Archive for December, 2010

While I tend to focus my daily life on improving and growing,  with New Years just around the corner I can’t help but find myself preparing and reflecting on the past year, my business, my marriage, all aspects of my life. During this time of reflection I came across a simple question that caused me to pause.  “If failure wasn’t possible what would I do differently?”

So much of what we do in life is based on how to succeed without failure, but what if failure was not an option?  What if everything you did had a positive impact the only difference was that some actions created a bigger impact. What would you do differently?

The fear of failure has been so entrenched in our brain that it’s difficult to imagine what life would be like without the fear of failure. More often than not our ability to succeed is only impeded by our fear of not making it, not being good enough, making sure we didn’t fail.  Holy cow what a concept. That desire to defend against failure has embedded itself so deep it’s hard to imagine a life without it.

What if nothing you did could end in a negative result?  What if failure was no longer a motivator for action nor an impediment to success?  Your motivation would be replaced with a desire to add value, a desire to enhance life, a complete desire to do what is right and good in the world. What would you do differently?  How would your business be different? Your life, the world?

Leave a comment below with your answer this one simple question:

If failure wasn’t an option………..

Since the beginning of time women have used community settings to accomplish more, learn more and support and encourage each other. In an industry where women are such a small minority,  most female financial advisors lack that community feeling. While many female advisors feel isolated in an independent office, others feel isolated in an office dominated by men. Regardless of your environment, working in a community of like-minded women can make all the difference when striving for success.

Thanks to the advancement in technology, more and more women are creating and joining a virtual community. Masterminds are one of the most effective tools in creating a supportive environment where women can share ideas, brainstorm solutions and encourage each other to stay true to their authentic self. If you have never experienced the value of a mastermind program, now is your chance.

To learn more about the Pink Office Mastermind for Female Financial Advisors only, visit www.yourpinkoffice.com for details about the 2011 Mastermind program to begin next month. Don’t wait, space is limited, because this is a community of like-minded women, participants will be determined on a first come first serve basis.

Want to hear more?  Click Here to hear Adri, share the benefits of the Pink Office Mastermind Program.

Seminars are NOT just about filling the seats, if that is your whole focus you’re missing the point. Most all Advisors whether male or female focus 100% of their efforts on filling the seats at an event or seminar when that is just one way of leveraging events to grow your practice.

While building my own practice with seminars there were times when I had no one show up for the event yet because of my process I still opened an account and created a new client. If filling the seat has become your sole objective you are missing some tremendous opportunities to cultivate more new business.

Here are three tips that can have a big impact on your seminar success.

1. Remember that hosting events is NOT just about who shows up. When you host an event you create a fun opportunity to engage in conversation with potential prospects. Whether someone can attend the event or not is of little consequence, what matters most is creating more opportunities to learn more about the potential client and use these calls as a way of furthering your relationship with them.

2. Follow up calls should be made the day following the event. If given the opportunity you can make follow up calls the same day (i.e.; breakfast event). By attending your event you have inspired the participants to make changes and take action that is why it is so important that you follow up ASAP. Each day that goes by you lose valuable momentum dramatically impeding your ability to convert the participants in to loyal clients.

3. All calls should be made with enthusiasm. Approach every call as if it was a great party that you are inviting them too. Often times the participant can get swept up solely by the energy and enthusiasm you bring to the phone call. If you have hired an intern to make the calls for you have them practice and role play with you first. Remember these calls are not just a task to be checked off your list but can become an integral part of developing and cultivating what will soon become a new client.

How does this resonate with your marketing strategy? Leave a comment below on what you’ve taken away from these 3 tips for your seminar success.

For years I have been coaching and helping female financial advisors better leverage their strengths as women to accomplish more as a financial advisor. When they stop relying solely on the mans way of doing business and begin to incorporate more of their natural strengths as a woman amazing things happen.  Business becomes more focused, they begin to work more efficiently and their confidence and abilities soar.  It’s worked so well for the female financial advisor I’m now taking those same concepts and applying it to how the affluent woman should manage her wealth.  I’m developing a new seminar that financial advisors (men or women) can incorporate into their business designed to attract the Women of Affluence.

For too long women have felt they needed to approach, perceive and manage their wealth like their male role models, as if this was the only way. It is when men and women blend their perspectives and approach to addressing life’s issues that great results happen.  Managing money is no different; the problem is women have yet to incorporate their own perspective and strengths into the process of managing money.  As a result they often feel like a fish out of water, struggling to do it the mans way , well those days are over.

After participating in my new seminar the affluent woman will feel more confident in her ability to manage her wealth. She will have a new perspective and relationship with money that works for her.  She will start to incorporate her natural strengths as a woman to her process for making financial decisions.  She will learn a simple and effective way to address all aspects of wealth management in an organized proactive process.  But more importantly these women of affluence will recognize what they need, want and expect from their relationship with their financial advisor and it has nothing to do with fancy financial reports.

Learn more about this New Seminar to Attract the Affluent Woman on Thursday February 10^th at 4:00 EST.  You can register now at YourPinkOffice.com

I’m sitting in my recliner totally laid up after having extensive foot surgery and I’ve never been more productive with my business.  Just being forced to stay away from my office, sitting in a new environment with my laptop in my lap I am free to create, review, reflect and redesign my business.  I have written a business plan, a business budget for 2011, redesigned my professional team.  I am almost done writing my new Women’s Seminar (which I’m really excited about) and will soon be finished with my new Breaking the Mold 2011 Workshop web page.  While it helps that I’m not taking phone calls I could never have accomplished that much in a week of sitting in my office.

It’s amazing how by just removing yourself from your daily work environment you can become more creative, objective and productive with your business.  When I first started out working from home I remember other coaches in my mastermind group talking about creating a second room in their house that was designed just for this reason.  They decorated it in a more artistic soothing manner to encourage reflection and enhance creativity.  I now know why.

As female financial advisors we rarely slow down enough to reflect and create. We spend our days zig zagging from one task or responsibility to another.  That’s why its so important to create a separate space that is only used for relaxation. Soft music, warm lighting, maybe even fresh flowers will entice and encourage you to slow down and breathe.   

Granted not everyone has the space to accommodate this luxury so find another environment outside your home that works well for you.  The Library, local Starbucks, with portable laptops even the rose garden across the street can become that second office.