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Practice Growth Requires Leadership More Than Management
by Tony Vidler        The most frequent thing I see that prevents great practice growth and holds advisers back from developing their dream business is a lack of vision. I don’t mean “vision” in the namby-pamby buzz-word sense of having a beautiful set of words on a plaque on a wall that nobody really cares about. […]
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R.I.P. To Some Accepted Wisdom For Growing A Practice
by Tony Vidler        In good times growing a practice is difficult enough and one of the methods has become conventional wisdom – but that doesn’t mean it is right in these days of fundamental and structural change for the industry. The concept of a professional firm requiring 3 distinctly different roles of a Finder, […]
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How do you know when you have a “great practice”?
by Tony Vidler        “Great” is so subjective isn’t it?  Having a “great practice” is a subjective assessment too…what is great to one adviser might be considered ordinary to another. But the true measure for each (I think) is: “When it is delivering the income and lifestyle that you imagined.” However, that outcome is potentially […]
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10 Reasons why an Advisory Practice just stays “practicing”
by Tony Vidler        Why is an Advisory Practice called a “Practice”? I think it is because more often than not the business is mostly practicing to be a business.  When a “practice” has actually made it then everyone calls it “a firm”. THE common denominator in a Practice appears to be that the Principle, […]
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I sell…You sell…We ALL sell. Or should do…
by Tony Vidler        I am a professional.  I am a salesman. These two things are not contradictory.  We all sell stuff.  It seems like I’m selling my time these days…sometimes a product….sometimes it is just selling concepts and possibilities.  Mostly it is selling behavioural change & fixing other peoples’ problems though. But I sell.  […]
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out-of-business
Some Advisory Firm’s Are “Going Out Of Business” Without Even Realising It
by Tony Vidler        I have a strong sense that a lot of advisory firms are “going out of business” at the moment and don’t even realise it.   For a very long time markets were going well, and commission and fee rates were at the high end of the scale, and there were plenty […]
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Are You AND Your People Clear About What YOU Want?
by Tony Vidler        Pretty much everyone running a business hates having to come up with job descriptions for their staff.  Your people hate them too usually.  A statement which may have been correct at a moment in time to describe a role, and the role is subject to constant change…they are pretty much a […]
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To fix repeated problems, you need a process!
by Tony Vidler        For financial advisory firms the word “process” has become synonymous with “best practice advice”, but good process is so much more than just a compliant and well-documented series of advice documents. Process cures problems.   Process is what builds franchise businesses.  Process is what creates turnkey operations that are highly valued […]
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buying a financial planning business
What you need to know if you buy to grow
by Tony Vidler        As many advice businesses reach maturity it is common to consider whether they should “buy to grow”.  Should they buy another practice, or more commonly, should just buy a book of business from another practice.     The typical reasons suggested for wanting to grow through acquisition are: 1.  Get new […]
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join-work-with-client
How to make joint client work fair
by Tony Vidler        More and more advisers within practices are doing joint client work and many practices still haven’t figured out a way to fairly apportion the responsibilities or revenue for long term success in the joint client work model.   Everyone begins with great intent and all focus is on doing the best […]
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