Donald F. Pooley Articles

Your Biggest Advantage - Click To Read Article
Research conducted by Russ Alan Prince, a leading authority on affluent investors, found that clients consider their relationship with financial professionals to be four times more important than investment performance in gauging their overall satisfaction.

Zoom In - Click To Read Article
While using some online maps to guide a friend to my son\'s house from mine, I realized something that can guide your interview questions .

Your Email Newsletter - Click To Read Article
A newsletter builds credibility, because it doesn\'t seek to sell you anything. Instead its aim is to inform, to educate, to build knowledge. It can therefore help you to build trust with your present clients and obtain referrals.

Your Most Vital Skill - Click To Read Article
The difference between failure and phenominal success as an independent financial advisor depends entirely on just one vital skill.

Your Circle Of Influence - Click To Read Article
Preachers, funeral directors, and a few other professions have learned “the 300 rule” through personal experience.

Your Pre Approach Letter - Click To Read Article
The last issue dwelt on the significance of your letterhead in building credibility with a prospect you haven\'t yet met.

Youve Got to Give It Away to Keep It - Click To Read Article
One northern Manitoba February, Bert, a new AA convert, was driving me from Flin Flon to The Pas to work with another agent. Bert\'s enthusiasm for AA bubbled throughout the trip, and I learned many things that helped me improve my life.

You Have To Write - Click To Read Article
Sorry about that, but most of the top prospecting techniques require writing. Seminars, speeches, printed and electronic newsletters, magazine articles, websites, etc. all need you to do some writing.

Why-Questions - Click To Read Article
Ever watch someone being interviewed on TV? If so, you know that the interviewer asks questions, and the person being interviewed makes statements.

You Cant Please Everybody - Click To Read Article
I received this email on November 8th: \"Take me off your list... you are sending me gimmick email.. you offer free stuff, but you make it so damn complicated to find it... it\'s a waste time... I looked and looked for the book on seniors and never did find it... go to hell and take you newsletters with you...\"

Who Do We Appreciate - Click To Read Article
Too often, in the rush of business, the simple \"thank you\" is forgotten, or becomes so routine that it is perceived as insincere.

Why Clients Dump Advisors - Click To Read Article
\"You\'re Fired!\" is the scary title of an article in the June 2005 issue of \" Advisor\'s Edge \" that reveals why high net worth clients drop their investment advisors .

Who Gets What - Click To Read Article
Here\'s another of my insurance marketing ideas for you!

Why I Cant Answer Your Email - Click To Read Article
I\'m sorry, but I can\'t answer your email.

Why Refer You - Click To Read Article
Yes, you are a wonderful person, and an excellent advisor, but so are a lot of your competitors, so why should anyone refer you instead of one of them?

Why Advertise - Click To Read Article
Advertising in newspapers and magazines; what a great idea!

Whos That Guy - Click To Read Article
You\'re sitting in the barber\'s chair. A guy walks in, says \"Hi Joe\" to your barber, picks up a magazine, and goes to sit in the back.

What People Want - Click To Read Article
People want you to do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it.

Whats In It For Them - Click To Read Article
Lots of emails waiting for you this morning?

Where to Focus Your Newsletter - Click To Read Article
Focus your newsletter on building your reputation.

What Your Ezine Will Cost - Click To Read Article
Asking you about how to handle TIP\'s unanticipated expenses made some of you wonder what costs to expect if they started their own email newsletter for clients, and prospects. Don\'t use TIP\'s expenses as a benchmark.

Which Techniques Do High Earners Use - Click To Read Article
To find out, look at the first list below. Then compare it with the techniques used by low earners, in the second list.

Which Techniques are Tops - Click To Read Article
Hey, we all want to know which are the very best practice- building techniques, so we can stop wasting time on those that don\'t cut it.

Wheres the Benefit - Click To Read Article
Received a fat envelope last week from a new trust company that wanted me to place my deposit business with it. Inside was a free pen (very nice), and a white folder full of stuff telling how great it was, plus applications, and a contract to sign in order to do business with it.

Which Strategies Pay Most - Click To Read Article
Here\'s the result of a 1991 survey of consultants\' incomes relative to their marketing methods.

When They Answer The Phone - Click To Read Article
What do you do when they pick up the phone?

When to Ask for Referrals - Click To Read Article
You should always ask for referrals when you deliver a quality product or service. There are times when you\'ll get better results than others. Here are some guidelines for when to ask for referrals:

Whats Wrong With This Ad - Click To Read Article
Stuck on the cover of my new phone book was a 3 by 5 ad. In the top red half, it stated in large white lettering:

When You Get Voice Mailed - Click To Read Article
A recent issue of TIP lead with an article on how to prepare for a phone call to a client. What about the case when the client, business contact or whomever doesn\'t pick answer the phone and you get voice-mail prompts?

What Makes A Champion - Click To Read Article
Champions have an attitude, a mindset that sets them apart from others. Few of these qualities are exceptional. But, as Shiv Khera, author of \"You Can Win\" puts it, \"Winners don\'t do different things. They do things differently.\"

What Does Your E Address Tell People About You - Click To Read Article
How much time did you spend on deciding on the appearance of your business cards? Or your letterhead? Why was it so important to get them just right?

What If - Click To Read Article
Jan, just widowed at 58, contacted me for financial advice. After my usual sequence of meetings and planning sessions, tonight was the closing appointment at her home.

Wake Yourself Up - Click To Read Article
Are you bored with this business? Or yourself? Do you feel yourself just \'going through the motions\' and not getting anywhere?

What Counts Most - Click To Read Article
You\'d think investors would rate superior performance as the most important factor in choosing an investment dealer.

What Business Are You In - Click To Read Article
When I started financial planning it surprised me that what clients wanted far more than my expertise was an information processor. They were ready to pay someone to convert all the statements and other information coming at them from various financial firms into a form that they could understand.

USE REVERSE REFERRALS - Click To Read Article
Often you have highly-coveted prospects that you would love to soften up before contacting. Comb your customer base and ask them if they know the prospects, and if if they could help you.

Use The Difficulty - Click To Read Article
Michael Caine had this to say about something memorable that he learned as a young actor:

Top 10 Strategies For Sales Success - Click To Read Article
1. For the first few minutes of ANY sales interaction, don\'t talk about yourself, products, or services.

Tips To Guide Your Work Life - Click To Read Article
# If you are afraid, face it. It\'s okay to be afraid, just never give up because of fear. Focus on the outcome, not the journey. No matter how scared you are, do the things you want to do.

Triage - Click To Read Article
One of Napoleon\'s army doctors decided that there had to be a better way to allocate limited medical resources to those wounded in battle than first-come-first-served, or by rank, so he came up with a process he called \"triage\".

Uncover Your Hidden Markets - Click To Read Article
Want a simple, low-cost way to boost your sales? Just uncover the narrowly defined sub-markets hidden in your main market. Then create special versions of your advertising to focus on the specific needs of prospects in these hidden segments.

Three Ezine Alternatives - Click To Read Article
During my free ezine publishing tele-classes I offer every month, I always get a few people who say to me, \"You know, publishing an ezine sounds great, but I just don\'t think I have the time to do it on an ongoing basis.\" Or, \"I\'m not sure if I\'ll have enough content to publish an ezine.\"

The Top 5 Techniques 1980 - Click To Read Article
Back in the early eighties I figured there must be other, less daunting ways to prospect than cold-canvassing, and asking friends for referrals.

Three Referral Strategies - Click To Read Article
The previous issue quoted from the book, Getting Business to Come to You . Here are \" Three Referral Strategies \" from the same book:

The Power of Word of Mouth - Click To Read Article
Positive word-of-mouth generates referrals, and referrals generate business. So word-of-mouth is free advertising---an important marketing tool that can contribute to your success.

The Secret to Standing Out - Click To Read Article
If you offer a service that promises a specific, desirable result, and you make what you are offering intriguing and different from what everyone else is offering, you will get more attention, interest, response, and action from your prospects.

The Push You Need - Click To Read Article
Author and speaker Tony Robbins teaches that we are each motivated both by pain and by pleasure. We change behaviors and attitudes as we utilize the pain and pleasure principles.

The Power of Active Listening - Click To Read Article
Back when my youngest son was in his troublesome teens, my wife and I took a course on Parent Effectiveness Training. It was an eye-opener, because we discovered that we were not really listening to him. We should have \'Actively Listened\'.

The Placebo Effect - Click To Read Article
In the testing of a new drug, or pain-killer, there are some in the control group, who didn\'t receive it, but who exhibit the same benefits as those who did.

The Plus Factor - Click To Read Article
Whatever prospecting techniques you use, there is a simple way to add to their effectiveness. Call it the Plus Factor.

The Key to Client Referrals - Click To Read Article
The key to your clients giving you unlimited referrals is to make it as easy as possible for them to give you referrals!

The Aim of the Name The right name attracts business Does yours - Click To Read Article
Large corporations spend lavish amounts seeking names for their products that grab a consumer, or convey positive feelings. Book authors do the same. As do magazine writers.

The ABC of It - Click To Read Article
Most things we deal with in life can be divided into three categories such as: big, medium, small; or important, so-so, unimportant.

Take time - Click To Read Article
Take time to work-It is the price of success.

The Fives of Fives - Click To Read Article
The secret skill of top earners is prospecting. The highest earners in law firms, accountancies, consultancies, etc. are not the partners with the most technical know-how, but those who can bring in the most clients.

The Fee Catalyst - Click To Read Article
The last issue\'s catalyst was to incorporate. And the one before that was to have everything you give or send out to clients or prospects refer to all your other communications.

The Elevator Intro - Click To Read Article
You\'re introduced to someone on an elevator, and you know he or she could be a good lead. How do you introduce yourself?

The Excellent Investment Executive - Click To Read Article
Have you ever read something that says exactly what you want to say but so well, and with so much deeper insight that it becomes a revelation?

Talking To Yourself - Click To Read Article
Our minds are never still. They\'re always chattering away behind the scenes, commenting on the passing parade: \'Nice car\', \'That s.o.b.\'s trying to cut in\', \'I wonder what she meant by that?\', \'Now, what am I supposed to do?\', etc.

Talking Turkey - Click To Read Article
Public speaking can become the best source of new potential clients for the financial advisor.

Spreading Yourself too Thin - Click To Read Article
One of the things that amazed me about the last survey was how many of you are trying to run 3 different businesses: life insurance, mutual funds, and financial planning---all at the same time! I could never do that.

Start Public Speaking - Click To Read Article
Nothing can boost your career like enhancing your talent and ability as a speaker. There are hundreds of opportunities to reach countless prospects. Speaking is one of the best ways to display your talents. So run, don\'t walk to enroll in a public speaking course (e.g. Dale Carnegie) in your area.

Speaking and Writing - Click To Read Article
I just came from the Advocis, Vancouver, Annual Professional Development Day, which I attended to introduce my old friend, Joe Dickstein, the second speaker on the one-day program.

Spread The Word Your Word - Click To Read Article
What\'s the single most important activity of your life?

Start a Referral Club - Click To Read Article
Last issue\'s BBB idea of a breakfast club brought TIP these ideas from a subscriber who started his own referral club.

Silence Really Is Golden - Click To Read Article
Sometimes the best response is no response.

Selling As It Should Be - Click To Read Article
How would you like to increase your sales by 25% to 30%? EACH WEEK! Without abusing yourself or your clients!!

Sales Query Answer - Click To Read Article
A new subscriber emailed me this plea for help.

Sell Wants Not Needs - Click To Read Article
My mother used to say I never wanted anything–--everything I asked for was something I needed! We say \"I need a new car\", \"I need to go on vacation\", and \"I need someone to clean my house\". Have you ever heard someone say, \"I want a new pair of shoes\"? I bet even Amelda Marcos says \"I need a new pair of shoes\".

Self Promotion Brings Business Success - Click To Read Article
Your business success depends on your ability to promote your services, your products, and yourself.

Sell Your Seminar - Click To Read Article
First, avoid such mistakes in your seminar promotion as:

Prospecting TIP - Click To Read Article
Craig Templeton told about his 6-step prospecting process at the 1985 MDRT meeting in San Francisco. It\'s still valid.

Prospecting Is Not the Problem - Click To Read Article
Why do some people have difficulty in getting enough prospects, while others seem to find prospects everywhere?

Qualifying Leads - Click To Read Article
Many cold calls start with leads, often no more than names in a phone book. So your first contact is to find out enough about the person to determine if they qualify as a prospect.

Referrals Easy as 12e - Click To Read Article
GETTING REFERRALS is arguably the best way to build your financial advisory practice. There are basically two kinds, solicited or unsolicited. Unsolicited referrals are best; they imply your client is confident in your services, and the referred is in need of your services. Although there are many different approaches to soliciting for referrals, it may be difficult to find a method that you\'re comfortable with that works well.

Referral TIP - Click To Read Article
Ruth Forbes asked me \"For the e-mail referrals, do you have, up your sleeve, a GREAT (motivating) letter to clients? I would like to get to those clients who have yet to give me referrals.\"

Problem Solvers Earn More - Click To Read Article
A survey in John Bowen\'s ebook, \"Maximize the Bottom Line\" found telling differences between how advisors in different income groups think about their business, and the role that they fill for their clients.

Pay Yourself First - Click To Read Article
I just read an article by Bill Bachrach about a guy whom he says, \"fervently believes that if people will pay themselves first—that\'s all they have to do, over time—they can become millionaires.

Pharaohs and Vikings - Click To Read Article
Lecturing on business life insurance at an LUAC (remember it?) School in Banff some years ago, I described a business owner as either a Pharaoh or a Viking, and said it pays to figure out just which one your prospect really is.

Perception and Reality - Click To Read Article
Most of us think of Donald Trump as a successful realtor and all-round top-notch businessman.

Our Real Competition - Click To Read Article
Our real competition is not other financial institutions or advisors. It\'s something far more pernicious and harder to fight.

Need A Niche - Click To Read Article
How\'d you like a niche where most of its members are amiable, agreeable, affluent, accessible, and ready to chat with you?

My Success Story - Click To Read Article
About 18 months ago Don asked me to write in this space. I chose to write an article called \"How I acquire clients\". After connecting again with Don a short time ago, I thought I\'d tell you how my business has changed and grown since.

No BS Sales Success - Click To Read Article
That\'s the title of Dan Kennedy\'s fine book on sales methods. Easy to read and excellent advice. Here\'s a snippet.

More Answers to a Plea - Click To Read Article
Our last issue gave my answer to this plea for help from a new agent, ”Please help me to understand what I need to know about basic life insurance”, and I asked for your answers. Here are a couple.

More About Orphans - Click To Read Article
Last issue’s bit about ‘orphan policyholders’ brought these comments from subscribers:

Mediacrity or reducing the mediocrity of the Media - Click To Read Article
The big benefit of getting quoted in the media is that it enhances your stature with existing clients, and increases the likelihood of referrals.

More Business Card Ideas - Click To Read Article
Last issue\'s idea of putting something on the back of your business card that people will want to keep to struck a chord with some of you who tell me you plan to use it.

Marketing and Selling - Click To Read Article
For tangibles, such as toothpaste and TVs, \'Marketing\' is distinct from \'Selling\'. For them Marketing aims at getting consumers to remember the name, and trust the brand, while selling is usually just order-taking.

Marketing is - Click To Read Article
There are countless definitions of \'marketing\'. Most depend on the product being sold, and the relationship its provider is trying to establish with the end user.

Marketing is Behavior Modification - Click To Read Article
You want prospects to stop going to competitors and start coming to you for help and guidance. That requires behavior modification, and that\'s achieved through marketing.

Life and Death - Click To Read Article
\"Life is a highly contagious, incurable disease with a 100% mortality rate.\"

Mail and Email - Click To Read Article
Email has become the opener to our workdays. And for most of our clients and prospects, too. It may even be the primary mode of business communication today, because it\'s easier to jot off an email than play telephone tag.

Mail Merge Your Newsletter - Click To Read Article
In the last issue I told you how to send out your ezine to a few subscribers by copying an Excel list of them into the \'Bcc:\' (Blind Carbon Copy) slot.

List Your Wants - Click To Read Article
If you\'re like me, you make lists fairly often. You probably have a to-do list, and another list of what you must buy at the grocery store, and the drug store, and so on.

Lost Your Focus - Click To Read Article
When economic times are challenging, many financial advisors lose their focus on their marketing. To regain your focus, and develop a steadfast belief in what you’re doing:

Make Yourself Stand Out - Click To Read Article
Did you know that on Coca-Cola\'s balance sheet more than 90% of their value is represented by their \"brand equity\"? If building a unique brand is good enough for them, don\'t you think it could do some good for you?

Lumpy Letters - Click To Read Article
If you\'re mailing a letter to someone you\'ve never met, the prospect MUST be persuaded to open the envelope. In the last issue you learned some of the reasons he may not bother.

Learning a New OS - Click To Read Article
To allow my computers to communicate with each other my son said it would be better if they each had the same operating system (O/S to geeks). I was quite happy with Windows 98 on my desktop Dell, but my laptop has XP so I now have XP on my Dell as well.

Keeping Contacts Current - Click To Read Article
In the past week I received emails from two TIP subscribers asking me to update my contact information.

Keep Your Brochure Out of the Trash - Click To Read Article
Brochures are popular marketing tools, which can be highly effective. But it\'s estimated that over half of them end up in the trash without ever being read. Considering their cost, every effort should be made to gain the readers\' attention, and provide information that will cause them to act.

Is Your EAddress Unprofessional - Click To Read Article
Does you e-address project a professional image? Or does it look strange, or \"cute\" (which Roger Parker says to avoid), or is it confusing?

Is Your Email Getting Through - Click To Read Article
On average 15 subscribers won\'t get their TIP issues because they are blocked in some way by email filters.

Insurance Lead Strategies Testimonial - Click To Read Article
Your business plan requires insurance lead strategies that you can easily fit into your style of doing business, so here\'s one that\'s not only easy but gets you more than just an insurance lead.

Is Your EMail Missing Something - Click To Read Article
Most of the stuff you send out, or give to people, letters, business cards, newsletters, brochures, etc. have something that may be lacking in your e-mails.

Is Calling Your Prospects A Chore - Click To Read Article
Do you constantly find something else to do besides calling your prospects or spend endless time “preparing” to make your calls? If this sounds familiar, read on and you\'ll find out how to not only do effective prospecting, but also how to enjoy it. You\'ll be having fun talking to prospects -- and you won\'t believe the results of your efforts!

Implementing My Plans - Click To Read Article
Subscriber Dan Napier wrote me, “On WHAT SKILL DO YOU WANT?: Funny you should ask!

In Focus - Click To Read Article
In reading a mortality chart, I discovered something truly amazing. A great number of people die each year from a disease I had never heard of!

How You Want to Build Your Practice - Click To Read Article
The last issue asked you which practice-building techniques you\'d like to know more about. Here\'s what you answered in percentages of the total choices you made:

How to Keep Your Clients - Click To Read Article
The key to long-term success in keeping your clients is to stay in touch with them. You work hard to build up trust and credibility, so don\'t lose them by not staying in touch.

How To Make Your Own Ezine - Click To Read Article
If you\'ve read TIP #15 \"Your Email Newsletter\" you already know that TIP itself provides a template for your own email magazine* (or \'ezine\').

How to Prioritize - Click To Read Article
To prioritize, first categorize your intended activities according to just two aspects: importance and urgency.

How to Organize - Click To Read Article
Apply these 9 proven time-saving tips, as these little gems can be some of your most effective money-makers.

How to Reach the Top - Click To Read Article
When I was younger I was on the school swim team, and in the summer went to canoeing camp. I also loved to bicycle and to ski. These were perfect preparations for selling insurance.

How to Learn From The Best - Click To Read Article
Instead of listening to the negative attitudes of others, gain positive input from a successful group.

How To Keep Growing - Click To Read Article
What gets measured gets done.

How to Market Yourself - Click To Read Article
Marketing is everything you do to get the word out about your business.

How To Create Your Very Own Client Newsletter - Click To Read Article
So you\'re thinking of using a client newsletter. That\'s good, because there are lots of reasons why using newsletters for business development is a good idea. Here\'s the biggest: a monthly newsletter is tops in sales and marketing efficiency, and can be the most cost-effective, and versatile technique in your marketing toolbox.

How to Forward Email - Click To Read Article
Let\'s say you decide to share this TIP with a colleague or friend. What\'s the easiest way to do this?

How to Get More Referrals - Click To Read Article
I learned very early in my career that though many of us can sell life insurance, the truly successful agents are great at prospecting. They also use more than one prospecting tool.

How to Get Top Referrals - Click To Read Article
You can\'t do it hit or miss. You need a plan.

How to Get Referrals - Click To Read Article
Tell a client, \"Some of my clients say this about me….\", and ask her what she\'d say if she was referring you to a friend.

How To Get Free Advertising - Click To Read Article
See the plug at the end of the lead article? That cost Stone Evans nothing but his time to write the article, and put it somewhere that I could find it.

How to Acquire More Leads - Click To Read Article
The most effective prospecting techniques were revealed in the August 1st, 2002, issue of TIP (see http://www.eTIP.ca/) that resulted from a survey of financial advisors earning over $200,000 annually.

How To Create a Contact List - Click To Read Article
A contact list is essential to efficient prospecting. To make your list, write down everyone you know- EVERYONE! Not because they may become a client, but because they can provide referrals.

How To Avoid Left Turns - Click To Read Article
My wife is afraid of left turns. So before I drive anywhere with her in the car I visualize the different routes in my mind, and choose the one with the fewest left turns.

How To Close More Sales - Click To Read Article
Do you want to close 80% more of your sales?

HOW TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE - Click To Read Article
Before you start any activity, ask yourself:

How to Ask for Referrals by Letter - Click To Read Article
A good letter can be an effective way to ask for referrals.

How to Attract Referred Leads - Click To Read Article
When you get a new client, you probably feel good about him or her. Your new client obviously feels good about you.

How I Build My Business - Click To Read Article
The good news is it isn\'t as difficult and you might think.

How Do High Earners Prospect - Click To Read Article
To find out, look at the first list below. Then compare it with the techniques of low earners, in the second list.

How I Acquire Clients - Click To Read Article
I work for a unique member-owned organization, unlike most other insurance companies. As a fraternal society, we use our profits to improve the quality of life for members, their congregations, and their communities.

How Can I Go On - Click To Read Article
Hi Don, I visited your website only recently, and thank God for answering my prayers.

How Is Your Value Perceived - Click To Read Article
It\'s all about perception, really.

How I Use Seminars - Click To Read Article
We do much of our business with law firms, specializing in dealing with the needs of both the partners, and the their employees. This distinguishes us from many other benefit consultants, and also requires that we provide explanations, when requested, to both the partners and employee groups.

Heres a Source I Forgot - Click To Read Article
Lunch with Jack Singer at a new Italian place today gave me the chance to ask him how he started to prospect. Jack\'s a fund and stock broker who brought his family here from South Africa about a decade ago. Over there he was a druggist, so there were few skills to transfer, other than his business acumen, but no prospects or clients.

Heres a New Open Niche - Click To Read Article
There are many advantages to finding a niche market that you can make your own. The trick is to find one that is still available, and has yet to be claimed by another advisor.

Gifts for Special Clients - Click To Read Article
Here\'s an idea that costs you nothing to implement, and can be a more thoughtful gift to a client than anything else.

Give It Away - Click To Read Article
I\'m not crazy. During tough times, it takes more than the ordinary to get through. It takes the extraordinary.

Grab Attention with Your Headlines - Click To Read Article
Headlines are the first thing prospects read. 80% decide if they\'ll keep reading on the basis of your headline.

Guidelines To Success - Click To Read Article
Form the habit of careful preparation. Preparation is a key to acquiring self-confidence.

Go Where the Money Is - Click To Read Article
Fifteen years ago Howard Shenson, editor of The Professional Consultant, spoke at the CAFP Conference in Vancouver. In a session on fee-based planning someone asked about planning on a charitable basis for some prospects, i.e. for those who are unable to pay the fee, but really need a financial plan.

Getting Referrals - Click To Read Article
This list is in my ‘How to Get Referrals’ file, and I have no idea of its source. I must have saved it because it’s a good reminder of things we should be doing all the time to keep referrals flowing to us.

Get Out of Your Way - Click To Read Article
YOU may be the bump in the road that\'s slowing you down. Often the most difficult step in getting out of your own way is realizing that you are indeed, in it. When you encounter problems in achieving your goals, carefully consider whether or not you are the source of those problems.

Georges Simple Plan - Click To Read Article
George Anderson asked me about new year\'s resolutions, so I told him they didn\'t work for me. He asked me what did. I said to decide on what\'s really important to achieve in the coming year, then devise a simple plan to get me to where I want to be.

Get This Book - Click To Read Article
I scan a lot of books to find out if anything in them might be useful to you. Most of them are library books, and after scanning, the measure of how useful a book will be to you is the number of bookmarks I\'ve placed in it.

Get In a Rut - Click To Read Article
Ruts have a bad name. Which is unfortunate, because they\'re useful.

Get More Marketing Mileage - Click To Read Article
If an article about you (or by you) appears in a newspaper or magazine, don\'t just show it to your family then file it away, use it as a marketing tool thusly:

Getting Business to Come to You - Click To Read Article
This is the title of a book promising “Everything You Need To Know to Do Your Own Advertising, Public Relations, Direct Mail, and Sales Promotion, and Attract All the Business You Can Handle” by Paul and Sarah Edwards & Laura C. Douglas.

Generating Referrals From Clients - Click To Read Article
Imagine if you knew about a time-tested technique that would bring you into contact with prospects, but seldom used it.

Get Referred by Email - Click To Read Article
A great way to be introduced to a new prospect is through an email that your referral source sends to the prospect.

Four Square Organizer - Click To Read Article
Don\'t know what\'s important? Do you have problem establishing priorities?

Formula For Creating Miracles - Click To Read Article
Joe Vitale has written countless books and ebooks on how to achieve success, and is remarkably successful in marketing them. What he calls his \"Formula For Creating Miracles\" is:

Finding Your Right Course - Click To Read Article
1 Over 200 years ago, Captain Cook, in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, with only a compass, and the stars to guide him, must have asked himself these 4 questions:

Five For Fees - Click To Read Article
Fund broker, David Bach, switched to charging fees last year, and is now firmly committed to it. His clients are okay with paying more because they\'re actually getting more: not just a financial product, but a lifetime of advice, attention, and professional services.

Ezine Alternatives continued from last issue - Click To Read Article
ALTERNATIVE 2: The Mini E-Mail Course, or Report

Everyone Is a Prospect - Click To Read Article
My first year in the life insurance business was hell! I thought my Dad could supply me with leads as he was the Superintendent of Agencies for a large insurance company. So when I started my life insurance career I waited for Dad to phone me with leads.

Establish Your Presence - Click To Read Article
You meet. You talk about his problems. You\'re sure he\'s a good prospect.

Endless Referrals - Click To Read Article
The intent and theme of Bob Burg\'s book, \"Endless Referrals\" is how to get people to know you, like you, and trust you. They should also want to see you succeed, and want to help you to find new business.

End of Year Gifts for Clients - Click To Read Article
Many financial/sales professionals like to give their clients end-of-year “thanks for your business” gifts. If you\'re licensed to sell securities in the U.S., then the SEC doesn\'t allow you to spend more than $100 per client per year. So, you need to get maximum “bang for your buck.”

Enclose 2 Business Cards - Click To Read Article
Put two of your business cards in everything you mail out.

Emailing Lots of People At Once - Click To Read Article
When TIP began I listed its few subscribers on a spreadsheet, highlighted them, and copied the list to the \'Bcc:\' slot atop each email issue I sent.

Dont Teach A Man to Fish - Click To Read Article
I so believed in the concept of teaching a man to fish.

Does Your Email Get Read - Click To Read Article
Spam makes it harder for legitimate email to get through. More and more is immediately deleted.

Dont Just Read Write - Click To Read Article
If you\'re like me, you\'ll read an article, ebook, a physical book, etc. and think, \"Wow, that\'s great stuff!\" then let it lay, ending up doing nothing with this new information.

Do You Really Need A Website - Click To Read Article
Nope. You certainly don\'t need a website. But you don\'t need many of the things you\'ve come to rely on, such as your cell phone, e-mail, or faxes.

Do It Again - Click To Read Article
Back in the days of FDR, Lever Brothers asked its employees for suggestions to improve the sales of their shampoo (a new product back then). One employee suggested they add one word at the end of the instructions on the label.

Create High Impact Copy - Click To Read Article
Newsletters and brochures need writing skills (which you know you have because you did okay in high school) which you may want to polish up to best promote your services.

Dam Spam - Click To Read Article
I get about 100 spams a day, some because I order stuff off the internet, and my email address might be sold to other vendors so they can solicit me.

Do What It Takes To Succeed - Click To Read Article
You know what it takes to succeed. Fill your appointment calendar with qualified prospects, convert many of them into clients, do your job, and create loyalty that motivates them to introduce you to others.

Discover the Secret Multiplier - Click To Read Article
Here\'s a rarely considered way to multiply the effectiveness of every one of your prospecting techniques. It\'s simple. Have each one lead to every other one.

Cut Marketing Clutter - Click To Read Article
People are inundated with marketing messages every day and cutting through the clutter is critical if advisors hope to have success with their own marketing efforts. \"The challenge is simply getting noticed,\" says Martin R. Baird, president of Phoenix, Ariz.-based Advisor Marketing and author of The 7 Deadly Sins of Advisor Marketing.

Cold Calling Techniques - Click To Read Article
Here\'s a summary of book reviews from Amazon.com about \"Cold Calling Techniques That Really Works\" by Stephan Schiffman.

Cold Call Concepts - Click To Read Article
Inc magazine’s August 2000 issue introduced Pat Cavanaugh, CEO of Cavanaugh Promotions, to whom cold calling is a sport. He opened 100 new accounts in the first quarter of 2000, and can make 200 calls a day when he does \"nothing but get on the phone.\" Here’s what he says about it:

Cold Call Clues - Click To Read Article
I know. I know. You hate the whole idea of cold calling. You imagine the impersonal rejections, and the many times your dinner\'s been interrupted by a phone solicitation.

Cool Customer Clincher - Click To Read Article
Today\'s mail included a card-sized envelope with my name and address handwritten, and a regular stamp, from someone whose name (in the top-left corner) I didn\'t recognize. Was it a belated Valentine, or what?

Costly Distractions - Click To Read Article
During the entertainment on our cruise the light handler was flipping the spotlights around so every so often they would glare into our eyes. This distracted us from fully enjoying the singer onstage who belted his heart out. I doubt that he realised how the light handler was spoiling his act.

Collect Testimonials - Click To Read Article
One of the most powerful techniques top advertisers use to convince us to buy is to cite testimonials obtained from satisfied customers.

Content Is King - Click To Read Article
As Tim Fitzpatrick said in the lead article, content---the words and information on your website---is more important than graphics. How much more? Look at any financial site and imagine it without the words. Does it have any meaning?

But Is the Pope a CFP - Click To Read Article
Peter Baigent\'s article reminded me of a Crown Life manager I knew decades ago. Pierre, in telling me about his trip to Rome, and audience with the Pope, said, \"You know, he\'d make a good insurance agent because he divides the population of the world into just two categories.\"

Bite Your Tongue - Click To Read Article
When I was young my heroes were Bob Hope and Bing Crosby for their repartee in the Road pictures. So I developed a quick quip style too, which carried over into my adult life. And I even became popular as a speaker at roasts of my friends.

Better Than Mail Merge - Click To Read Article
In the last two issues you\'ve learned two ways to send your email newsletter to clients, and other subscribers. Each has a downside, so I started looking for a suitable program to email TIP as the number of its subscribers grew.

Business Building Breakfast - Click To Read Article
Jeff Wright was telling me about his great discovery.

Blast Your Way Out Of A Slump - Click To Read Article
Every business goes through a “slump.” Hey, you\'ve been raking in the bucks when... blam, you\'re up against a brick wall. The customers seem to have forgotten you exist, and the bills pile up. Don\'t despair... you\'re not alone.

Building Your Credibility - Click To Read Article
Why do Life Agents and Financial Advisors frequently face rejection or objections from prospects and existing clients?

Business Building Breakfast 2 - Click To Read Article
This Business Building Breakfast is about joining a club, whose sole purpose is to solicit members for its association.

Business Building Breakfast 3 - Click To Read Article
Today\'s Business Building Breakfast is create your very own breakfast club!

Building Credibility - Click To Read Article
88% of you who answered the last survey wanted to know how to build your credibility before your first meeting with a new prospect.

Book Yourself Solid The Simple Selling Process - Click To Read Article
As a service provider you may not want to think of yourself as a salesperson. You are in the business of helping others and you may not feel comfortable with the sales process. However, you need to let clients know that your service is available. Here are various ways to do it.

Are You Guilty Of Interruption Marketing - Click To Read Article
You muted the commercials on the TV last night because you were fed up with interruption marketing. Ditto if you went through your mail to find most of it is junk. Ditto again, if a stranger phoned you (usually at dinner time) asking you to answer a survey, or give to yet another worthy cause.

Asking For the Money - Click To Read Article
Until you get the money you don\'t have a sale. Your prospect may agree with everything you say, but until he puts up the money to confirm his agreement, you don\'t have a sale.

Ask Open Ended Questions - Click To Read Article
I was reading an article by Peter Murphy on \"5 Good Ways To Start A Conversation\" and his point about asking open-ended questions seemed appropriate to sales interviews.

Attitude - Click To Read Article
Several months ago I was coaching a client and he remarked how disappointed his marketing person was at the results of a networking effort. She\'d been in a room of over 100 people, and only two seemed interested in the opportunity she talked to them about. She\'d hoped, because she believed in what she offered, that more like 20 or 30 would be interested. But 98 people said NO!

Another Technique Catalyst - Click To Read Article
In the last issue I promised you more prospecting catalysts. You\'ll remember that catalysts do nothing on their own, they just make other things work well.

Be A Top Performer - Click To Read Article
Lawrence Geller\'s introduction of the seven top producers who addressed the 2003 Ontario Sales Congress, included these insights on Top Performers:

Beat That Sales Slump - Click To Read Article
Is your business experiencing a summer sales slump?

Are You Relationship Marketing - Click To Read Article
Customer relationships are the lifeblood of any good company.

Are Your Business Cards Lazy - Click To Read Article
A friend of mine, just back from Vegas, showed me a business card he got from a Cadillac salesman down there. Not that impressive at first glance. Just an ordinary business card. But when you turned it over, its back showed the ranking of all the poker hands.

Are You The Guy Who - Click To Read Article
Dave Wright in Victoria told me about the most effective, and successful cold canvass letter he ever sent. And it\'s so simple!

Answer to a New Agents Plea - Click To Read Article
\"I am a new life insurance agent working for one of the largest companies in Canada for about seven months now.

Attract More Ideal Clients - Click To Read Article
Bill Bachrach’s way of easily attracting more ideal clients:

Be Specific - Click To Read Article
You all know the importance of being specific about the big things you want to achieve. Specificity applies to other aspects of your life as well.

Are You Hit and Run - Click To Read Article
Snake-oil salesmen used to hit a town, sell as many people as possible, then vanish before their nostrum was found to be worthless. \"The Music Man\", for example, was a hit-and- run operator.

Are You Neglecting Contact Cement - Click To Read Article
I’ve lost clients because I didn’t cement my relationships with enough personal contact.

Banks Cant Sell - Click To Read Article
The current fuss in the Canadian life insurance industry about the attempts of banks to get the right to sell life insurance is not worth worrying about.

After The Sale Is Over - Click To Read Article
You made the sale, and you\'re about to deliver the contract to the customer.

7 steps To a Great Interview - Click To Read Article
Stan Tucker brought his client into my Montreal office to learn about a new tax-saving concept. After the meeting, Stan returned to my office and said “You impressed him. He called you a brilliant conversationalist.”

7 Myths of Sales Success - Click To Read Article
Myth #1: You need to be a \"good talker\" Anytime a salesperson is talking, the client is formulating objections. That\'s just the way the human mind works.

A High Earners Favourite - Click To Read Article
A newsletter is the most cost-effective, and versatile of the high-earners\' top 5 practice-building techniques.

A Useful New Resource - Click To Read Article
You can\'t think of a way to get referrals that you haven\'t already tried. What do you do?

5 Tips To Make Sales Soar - Click To Read Article
In the 15 years I\'ve coached agents (and 35 years experience) I\'ve found five incredibly simple but powerful techniques to help them achieve success:

8 Roads to More Referrals - Click To Read Article
According to one study 86% of surveyed customers would refer their broker to their friends, yet only 12% were ASKED .

6 Steps to a Great Referral Strategy - Click To Read Article
Use this six step strategy to get more qualified referrals:

A Life Insurance Success Story - Click To Read Article
I just read a wonderful book called \"How to Succeed Selling Life Insurance in spite of being a nice person\".

4P Screen For New Clients - Click To Read Article
A recent issue of Fast Company, a magazine for small-company CEOs, recommends screening new clients based on these 4 Ps:

4 Dynamic Marketing Tactics - Click To Read Article
Focus on Your Best Prospects


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