SuperMan,

Are you in a small town or metro area?

How do you prospect?

What's your cold-call like?

Anything else you believe makes a difference concerning your marketing process...

superman,

great numbers. how muc h do u have in aum with the 48 accounts.  also what do u do in the day if u only call at night.

@ youngbuck - I don't market, I prospect.  I meet people via DKing, cold calling, events, and semianrs and have a business conversation with them.    My cold call script is as follows:  Just calling to into myself, I specialize in helping people enjoy the retirement they deserve and estate planning.  Let me ask you, are you working with a local advisor?  .. i then shut up and let it go from there.  (that is not word for word but close enough) .. Young, I think the biggest difference between me and my peers is I chase the money, like a dog with a bone. Small town, btw.

@repgirlnj - Where did you get 48 accounts from?  All in, I have just north of 12mm AUM.  I screw around 8 out of 10 hours I work each day.  Seriously.  My goal is to be at work 8 hours and work half of them by April.  Just got back from doorknocking and I'm headed to an appt. - then 10 more calls. So I'm getting closer to reaching that goal. 

Where I live you will either get arrested (nice neighborhoods) or shot (bad neighborhoods) for knocking on people's front door.  Truth. 

Nice start to the blog.   Congrats on the success!

Question: Your script " My cold call script is as follows:  Just calling to into myself, I specialize in helping people enjoy the retirement they deserve and estate planning.  Let me ask you, are you working with a local advisor?" .... I might be wrong in saying this, but does that allow you to call people on the DNC list as well?  It's really not a sales pitch.  

@ Who do you know - I can't answer that.  I do my best to follow the rules. What I "think" though about the DNC is people that are on it do not want calls from telemarketers or guys from India calling them, local business people calling to introduce themselves tend not to fall in that category.

@ Young, I've heard that same line from other guys, think it's BS.  Know a guy that DKed in NYC with no issues he is still in the business and doing well from what I can see.  Also know guys that have done it in DC, Baltimore, and Miami. Since when is knocking on a  door and introducing yourself a criminal offence.  Get more targeted.  Buy a list and DK the people on it.  Drive right up to their damn door, get out, and give them your card. What is the alternative?  I'd rather listen to Jim Rome as I prospect than sit in the office.

Week 5

My first week of the year with no new clients.  I had some great appointments this week and did have a prospect call me to say they are going to do business with me.  It's a small six figure account but still a nice cherry on top of an otherwise good month.  Met with a prospect that would / will be my largest client.  Think I have a really good shot at landing him.  Time will tell.

Prospecting, I'm back in the game and damn am I rusty!  Had to write out my script and practice in front of  my mirror.  Good to be back out knocking on doors though.  I'm using the Nick Murray method of prospecting, focusing on activities and not results + building my baseline back up.  Right now, that's 10 doors a day. In two weeks I'll move to 12 doors per day.  Only knocking four days a week though.

DKs: 40  .. and wow did my contacts blow. 

Hey Superman great posts, I'm hearing so much about Nick Murray. wether it be podcast or reading about him registered rep. which book are you referring to?

Also do you purchased list or do you create your own?

Week 6

I'm glad this week is over.  One more appointment to go and it's beer Friday.  My 4pm today is with the big dog prospect , it's a 2nd appointment so I'll comment after this if we end up working together.  I had alot of trouble getting motivated this week - mostly because it was a great week for closing business and getting new business from exisiting clients.  It is however going to hurt me later in the year I guess.  I ended up adding two new clients this week and increasing my relationships with two others.

Client 1 - already had about 100k with me.  She bought some LTCi and rolled over  400k+

Client 2 - already had about 125k with me.  We 1035 a 70k annuity

New Client 1 - 125k with another 200 per month into a roth

New Client 2 - 14k plus another 200 per month into a roth - she has another 300 in a 401k and plans to retire in two years. 

A good week but I let myself down on prospecting.  BOA had a sick kid one day and we had snow another - should have done more though.  Have a seminar planned next week and its firming up nicley. 

Just a random thought on exisiting clients - wow, there is alot of opportunity to be had if you've never went deep with them.  I've been so focused on gathering $$$ I've missed the insurance side. 

@LIU - I buy a list.  I'm lazy. I bought a Nick Murray book called "the game of numbers"  My fav. book is still "The Million-Dollar Financial Services Practice

Damn dude, you're a rockstar...

Where do you get your lists? or do you build them yourself?

What is your pitch?!

I've been cold calling with bonds, but want to change the pace up a bit.

My pitch is listed within the thread..  My primary prospecting method is seminars.  I like rollovers and dealing with people in the late fifties and early sixties.  Once I get them I work them like crazy for referrals.  People at work who are also thinking about retirement.  People that started when they did.  Who do they talk about invesments or the market with?  You get the point.  They get a call and invited to a seminar. 

The last list I purchased was from colelists.com  -- very inexpensive but not as sortable as some others.  Just do a google search and you'll find tons of list providers.

I usually make my own list, but I want to purchase a batch from a reputable dealer, so this way I can do a bit of both.

I have not pithced service yet, I always pitch a product and try to close over the phone, and if not I'll pitch for an appointment to see how it all fits into their portfolio.

I will mix my day with your method and see how it goes.

I use the lists for two reasons, seminar invites and targeted door knocking.  My problem with cold calling is the DNC and my follow up sucks.  So, when I'm out DKing people its easier for me to seperate the wheat from the chaffee.  Plus on a day like today it's going to be in the mid 60s here and I have a chance to listen  to sports radio and be outside just a bit.

Good luck - I'm off to knock on doors.

Great attitude, Super! I’m very much enjoying your blog. I started the same way you are, from scratch, and I’m up to $700K T12. You will be at 700K sooner than you think, if you keep up the same process week after week. Good luck!

Lew

Week 7

I had a seminar Thrusday so I'll focus on that.  20 people attended.  It was a canned Jones seminar about retirement.  Of the 20 there were 10 couples, two were already clients.  Five solicited me after the event to schedule appointments my first of which is tomorrow.  The seminar was held at a nice place and we bought them a nice meal.  6:00 - 7:30pm.  I had a wholesaler, he talked for 15mins and I did the main presentation. 

I hate doorknocking.  It works - don't get me wrong.  I just hate trying to find people at home.  I've decided to go all in on the seminars and make them my primary method of business generation this year.  Added another 6 to my already packed schedule. My only issue is I'm land locked.  Office in a small town surrounded by three larger ones with EDJ offices already there and I'm worried about diminishing returns for my small pool.  I know we don't have "territiories" but we do! Drives me crazy, it's the only reason I'd really want to leave my firm.  Hate being locked into one city from a seminar prospecting perspective. 

Wow 5 follow ups?! Amazing dude..

I'm starting a new campaign in a week for March-May, and I will keep a separate journal here as well...I agreed with some fellows in this site ot keep a journal through gmail but I have not followed up which I feel terrible about. 

Excellent, I look forward to reading that. As for my seminar - check out advisorcontrol.com - they recorded one of their seminars and I used alot of the same ideas.  (not material but approach)

Here is a quick mid-week update:  Wow, this is a game of ups and downs.  Yesterday I had an great day by all accounts.  Landed two new clients.  One so small I should have walked away and another one 500k+ with clients I really enjoy.  However, I felt totally discouraged.   I though great, I've gotten them as clients but now I need to find a replacement in pipeline.  The grind takes it toll.  I was wondering when this blood sport will get less bloody.  Today I called the multi-millionaire I had been chasing to get an update if he liked my plan and BAM .. we are doing business.  HECK yeah. My BOA told me to stop high fiving her because her hand was getting sore. Not sure the game is any less bloody today but it does feel good.  2011 is off to a heck of start... hope I can keep it up.

What approach did you use from advisorcontrol.com ? The seminar video he has on there is the ivy league portfolio concept. Can you do that at jones?

Please reread my post, I never said I used his material.  As for approach - his style, timing, etc. etc.   Good stuff, imo.

SuperMan , this is great stuff. Thanks and keep it up.