Click here to listen to a brief video tip from Mark Gremler:

Video Tip – Generational Planning

Do you invite your clients to informational meetings throughout the year?  If  not, you are missing out on a great opportunity to:

• touch your clients
• offer them valued-added information, AND
• meet new prospects!

At Gremler Financial Group we hold one or more client events each month AND we always ask clients to bring a friend who may be interested in the topic.   What a great opportunity to introduce yourself to new contacts and briefly tell them what you do.  These events can be held at no cost or very low cost to you!

Here is a sample of some of the events we have held or have planned so far this year:

• Today’s Markets, Economies and Investment Strategy
• Estate Planning
• Decades of Deficits – What Difference Does it Make?
• How the Six Dimensions of Wellness can Enrich Your Life
• Medicare / Medicaid – Important Info You Need to Know
• Appraise and Protect Your Gold, Silver and Diamond Jewelry –  Attend and receive a free jewelry appraisal valued up to $150 and a complementary review of your insurance coverage
• Exclusive Client Event:  A night of fine dining at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar for you and your guest(s) – You will hear timely information on the economy, the future of interest rates and inflation as well as commentary on today’s markets.  At the time of RSVP, you must provide the name of your accompanying guest.
• What You Need to Know About Social Security

For ALL of these events the guest speaker/sponsors are more than willing to provide coffee, cookies or even a meal.  Your job is to:

1. Pick a topic and secure a speaker
2. Secure a location
3. Schedule the event
4. Submit invitation, outline, slides, etc to compliance for review (if applicable)
5. Send out email or direct mail invitations .  (SEE THE ATTACHED SAMPLE INVITATION.  We can help you draft and print if needed!)
6. Collect RSVPs
7. Check people in as they arrive
8. Introduce yourself at the beginning (especially for the benefit of any non-client guests in the audience)
9. Introduce the speaker
10. Provide a wrap-up and thank attendees for coming

Call and ask us about our client events.  This is a great value-add and a great chance to meet new prospects!

Seminar Invitation

Did you know Mark sets aside time each Friday for personal mentoring sessions?

• Do you have an idea you want to run by Mark?
• Looking for case design help?
• Goal setting tips?
• Want to find out what’s working for him?
• Want tips on building or executing your business plan?
• Want to expand your offerings?
• Need a jump start, a pep talk, a shot of adrenaline?

IF SO —  CALL HIS ASSISTANT BECKY LACY AT 1-800-473-6537 & SET UP SOME TIME WITH MARK!

Our mission is to help you succeed!!  Cases are rolling in!

Let Billion Dollar Mentoring and ClarkStreet Printing be your marketing partner!

“You’ve helped me achieve all my marketing and branding goals this year. I can’t thank you enough!” – M.S., Advisor, Texas

ClarkStreetPrinting-Let-Us-Brand-You

I’ve seen it happen too many times to too many producers.  Some of their largest account clients pass away…and they lose that account as the next generation (whether they are local or not) bring their financial advisor to the table.  This scenario does not happen to the best producers.  Why?  Because they take an active approach to building a bridge to the children and heirs of their clients.

It’s all about the relationship!

• Make sure your client relationships are strong.
• Have you bridged that strong relationship to the children and/or groups/foundations/organizations to receive their inherited wealth?  You certainly want to!
• In regards to groups and foundations, some clients may or may not want to share that information with you.  If you have a trusted relationship they will be more willing.  You then should try to create a relationship with those groups and foundations as well.  This can lead to additional business.

As your clients pass, you will need to learn to work with a new type of client successor (i.e. Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y).  The computer and research savvy, financially aware, “do-it-yourself” characteristics found in these groups can make your job more challenging.   Some tips:

• Offer your clients a chance for you to meet their successors in a social gathering (i.e. a family-oriented event).  Doing this by mail or simply asking for a referral sometimes doesn’t work and isn’t enough. The purpose is to meet and engage them and earn their trust.
• In November and December, schedule “family meetings” while the children are back home for the holidays.
• Find out from your client exactly what type of information and/or topics that should or should not be addressed.
• Come to an agreement with the client on how you want to position the purpose of this meeting to the children.
• Create a seminar (to be presented to the heirs) that contains the information your client wants communicated (i.e. stretch IRAs, inherited IRAs, wills and trusts, Social Security, tax-issues, etc.).  The more children you can engage, the better off you will be in working with those successors when the time comes.

Let your expertise, your service and dedication to your clients, and the trust they place in you transfer across generations.

Do you have a written “Commitment of Services” to illustrate to prospects all the value you will bring to the relationship?  Most advisors do not.  Listen to the following success story.  Then, create your own based on what you are willing to do for your clients.  This is a powerful tool in differentiating yourself .  Create it, show it to the prospect, and sign the bottom of it while they are watching.  Then, follow-through on your promises to create a lifetime client. 

Commitment of Services

 Here’s a copy of the one we’ve developed for our practice.  Believe me, it works!

Sample of our Commitment of Services

A key quote from a prospect to an advisor: “Everyone else I’ve spoken to promised me they’d do these things, but you’re the only one to actually put it in writing…..so I know you do it….and I’ll hold you to it.  You’ve got my business !”

Click below to hear Mark describing an approach an advisor is using at the end of his seminars to guarantee follow-up meetings!

Seminar Closing

In summary:

• He includes a business card in the packet of the handouts.  On the back of the card is a pre-set appointment time.
• Tells the audience that he’s cleared his calendar for the next two weeks to make himself available to answer any remaining questions
• He says it’s often hard to find time for something like this, so he’s tried to make it easy for them.
• Tells them to pull out his card and note the pre-set time.  He asks that they not cancel because it’s important that they ask questions
• Tells them his scheduler will be calling tomorrow to confirm

Interesting approach.  If you try it, let us know how it goes.

The following good ideas are brought to you by John Hancock.  At Billion Dollar Mentoring, we can assist you in a number of these areas, from helping you set goals, creating an e-newsletter, building a website, and more.  Look to us as your marketing partner!  Call me today.

10 ideas to help your business
How does your practice stack up against the competition? How easy is it for potential clients to find your business? Are you putting your best foot forward when it comes to promoting your business with clients and prospects?  It’s easy for Financial Representatives to get caught up in a constant cycle of servicing clients, scheduling meetings, dealing with unexpected issues, etc. But there’s no denying that marketing is important.

Here’s a list of 10 easy and affordable steps you may consider to help your business stand out in the eyes of your clients and prospects alike:

Dear BDM Members –

Below is a link to a very good article submitted by one of our producers on bonds vs. indexed annuities.  He uses this in his marketing efforts to help dispel misperceptions about annuities.

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=135544070&gid=148419&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.producersweb.com%2Fr%2FAMS%2Fd%2FcontentFocus%2F%3FadcID%3D0d735539458ea0b1cbfd6d55cdf2d0cd&urlhash=_OMy&trk=news_discuss

Life insurance can be a great revenue source and we’re seeing a big increase in activity this year.  Let us help you provide more comprehensive solutions to your clients and thier advanced case design needs.  Use the Life Insurance Quote Request below in your marketing efforts.  Complete this and email or fax to us at 515-453-2225.

Life Insurance Quote Request

Also, offer to conduct a “Life Insurance AUDIT” for your prospects and clients.  Often times, you are able to get them more death benefit AND reduce or eliminate their premiums.  Assure your clients that this is a free review and that they won’t have to worry about making the right decision.  Use the following Life Insurance Audit Letter to send out to existing clients inviting them in for a life insurance audit (letter approved by ING FP, however seek prior approval from your B/D as well) .  We have seen great success in using this to ask clients about their existing policies.  When you take a look at them, it becomes pretty obvious which ones are in jeopardy.  It’s not so much “selling” life insurance, as it is “fixing” it!

Life Ins Audit Letter