Best Practice Advice Archives

5 Simple Steps To Audit Yourself

by Tony Vidler How can an adviser be confident their advice is good before trouble starts? In other words, how do you audit yourself? There are 5 key things that the adviser must do – and be able to evidence afterwards – to show that they have worked for the benefit of the client, and […]

For Client Presentations Going Low-Tech Works

by Tony Vidler As client presentations become more compliance-focused, lengthy, and technical in nature there is an corresponding increase in client dissatisfaction with financial advice. Coincidence? I think not. There has been a trend for years for financial advice, particularly comprehensive financial plans, when presented to clients to be “too clever” with clients not necessarily understanding […]

Is that adviser working for you?

by Tony Vidler “Is that adviser working for you?” is a question that is being constantly thrown at consumers, and there is some merit in it. Which financial adviser is going to be right: the one who charges a fee; the one who is “free”; or; the one charging a commission? Or is it the […]

Crisis Communications: Sending Virtual Hugs

by Tony Vidler ok…maybe it isn’t appropriate for professionals to actually send virtual hug memes. But then, maybe it is. It all depends on the relationship you have with the client doesn’t it? For some it might indeed be right….but that isn’t really the point of this article. It is the concept of “sending virtual […]

How to validate your preferred solutions

by Tony Vidler Most experienced advisers have preferred solutions that they go to first. But the variety of preferred solutions from those very good advisers often concerns regulators and industry observers…and that’s usually because there is a process lacking for validating those preferences. Everyday the situation arises where one adviser recommends Company A as a […]

Eliminate tyre kickers, and value your expertise properly

by Tony Vidler Being properly valued for your expertise and eliminating the time-wasting tyre-kickers is an ongoing problem for many financial advisers. That is even more true for those making the transition from purely commission-based remuneration to generating fee-paying work where they are charging for that time or expertise. Managing the remuneration transition whilst also […]

Paying COI’s: Should You Be Sharing Fees Or Commissions?

by Tony Vidler Is it appropriate to be paying COI’s a share of your success from their introductions or referrals? Should you share fees or commissions in other words. Personally, I think not. However, it is just a little more complicated than a simple “yes” or “no” because there are perhaps conflicting views. So […]

You need to get selling

by Tony Vidler Advisers: Good advice process is not enough. Being technically competent is not enough. You have to get selling. I know that “Sell” is seen as a bit of a dirty word these days, but we cannot back away from the need for it. You have to sell if you are going to […]

There are 2 big questions before you fire a client.

by Tony Vidler I encourage you to try this: fire a client. It is liberating, and it moves your thinking and sense of self worth onto a different professional plane. Pretty much everyone who has been in professional practice for more than a year has at least one or two clients who are just a […]

Client Complaints: Fight it, or just Fix It?

by Tony Vidler Client complaints are a fact of life. It is virtually impossible to run a service business where everyone is happy 100% of the time, as human beings are involved and they are unpredictable creatures with ever-shifting expectations. The art of good client complaint handling is knowing when to fight and when to […]

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