We are pleased to announce that we now offer a free invitation review service. We will review invitations for your next client appreciation, educational or referal event. Just click on the link below to be taken to our submission form where you can enter some information and attach your invitation.

Free Invitation Review

Dont forget to read our article on 7 steps to a better invitation.

Good luck and keep comminicating with your clients!

Even if you are not a coffee drinker, Starbucks is a pretty cool place to hang out.    They do it right.  Their focus on the customer, creation of a great product, and most importantly, the care about the customer experience, is an example of how “it” should be done.  I recommend you go and spend 30 minutes in any Starbucks store and you will see exactly what I am writing about.

Starting now, we will be giving away something fun every month in 2010 to at least one lucky email subscriber.

Since we like Starbucks so much and want to celebrate their great “customer experience”, February’s giveaway will be a free $10 Starbucks card.  All you have to do is join our email subscriber list to be entered.  As always, please know that we will not sell your email address, nor will we SPAM you.  You will just receive email updates when we post new articles to the website.

We hope we can help you bring a “Starbucks’ Customer Experience” to your clients this year.

Good luck and remember to keep communicating.

- Jennifer

Writing any invitation can be a daunting task. However, these 7 tips will help you get started.

1. Keep the who, what, where, when,why and response information brief and on point.
2. Make sure the reader can pick out the date and location easily.
3. Keep the invitation to one(1) page or less if possible.
4. Double check your spelling, grammar.
5. Add color and minimal professional images to catch their eye.
6. Use quality paper or card stock.
7. BEFORE SENDING your invitation, have a second, third and fourth set of eyes look at the invitation.  If including directions it is crucial to have someone follow the directions to insured they are correct.

CLICK HERE to use our FREE review service. 

Good luck and keep comminicating with your clients!

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.

We have partnered with A Taste of Monterey to help you give the gift that gives all year around.  Staying in constant communication with your clients will help you build your business.  These gift packs can be customized and can include a message from you.  Check out the link for more information. - http://eepurl.com/fIPV

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.

With summer coming to an end, it is time to think about how you are going to communicate with your clients between now and year-end. A client appreciation event does not need to cost you thousands of dollars to pull off. Ask yourself… how do I solidify my relationship with my client, get them to refer me business and not empty my wallet? Well, sometimes you have to think outside the box.

You do not always need to have a formal event to achieve your objectives. The following is a short list of things you can do on a budget between now and year end:

Plan a “Day at the Patch” – With Halloween and Thanksgiving around the corner, this is a wonderful opportunity to plan a family event at a local pumpkin patch. Face painting, hay rides, corn mazes are all fun things to do. Have your clients pick out a pumpkin and ask them to send you a picture after it is carved for your next newsletter. How many clients do you think would “bring a friend” to this fun event?

Plan a “Day at the Movies” – People love to go to the movies. I can guarantee you that a private showing at a local theatre and a bucket of popcorn is much less expensive than a Porterhouse at your local steak house. You can print up custom tickets and have a great time with clients before or after the movie. This can also be a very fun family friendly event. Again, how many clients do you think would “bring a friend” to an event like this?

Plan a “Scavenger Hunt” – The thrill of adventure without getting on a plane. I am sure your town has many unique historical sites or just plane fun things to discover. If you are in, or near, a larger metropolitan downtown this is event easier. Bring your clients together give them a list of things they and their “team” need to find. Use your imagination and have fun with it. You can even rent GPS units to make it more interesting to locate things around town you want them to find. You can all meet at a local park, restaurant or pub to finish the event. Once again, how many clients do you think would “bring a friend” to be on their “team”?

All these client appreciation events can be done on a shoestring budget with lasting impact.

Let us know about your most successful client appreciation events.