NAILBA Perspectives - January 2016 - (Page 28)

XXX nailba's agency successor networking group Are You Planning For Success? T Have you been identified as the next sitting principal of your agency? The ASNG Planning Team works diligently to reach out to others in the industry who have transition experience and are willing to share what they learned in the process. Contact Rachel Marineau, NAILBA's Manager of Meetings and Education, at 703.383.3069 or rmarineau@nailba.org for more information on the Agency Successor Networking Group. 28 perspectives JANUARY 2016 he members of NAILBA's Agency Successor Networking Group (ASNG) had another successful year in 2015. The group spent time on various teleconferences collaborating and sharing information and ideas on a variety of different topics. This important group of the next generation of brokerage principals and leaders gets together at least once a month to learn from each other and occasionally share best practices, with the goal of improving their agencies. In January the group met to discuss goal setting and other favorite motivational tools. Some that were popular were inspirational speakers such as Tony Robbins or books that help a person capitalize on the positive. Others rely on programs to document and keep track of goals within their agency to increase accountability and keep the staff motivated. Organizational goal setting is not just important for the employees' productivity, but for that of the company as well. When a business can balance both revenue and profit, it's a tremendous gain and helps sustain an agency in months that tend to be leaner. In the early Spring, ASNG members spoke with Amy McIlwain, who founded Financial Social Media, about the importance of digital marketing and the best strategies to implement within their agencies. Amy encouraged the group to begin working on their business' websites. The group learned some key components in building and increasing traffic to their website as well as generating more sales. A static, basic, webpage is hardly effective. They learned that if the goal is to increase traffic and sales, the website must be interesting and informative. A key component is engaging people and driving them to take action by providing regular information and interaction. While building an online rapport to drum up business and interact with others is important, what is even more important are the relationships with those with whom we interact on a personal, face-to-face level each day. Some things in our industry simply don't change and the emphasis on developing personal relationships is one of them. Last summer James Wong of Partners Advantage shared suggestions on how to make connections more meaningful. Simple things like getting to know your advisors' and clients' interests and passions. Such knowledge fosters more of a meaningful connection, which can be a huge asset. Ben Nevejans with LifePro Financial Services commented on the difference it has made in his business when advisors are brought in to the office. Having the ability to experience the culture of the team and getting to know people on a more personal and interactive level allows a true relationship to develop. As a result, they retain a lot more talent because of having such a close rapport. As fall approached, the ASNG delved into learning how to plan more effectively. The group heard from Michael Tessler of Brokerage Unlimited Inc. and John Felton, Tennessee Brokerage Agency, on how to make the most out of their attendance at NAILBA's Annual Meeting, NAILBA 34. From reviewing the agenda before arriving and plotting out where and with whom they planned to be each day, to making appointments with the right contacts, the group received crucial pointers on how to maximize their time in Orlando last November. And while at NAILBA 34, Joe Ross with AIG spoke to members of the group in a session on High Impact Appointments about the importance of, once again, planning ahead. All too often when meeting with new clients, it's easy to try to wing it through conversations and trust what you know. But Ross drove home the importance of preparing in advance, scripting out what you plan to say to potential customers, and the overall difference it makes. When these practices are put into play along with many others he shared in his session, many businesses see a marked uptake in business. The key to success here is whether you decide to set the time aside to plan out what needs to happen and the conversation that needs to take place, or whether you keep going about it as always and have little to show for it. Whether it's developing a new personal goal, a digital marketing strategy, a plan to meet those you do business with in person at a conference, or those whose business you want, the old adage is true: if you fail to plan, you're planning to fail.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NAILBA Perspectives - January 2016

NAILBA Perspectives - January 2016
Contents
Chairman’s Corner
CEO Insights
Department of Labor Makes Waves with Proposed Fiduciary Rule
NAILBA Charitable Foundation
NAILBA 34 Highlights
Life Happens
Member Profile
Agency Successor Networking Group
Calendar of Events
Index of Advertisers

NAILBA Perspectives - January 2016