To get the right results with your practice & your 2021 goals, you need to make your strategies goal-oriented. The financial planning industry is the most competitive than before which means financial, lending and insurance advisors need to up their prospecting game.
The two most vital parts of your job are customer satisfaction and productivity. A lot of financial firms (including your firm) are competing for a limited number of individuals who need financial services.
Many of us, fail to organize our time and get things done systematically. After a while, we notice that we are only walking out of our office every night thinking about what went wrong and where? What we fail to notice is the missing “action plan” or the “game-changer”.
When you waste your time in long meetings with clients and get distracted throughout your workday, the productivity goes out the door. If you have been feeling the same, because your sales decreased, or prospecting is not effective then it is time to change the game.
This article is all about adopting the right approach that will help you free up more time to do investment research, client outreach, boost profits, plan other revenue-generating activities, and get more things done in a single day.
We all get the same 24 hours long day. How we use it depends on us. The two approaches for being more productive as a business financial advisor are; the qualitative and quantitative approaches.
The Quantitative Approach
We need time the most but we end up using it in the worst ways. Time is limited and we need to plan how we’ll be using it every day to accomplish our goals.
If you are uncertain about how each day passes by and you accomplish little or none, you need a daily or weekly action plan. Successful financial, lending and insurance advisors start their day with an excellent daily game plan. They have a set of daily outcomes to look ahead to each day. They come to the office with a clear things-to-do list in their mind.
The Action Plan or the Game Plan needs to be as specific as possible. Add numbers to your goals and time frames to your tasks.
Your “Game Plan” needs to address the following questions clearly:
How many:
- Client reviews do I need?
- Calls do I need to make, by type?
- Prospecting outreaches do I need to do?
- Prospect appointments I need to set?
Once you address the questions given above, you should move to:
- Make Levels of Success and decide what’s your level?
- What needs to be done to reach the highest level?
- Rate each day out of 5 stars based on productivity.
Keep a time planner with you to determine how you are spending your time each day. If and when needed, you can look at your planner to divide time for the major and minor tasks each day.
It is very easy to make a plan but the most challenging part is sticking to it. Stick to it by following the plan every day, consistently until there are no days when you go back from the office and think, “What went wrong today?”
The Qualitative Approach
To develop the appropriate mindset for success, you need a boost of motivation. Start the day with morning power questions and inspiring visions.
Ask yourself questions like:
- How can I improve my day?
- What am I excited to do today?
- Who might need my help today?
Furthermore, you can address the following questions so that your day can take on a greater meaning:
- What am I proud of?
- Who do I love?
- What am I grateful for?
These questions are not related to the work you do, but they do add meaning to your life. They remind you why you get out of bed every day and do what you do.
To-Do List
In the order of priority, write down the most important things that need to be done tomorrow. Stick to the to-do list the next day.
Each day if you can conquer the first hardest task in the morning, the rest of the tasks on your to-do list are going to be easier. A taste of success early in the morning can make your entire day pleasant and productive.
Make sure that the number-crunching you do works and converts your actions into results. If the plan shows no results, keep changing and improving the game plan until it starts showing effective results.
Be honest with yourself, do you have a firm grip on your time and task management? They are at the root of your success.
And to that, may 2021 be an ever productive year to you and your loved ones!
-- Bilal Malas
