If you had a month to kill prior to starting your career as a Financial Advisor, how would you spend your time? Would you spend it studying for your series 7, networking, reading books or compiling information on your target markets. I’m currently in this situation and would appreciate your advice on what you wish you had done more of prior to starting out. Thank you for your responses, all of the information on this website has been very helpful.

I would hole up in a motel room with silouette’s mother, snortin’ whiskey and drinking cocaine. Late at night, we’d wrap each other up in Saran Wrap, coat each other in Vaseline and turn on a black light to keep track of the body fluids.

[quote=12345]If you had a month to kill prior to starting your career as a Financial Advisor, how would you spend your time?  Would you spend it studying for your series 7, networking, reading books or compiling information on your target markets. I'm currently in this situation and would appreciate your advice on what you wish you had done more of prior to starting out. Thank you for your responses, all of the information on this website has been very helpful. [/quote]
Good grief Bobby.

I'd consider calling all of your lost friends and former associates that have any money and get back in good with them so that when you call them again in six months it won't appear entirely out of the blue.

[quote=opie]

[quote=12345]If you had a month to kill prior to starting your career as a Financial Advisor, how would you spend your time?  Would you spend it studying for your series 7, networking, reading books or compiling information on your target markets. I'm currently in this situation and would appreciate your advice on what you wish you had done more of prior to starting out. Thank you for your responses, all of the information on this website has been very helpful. [/quote]
Good grief Bobby.

I'd consider calling all of your lost friends and former associates that have any money and get back in good with them so that when you call them again in six months it won't appear entirely out of the blue.

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That one made me smile. Good one.

Get all the plastic surgery you can afford so you look good.

right now you are a mess.

I would hole up in a motel room with silouette's mother, snortin' whiskey and drinking cocaine. Late at night, we'd wrap each other up in Saran Wrap, coat each other in Vaseline and turn on a black light to keep track of the body fluids.

Aw dad, I was watching that movie with you when you got drunk and caught you taking advantage of yourself. You always try so hard to sound like a bad a**. He's just mad 'cause I didn't join his ratty little solo practice.

Advice from someone who is 3 months into FA training at UBS and just passed the 7 last week . . . study as much as you possibly can. I was in the office every AM by 6:30. Morning call at 7:30, study till lunch. Do about two hours of Firm-specific training. Then study/practice exams until about 6.

In your free time, start formulating the business plan and target markets. Put together a nice file of prospects. Not just random people who you think have money but actually people who will talk to you when you call. And get some rest.

12345, what did you do?

Shop for a mentor.  Get someone you can bounce ideas off of, and will help you get your career off to a fast-start without building up a lot of bad habits.

Note:  Managers are NOT mentors.

Learn how to sell and present yourself as a confident person who is an authority in your field.

I would get the Wilson Learning Library.  They are 3 books written by Larry Wilson (co-author of The One Minute $alesperson):  Social Styles, Win-Win Selling and Versatile Selling.

I would also get the One Card System from National Underwriter.  At LEAST get the textbook:  “Building a Financial Services Clientele”.

I would get David Allan’s book:  Getting Things Done to learn time and task management skills.

Books by Randy Schwantz:  “The Wedge”, “How to get your competition fired without saying anything bad about them” and “Red Hot Introductions”.

Tele-$ales by Kerry Johnson.  Peak Performance by Kerry Johnson.  Do a google search for Kerry Johnson to find them.


So, I’m recommending that the newbie do the following:
1)   Get a mentor
2)   Build a belief system
3)   Have a client organizational system
4)   Learn how to master your time and task management systems
5)   Learn how to get a SALE.
6)   Learn how to get a sale in a COMPETITIVE situation.
7)   Learn how to use the phone to get results.

After you have begun to gather assets and built up some income, then you can look into the CFP program, or CIMA, or whatever you want to pursue.