Since the industrial revolution, traditional selling has been trained and practiced by almost every industry and business model known to mankind. It appears many of us have been taught to sell in a very similar way, but this traditional sales approach has begun to present some serious problems.

Selling across demographic lines has its challenges. Selling to younger prospects can be difficult because this segment of society grew up during a different time and have a far different view of the world than those that came before them. The differences make this sales environment more challenging. Let's discuss the two main reasons it is far more challenging to sell to younger generations.

A career as an independent financial professional is rewarding beyond comprehension in many ways. Effecting lives of the clients you touch in a positive way is spirit-raising. There’s nothing like standing by your clients’ side as they identify their challenges, acknowledge them, take ownership, and make a decision to take action with you as their guide. 

Financial advisors often make simple mistakes that they can correct to improve their businesses. These mistakes reduce their potential and can cause business to slow, or even worse, start to decline. Here are the top six mistakes you should avoid making in your financial services business.

Humans need a tribe. We are social animals, and most of us need to feel a part of something larger than us to feel OK. We need to know someone has our back. In return we’ll have theirs. As a unit we’ll be secure and succeed. We’ll overcome challenges and achieve great things. 

For many years the approach to conveying a specific or broad topic was done by what is called a concept presentation. This approach gave the presenter the ability to discuss or highlight a specific product feature or planning technique without going into specific details. Now clients are looking for detailed information on their own before visiting with a financial advisor.

What separates the most successful financial advisors from average advisors?  It’s pretty simple really. Here are the five traits of the most successful financial advisors...

The independent industry doesn't do a really good job of surveying it's field force regarding what they look for in an Independent Marketing Organization (IMO). Having been around the business for more than 20 years, and having talked with thousands of insurance agents regarding their wishes and wants, I thought I'd put together a listing of the top field requests I've heard over the past few years.

Communication is an interesting topic. Many of us seem to think that communication is all about how we connect with each other through the use of our words and our vocabulary. But unfortunately it’s a little more complex than that. You need to consider what your body language tells your prospects and clients when you are communicating with them.

There are a few things your prospects need to hear you say to make them feel comfortable with working with you and following your process. These statements will make a positive impression and experience for your prospects. Your words must be backed by action and should be part of your consistent process.