solid, it may not be appropriate for your business.

Before I open this blog for comments, I wanted to conclude by sharing a slide from a survey Advisor Websites sent to 650+ advisors 5 months ago:

What, in your opinion, is the most effective way to communicate with prospects?

Courtesy of Bart Wisniowski of Advisor Websites and Advocis Vancouver.

Bart Wisniowski is the CEO and co-founder of Advisor Websites where he manages a variety of products and services specifically focused on developing and utilizing effective websites for professionals in the financial services industry. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association® (FPA®).

Simon Reilly Makes The Final Round Of Advisor.ca Visionary Poll!

Dear All,

I’ve made the final round for Advisor.ca’s ‘Name That Visionary Poll’.

There are two ways I could have played this:

Pretending to be a shy and demure Canadian, because that is what Canadians do, in the hope that people will vote anyway – ”I don’t take part in these celebrity competitions because it’s beneath me”
Bold, outrageous and provocative – ”asking for the business” – vote for me because I love the exposure!

Honestly, it would cost tens of thousands to receive the exposure that this poll can create.

So I’m asking for your help.

The next step is to vote for one of the top ten finalists and you can do this by CLICKING HERE & PLEASE VOTE FOR ME.

Again, why am I asking?

■ The exposure is absolutely great for my professional career development

■ The publicity is a vindication for all the hard work done with clients and the philosophy and ideas that we share in these and other pages

■ The encouragement to me to keep fighting the fight for quality career and independent financial advisors

■ My coaches and mentors all get to take a break as my unmet need of recognition is satisfied

To vote CLICK HERE.

Filed under: Sales & Marketing
Tagged: branding, financial advisor blog, financial advisor business plan, financial advisor business planning, Financial Advisor Coach, Financial Advisor Coaching, Financial Advisor Speaker, Financial Advisor Speaking, financial advisor trainer, Financial Advisor Training, investment advisor blog, investment advisor business plan, investment advisor business planning, Investment Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Speaker, Investment Advisor Speaking, investment advisor trainer, Investment Advisor Training, Leading Advisor, Leading Advisor Inc., One Page Business Plan, simon reilly, social media

Commodity/Transactional Sales To Professional Practice/Collaborative/Relationship

February 16, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

Hi Simon,

I just cast my vote.

You are in exceptional company.

You have made an open and direct case for your constituency’s vote in this round to allow you to continue to ‘raise the bar’.

In our industry the key distribution change which we are observing is the retiring boomer demographic influence in moving the financial advisor platform from commodity/transactional sales to Professional Practice/collaborative/relationship sales.

In this sphere you are uniquely leading the way – as a visionary.

All the best!

Dan.

Daniel H. Zwicker
B.Sc. (Hons.) P. Eng. CFP CLU CH.F.C. CFSB
Certified Financial Planner
Chartered Life Underwriter
Chartered Financial Consultant
Chartered Financial Services Broker
Professional Engineers Ontario

Website: http://www.firstfinancialconsultinggroup.com
Blog: http://www.dzwicker.blogspot.com
Beyond Risk: http://www.beyondrisk.blogspot.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/danzwicker

Simon Reilly Makes The Final Round Of Advisor.ca Visionary Poll!

Dear All,

I’ve made the final round for Advisor.ca’s ‘Name That Visionary Poll’.

There are two ways I could have played this:

Pretending to be a shy and demure Canadian, because that is what Canadians do, in the hope that people will vote anyway – ”I don’t take part in these celebrity competitions because it’s beneath me”
Bold, outrageous and provocative – ”asking for the business” – vote for me because I love the exposure!

Honestly, it would cost tens of thousands to receive the exposure that this poll can create.

So I’m asking for your help.

The next step is to vote for one of the top ten finalists and you can do this by CLICKING HERE & PLEASE VOTE FOR ME.

Again, why am I asking?

■ The exposure is absolutely great for my professional career development

■ The publicity is a vindication for all the hard work done with clients and the philosophy and ideas that we share in these and other pages

■ The encouragement to me to keep fighting the fight for quality career and independent financial advisors

■ My coaches and mentors all get to take a break as my unmet need of recognition is satisfied

To vote CLICK HERE.

Filed under: Advisor Stories, Testimonials
Tagged: financial advisor blog, financial advisor business plan, financial advisor business planning, Financial Advisor Coach, Financial Advisor Coaching, Financial Advisor Speaker, Financial Advisor Speaking, financial advisor trainer, Financial Advisor Training, investment advisor blog, investment advisor business plan, investment advisor business planning, Investment Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Speaker, Investment Advisor Speaking, investment advisor trainer, Investment Advisor Training, Leading Advisor, Leading Advisor Inc., One Page Business Plan, simon reilly

Grant Hicks Demonstrates How To Become A Recognized Expert

February 15, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

One of my financial advisor clients drew my attention to an article in their local paper on Grant Hicks’ book Canadian Retirement Planning Mistakes: 49 Key Strategies On How To Take Action To Avoid Them.

Grant is doing an excellent job on differentiating himself from other financial advisors by becoming a recognized expert in his field by indentifying problems that need to be solved and then writing a book.

Grant’s web site is http://www.ghicks.com/ and click here to purchase his book through Chapters.

Please note that this blog was not solicited by Grant … I’m writing about Grant as he is demonstrating the best way to add value to the community that he serves.

Simon Reilly Makes The Final Round Of Advisor.ca Visionary Poll!

Dear All,

I’ve made the final round for Advisor.ca’s ‘Name That Visionary Poll’.

There are two ways I could have played this:

Pretending to be a shy and demure Canadian, because that is what Canadians do, in the hope that people will vote anyway – ”I don’t take part in these celebrity competitions because it’s beneath me”
Bold, outrageous and provocative – ”asking for the business” – vote for me because I love the exposure!

Honestly, it would cost tens of thousands to receive the exposure that this poll can create.

So I’m asking for your help.

The next step is to vote for one of the top ten finalists and you can do this by CLICKING HERE & PLEASE VOTE FOR ME.

Again, why am I asking?

■ The exposure is absolutely great for my professional career development

■ The publicity is a vindication for all the hard work done with clients and the philosophy and ideas that we share in these and other pages

■ The encouragement to me to keep fighting the fight for quality career and independent financial advisors

■ My coaches and mentors all get to take a break as my unmet need of recognition is satisfied

To vote CLICK HERE.

Filed under: Sales & Marketing
Tagged: become a recognized expert, financial advisor blog, financial advisor business plan, financial advisor business planning, Financial Advisor Coach, Financial Advisor Coaching, Financial Advisor Speaker, Financial Advisor Speaking, financial advisor trainer, Financial Advisor Training, Grant Hicks, investment advisor blog, investment advisor business plan, investment advisor business planning, Investment Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Speaker, Investment Advisor Speaking, investment advisor trainer, Investment Advisor Training, Leading Advisor, Leading Advisor Inc., One Page Business Plan, simon reilly

Thank You Wendy Sears

February 14, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

Many thanks to our friend Wendy Sears for her inspiration, press release ideas and a list of Vancouver Island media contacts.

This goes back to Friday’s Blog; “Laura was out for dinner with her girlfriends last Friday night and mentioned that someone thought that I should release a Press Release to the local media about making the top 10 in the national Advisor.ca poll.”

While our financial advisor speaking marketing is growing to an international scale, sending out a press release about making the top 10 in the Advisor.ca poll to Vancouver Island media outlets is one of those opportunities that one can’t pass by.

The press release has been a success with contact from three newspapers and a radio station.

Create Press Releases is the 14^th Step in The 34 Step Marketing Funnel.

Simon Reilly Makes The Final Round Of Advisor.ca Visionary Poll!

Dear All,

I’ve made the final round for Advisor.ca’s ‘Name That Visionary Poll’.

There are two ways I could have played this:

Pretending to be a shy and demure Canadian, because that is what Canadians do, in the hope that people will vote anyway – ”I don’t take part in these celebrity competitions because it’s beneath me”
Bold, outrageous and provocative – ”asking for the business” – vote for me because I love the exposure!

Honestly, it would cost tens of thousands to receive the exposure that this poll can create.

So I’m asking for your help.

The next step is to vote for one of the top ten finalists and you can do this by CLICKING HERE & PLEASE VOTE FOR ME.

Again, why am I asking?

■ The exposure is absolutely great for my professional career development

■ The publicity is a vindication for all the hard work done with clients and the philosophy and ideas that we share in these and other pages

■ The encouragement to me to keep fighting the fight for quality career and independent financial advisors

■ My coaches and mentors all get to take a break as my unmet need of recognition is satisfied

To vote CLICK HERE.