Click here for your FREE Printable 2010 Event Planning Calendar

Please use this free 2010 Event Planning Calendar to help you successfully plan your next event.  Our commitment to you is to provide ideas and resources to help in your client communications, marketing and events.

Have a blessed 2010!

- Jennifer

According to a survey we conducted between October 28, 2009 and December 15, 2009, only 6% of Advisors have completed a written Marketing and Communication plan for 2010.    Yes, 38% did say they had started, but how many finished?  OK, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say they all completed their homework.  That still leaves 56% of financial professionals that have no road map for 2010.

If you don’t work with us, please work with someone who can help you put together your marketing plan for 2010.  Call a wholesaler or a trusted friend to help.  Not all clients will respond to, or even read, your letters, email, take your calls or attend your appreciation  events with equal vigor.  A combination of mediums and communication vehicles will lead to success in 2010.

The “recency effect” is a psychological phenomena; meaning, people tend to remember more recent information while older information is suppressed. This is true even when it comes to your marketing. The world of investment marketing is very competitive and your customers are bombarded with information from “no load” mutual funds, discount brokers, insurance firms, national firms like Merrill Lynch and even your local competitors.

After reading a great article from Jodi Gabourie entitled “Follow-Up Marketing is Crucial”, I was impressed by her list of 9 reasons why follow up is such an important part of your marketing strategy. The number 1 reason cited is relationship building; meaning if you are not staying in front of your clients, someone else is. Countless articles have been written about the cost effectiveness of servicing existing clients over obtaining new clients.

We can help you put together a communication or marketing plan that will help you stay in front of your clients. Whether you have a staff of one or two hundred, we can do some or all the marketing for you. We will help design marketing and communication materials including: monthly email blasts, quarterly newsletters and timely educational pieces to keep you at the forefront of your client’s minds. We will arrange monthly mailings and can even make regularly scheduled phone calls on your behalf. Hey, we can even help you plan and execute your next client appreciation event.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our FREE newsletter “Outside the Box”. This coming newsletter will be full of great ideas for you to help market yourself and stay in front of your customers.

Summer is over, the kids are back in school and financial professionals are back to work in full swing and wondering how to market to their existing high net worth clients as well as meet new clients.

Nothing says more about how much you care than a small appreciation gift. Remember that differentiating yourself from the crowd is the key. In order to do that, you must think outside the box and be creative. However, my suggestion is that you do not wait until Christmas to send the gift. The following are a list of holidays or “reasons to communicate with your clients”.

September
September 22nd – First Day of Autumn
October
October 12th – Columbus Day
October 31st – Halloween
November
November 1st – Daylight Saving Time Ends
November 11th – Veteran’s Day
November 26th – Thanksgiving
December
December 21st – First Day Winter
December 25th – Christmas

You do not need to spend your entire marketing budget to pull this off. Be creative and have fun with it. If you are stuck, let us help you pick out the perfect gift for under $20.00. You will be very happy with the results.

To get you started, check out the following sites for great ideas:
http://www.mrsfields.com/
http://www.jellybelly.com/
http://www.amazon.com/

Please share your ideas of what’s working in the past for you.