News You Can Use
We are very excited to introduce an 8-part series of articles from well known Professional Business Coach, Joseph J. Lukacs, entitled Success Rituals of Top Producers.  Over the coming months we will bring you the next installments in this series and they will be archived and available for viewing at our website, www.goingindependent.com, in our Newsletter section.  Happy reading!

Success Rituals Of Top Producers Part 1: Creating Your Daily Game Plan By: Joseph J. Lukacs, Professional Business Coach Since 1992 I have had the privilege of coaching and observing some of the most successful people in the financial services profession. During the upcoming months, I will be writing a series of articles that outline what makes these people top performers in their profession based on my observations and coaching work with them. Some food for thought: they do not use just one or two earth-shattering strategies. Instead, they use a compilation of numerous small success strategies that they employ on a regular or daily basis. In this first installment, I will discuss how they plan and execute each business day.   Strategy #1: Understand How Important Each Day Is To Your Career.   During a conversation I had with a multi-million dollar producer in a large wire-house, I asked how they were always able to achieve the goals set out in their business plan. The answer was short, simple, and profound. "Great days lead to great weeks. Great weeks lead to great months. Great months lead to great quarters. Great quarters lead to great years. Great years lead to a great career."  This person understands the value of making the most out of each business day. You can have a great annual business plan, but if you don't execute your plan consistently on a daily basis you will never achieve the level of success you deserve.   Strategy #2: Know What You Have To Accomplish Each Business Day. Another skill that all top producers have is clarity about what tasks and outcomes they must achieve on a daily basis to reach their goals. When you have outcomes and goals in your annual business plan, you must have specific daily outcomes or tasks that support those goals. Example: In your business plan, you decide that referrals from existing clients are going to be a key element in the growth of your business. What daily actions are you going to take? Write a letter to clients asking them to recommend people? Or, as you speak to or meet with your clients on a daily basis, remind them you are looking for good people to work with? Either way, you must create a list of daily outcomes that you are committed to accomplishing.   Strategy #3: Put It In Writing & Make Sure You Can Measure Your Success. Being organized is an absolute must if you want to reach your goals. I have worked with many clients who are sabotaging their success by starting their day late, not being prepared, not knowing what to do, being totally reactive, and letting their day run them. All top producers that I coach arrive early at their office, and have created their game plan for the day. They know who they are going to call, who they are going to meet, what tasking has to be done, and the important outcomes of the day. A strategy some of my clients use is to rate the morning and afternoons using a scale of 1-5. A score of one means their morning was terrible, reactive, negative, etc.  A five means excellent, proactive, accomplishing what is important. Give yourself a score for each of the mornings and afternoons. The goal is to strive for a "level 10" day every business day. Using this "point system" will allow you to quickly know if you are on track, and it will make you aware if you are squandering a valuable business day.   Last, make sure you allow yourself flexibility in your daily planning. Some key rules to remember; plan for the unexpected, don't over-schedule yourself with appointments, block out time each day to address "fires," and make time each day to meet with your assistant to review daily action items. Author's note: Joseph J. Lukacs, Business Coach, is the founder of International Performance Group LLC.,  a professional business coaching company delivering customized coaching and training, by telephone, to financial and insurance professionals. International Performance Group LLC. is based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Joseph can be reached at 908-526-8877, by e-mail to joe@ipg-coaching.com, or visit our Web site: http://www.ipg-coaching.com **** Since our inception we have helped over 400 financial consultants make the move to independence. Here Are A Few of the Benefits of "Going Independent": ·         Payouts on all your business, including fee based accounts of 90% plus. ·         The opportunity for you, not someone at the home office, to control your bottom line and the profitability of your practice. ·         The opportunity to build related businesses such as insurance, qualified plans, or trust companies, and keep those revenues. ·         The opportunity to eliminate your clients' perceptions of conflicts of interest with research departments and corporate finance groups - TRUE OBJECTIVITY. ·         The opportunity to charge and keep substantial fee income for planning, analysis and other services to your clients. ·         The availability of technology that is as good or better than anything you have now. The list goes on... This month's Registered Representative Opportunity: Since 1986, this Broker-dealer has been committed to giving independent financial advisors the leverage they need for achieving success. Today, it is one of the most progressive broker-dealer firms in the country with more than 1,000 independent professionals around the U.S. and over 250 support staff in its Southeast headquarters. This B/D provides independent financial advisors support and flexibility to assist them in finding their customers the right investments for more of the life they want to live. Because their executive team and board of directors were all once and currently are full-service reps, they understand the business and the fact that their customers are you, the reps. Regardless of your specific model, whether you are a transactional equity rep, a planner, a fee-based rep, insurance rep or traditional broker, they have the people and infrastructure in place to help you succeed. They believe they have the tools to help you elevate your business and reach your professional and personal goals. If you want a career move that will take you to new heights, thisB/D may be the right place to be. At this Broker-dealer, the entrepreneurial spirit is on. The intense corporate pressure is off. With no incentives to sell proprietary products, you have the flexibility to advise your clients what you believe is in their best interest. If you want it, they have a support team that will scour the industry for you looking for new products and services, to keep you and your clients one step ahead in this fast-changing market. Their approach gives you freedom to do what you do best. They have built a platform that can transform any existing platform, whether you are currently working as a lender, an insurance agent, or a registered rep. You have access to the same resources of any traditional Wall Street firm, as well as multiple clearing arrangements always at your fingertips. With that comes the flexibility to manage business and clients your way, and a payout rate that truly recognizes your talents and abilities. Technology - Their technology department is diligent when it comes to making your tools easy to implement, easy to understand, and easy to use. They have an innovative infrastructure to keep your practice operating at its peak efficiency. And most importantly, their home-office experts are here to help you with your transition and provide ongoing support anytime you need them. Payouts - They recognize your talents and expertise, and feel strongly that you should be highly rewarded. At this B/D, independent financial advisors typically enjoy 70-90% payouts, one of the most rewarding plans in the industry. However, payouts are flexible and often depend on the financial advisors performance and volume. A recruitment consultant works closely with you to determine a beneficial arrangement based on your individual business model. Volume benefits and discounts - When you join this B/D, you will immediately benefit from the full-scale of benefits associated with a large organization. You gain the best of both worlds: independence with total access to a multitude of volume advantages. Because they function as a collective group with more than 1,000 advisors nationwide, they are able to contain costs and help you keep fixed expenses as low as possible. If you know someone who might be ready to go Independent, please have them visit www.goingindependent.com (go to our Opportunities section and click on Hotjobs) or contact Jason Burke directly at 727-725-8876.

Here's some additional information from Turning Point, Inc...

Hiring Increases in Financial Services!
"Employment in financial activities rose by 2,000 from February. Credit intermediation and related activities added 6,100 jobs. Year-over-year, employment in financial activities increased by 158,000, with most of the growth occurring during the last six months."
Staffing Industry Employment Bulletin, April 1, 2005 

TURNING POINT in the MEDIA!
Mitch Vigeveno of Turning Point, Inc has been quoted in several articles in 2005 (including Investment News and Horsesmouth.com).  Please visit our Media page to read what Mitch had to say!

TURNING POINT PARTNERS:
Are you getting the most out of your business?  Are you operating at peak efficiency?  How about your marketing, your compliance,  or your HR?  We have some friends who can help you out.  Just visit our Partners section in our website for links to a variety of services that are helpful to building your business!

Quote of the day:
"Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)