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Your clients need a safety net, so give them one!

2/29/2016

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The past few years have been an unusual time here in America. Many people lost a large portion of their retirement savings during the economic crash of 2008/2009. Many people took their money out at the bottom and simply didn’t put it back in. The result is that most people just did not save enough money and are now looking for a safety net – something that will protect them when they retire. 

Some folks believe that the one “safety net” available to them is Social Security. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a supplement for many retirees’ final years has now become the only thing keeping their heads above water. That’s not a safety net. Social Security was never meant to be a retiree’s only income. 

Take a quick look at these recent statistics:
Among studies, a 2014 “Retirement Confidence Survey” reports that 36% of respondents had less than $1,000 put away for retirement or other needs! Only one thousand dollars in savings! Incredible. But, as bad as that 36% figure is – and it is bad – only 20% reported having a thousand dollars put away in 2009!  It’s not getting better; it’s getting worse and rather quickly at that! 

So what’s a person to do? It’s really pretty simple ...
  • People have to quit messing around and quit believing in the Tooth Fairy
  • Start looking at guarantees ... products that guarantee them a lifetime, realistic, and livable income.
  • Everyone deserves and simply must have a safety net. 

Since you are reading this article, you probably have clients and prospects with more than $1,000 put away, but chances are good that they just don’t have the potential retirement income that they're hoping for. Your clients are not going to have the opportunity to roll the dice if they are within five to ten years of retirement. Folks, it’s time to take some of their money “off the table” and play it safe. Get them to go for that real safety net!

I’d encourage you to propose the living benefits of Fixed-Index Annuities to your clients. These lifetime income benefit riders are known by a variety of terms. Some companies call FIAs “Guaranteed Income Withdrawal Benefits.” The bottom line is this, unlike annuitization, this type of rider allows your clients to take a lifetime income from the annuity without losing control of their retirement asset. They can stop and start at any time, and their account value can continue to grow. The lifetime income rider assures your clients that they will never run out of money or live too long. And they can get these payout’s either in the Single Life Income or, if they have a spouse at home, they can choose the Joint Life Income. 

These products also have chronic illness, terminal illness, and confinement waivers that reduce or eliminate some of the most aggravating retirement fears: sickness and chronic and critical illness. It’s odd that one of the simplest products on the market – an indexed annuity with living benefits – is often either misunderstood or just not on many retirees’ radar. The Lifetime Income Benefit Rider along with the Chronic Illness and Confinement Waivers could just be the one product decision that truly provides your clients with their retirement safety net.  

Think about it, and then give us a call at 1-877-844-0900 for an easy-to-understand illustration about how you can protect your clients quickly, easily, and affordably!

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​Golf, new equipment, the financial services business, and you

2/22/2016

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I was watching the AT&T  tournament at Pebble Beach this weekend and thought about how the golf game has changed, and how it relates to our business.  The game really got a kick start with greats like Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. They played the game with style and grace and some hickory shafts and the smallest of blades.  Then, another generation made golf a television viewing opportunity.  These greats  were names such as  Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Julius Boros, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and others. 

The game had moved from Hickory shafts to persimmon woods. Yes, the blades were bigger and these guys were real competitors and studied each and every course that they played on. But, there were changes taking place. Enter Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson and others using the “Big Bertha” drivers.  Wow, I couldn’t believe how large the heads looked then. But today, they are larger, the shafts  bend more and  the irons have the concaved backs.  What about the rescue clubs?  Some people never use a 3 or 4 wood.  Many now leave their 3,  and 5 woods in the garage in favor of these rescue clubs. 

But, it is more than the new equipment. The golfers of today are as fit as many NBA players. They also have coaches to help keep their mind straight. The caddies know the courses they play from tee to green. It’s like they have mentors and guides. 

In short, they have adapted to today’s game.  My questions to you "golfers" in the financial services industry are: 
  • Have you adapted to today’s game? 
  • Are you taking advantage of the new equipment available to you? 
  • Are you a student of the game? 
  • Are you studying the financial landscape from tee to green? 

If not, you aren’t going to score very well. You might already be seeing your sales “handicap” starting to soar.  So, how do we get you into playing shape for this year’s season?  There is still plenty of time. Let’s take a look…
 
Today’s’ buyers no longer accept the “old school” type of selling. They know so much about the products we offer before we ever meet with them.  They also know where to get their research.  They will check you out through Google and they scour your website prior to even granting you an appointment. 

We have many new tools in our business. Are you utilizing videos…short ones?  The consumer likes that approach.  You can, and should, be showing those at point of sale.  You also need to be dripping  on your prospects and clients via email and regular mail. 

What about content?  You’ve heard that content is king. Are you giving your clients quality content?  And, are you aware of what all the clubs in your bag can do?  For example, are you comfortable using your “life insurance club”?  What about that one marked final expense or critical illness?   Maybe you need a “professional caddy” that can explain everything from “tee to green”
 
In closing, we have all of the tools. We have the consumer videos, the training videos for you, the written content, white papers, and we will even build your website. AND, we even send the email content and videos out to your clients and prospects for you. 

We would like to give you a tour of the “Ohlson Group Course.”  We have the pros that have played the course and have won a few tournaments... for example I am a Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table MDRT.   We have so much to show you and we know how to lower your handicap. We can really help you with digital marketing and help you generate referred leads on a regular basis. 

Bottom  line, if you are still using those persimmon woods and blades while your competitors are using those “big headed drivers,” how far and long do you think you can go?  Time to “tee em up!" So, if you are in need of a lesson, schedule a digital marketing assessment and let us show you what being a part of the Safe money Places Agents Network and The Ohlson Group can do for you. 

Until next time…good selling!

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​All Business is show business

2/15/2016

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All business is show business- and I say that in a positive way. Thoughts, concepts, products and ideas can be boring, and hard to present if you can’t get the prospect or user anxious to learn more about your expertise. You see it everywhere: in places of worship, in schools, in politics (that’s an understatement) and throughout our daily lives.

​Can I make a confession? My degree in college was Radio, Television and Motion Pictures, with a Journalism minor. So I have always taken what I learned in that discipline and tried to utilize it in the financial services business. You see, we are really performing every day. We are trying to develop a brand that separates us from the competition and builds credibility in the financial services arena. Allow me to give a few examples:
 
Abraham Lincoln was known as the story teller. He would try to sell congress, his cabinet, and the American people through the use of his stories. He was very successful in setting the stage, and getting people’s attention. Let’s look at television: one of my fellow Ball State University graduates is David Letterman. I must admit that he took advantage of his degree in Radio and Television more than I did. Prior to coming out to do his late night show, the crowd was warmed up, ready to greet Mr. Letterman and have a successful show. Isn’t that what we should be doing?  Warming up the crowd so they are ready to listed to the “show” we’re ready to present? The answer is resounding…yes. But we aren’t David Letterman, or Abraham Lincoln. So how do we accomplish this? Please read on…
 
The answer is to give our prospects and clients the information in the medium they are used too… bring the message using tools that they are more likely to enjoy. We can help you on the big stage. As a matter of fact, we will send the entire production team with you on every appointment and on every sales call.

You see, at the Ohlson Group and Safe Money Places, we have developed, and are continuing to develop, short videos on products and concepts that you’re presenting every day. We have some agents who are now opening their seminars with some of our videos – much like the warm up act for Letterman. These short conceptual videos allow the consumer to get a “lay of the land” prior to your presentation, based upon their individual needs and desires. Plus, you can take this with you and have the client view on any device. Whether it’s your smartphone, your tablet, your laptop, or on their 60 inch screen at home. This truly separates you from the competition.
 
One more thing- are you having a rough time obtaining referrals? Then ask us about our “drip program,” where we will send your prospects and clients timely videos every 30 days. As Ringo Starr said in his song, “They’re going to put me in the movies, they’re going to make a big star out of me”.  The Ohlson Group can also get you top billing at the Financial Services Marquis in your neighborhood. Give us a call if we have your interest.
 
Until next time… good selling!

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Productivity down? Maybe you need new tools

2/8/2016

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I was watching one of the business shows this morning when the productivity results for December were released. Well, the number wasn’t too pretty- productivity was down by 3%...WOW. This means that even with an increase in hiring, productivity (which blends into the profits) was down. The result- having to use more people to get the same job done. It made me start to think about our business. Is your productivity down? In other words, does it take you longer, and cost you more, to get prospects and make the sale? Are you finding yourself having to go back to your clients 2 or 3 times to close the sale? Well, maybe I can help.
 
Many of us continue to do things the way we used to do them. In many cases, that would be fine. But Americans want their information a little differently today. They have a “get to the point” mentality. The world appears to have become too busy for chitchat. While I feel as though that’s a shame, I must align myself with the times. That is what we are doing at The Ohlson Group and Safe Money Places. We have developed, and are in the continual process of developing tools to make it easier to get your point across, engage your prospects,  get referrals, and close the sale. Allow me to give a couple of examples:
 
First off, we build you a new website, or improve upon your current site. We will add some of the finest content in America. You will keep your independence, but can brag about being a member of the Safe Money Places Agent Network. We then provide you with “dripping material” to warm the prospect up prior to your call. We arm you with consumer product and concept videos to show to your clients on your laptop or tablets. We also provide you with the accompanying factfinders and brochures to make your approach come alive. We even have scripts for many of these turn-key systems.

​There is a lot more… and too much to mention here. But, if your productivity is declining, then give one of our marketing consultants a call . We will get you an upgrade on your tools, and bring higher profitability to your firm.
 
Until next time ...  good selling!

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Do you know where THEIR children are?

2/1/2016

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 I know most of our readers remember the old safety commercial, “Do you know where your child is?” That ad always came on around 11pm. It was a reminder for parents to get their kids home at a decent time, or at least to get information about their child’s evening plans.

It’s the same thing in the financial services business. What do you know about your clients children? Have you met them? Do they even know that you’re working with their parents? If the answer to these questions is "no" … then you don’t stand a very good chance of retaining any of their parents funds after they pass on.

It’s a fact- if they don’t know you, they will leave you and use their own advisors. Think about it.  You have worked long and hard obtaining the client, servicing the client, and then retaining the client. Plus, we all know how hard it can be to get referrals. So, why do we walk by the ready-made, next generation? We know they will have funds- they are prospects. First of all… shame on us. Let’s dig deeper:
 
We all know that there are very few agents/advisors entering our business. The average age is 59, and 26% will be retired by New Year’s Eve 2018. So… our clients children aren’t being called on. What a great opportunity to meet a new prospect for the future, and also for today. They need life insurance now… right? Yes, they do. I guarantee it. Investment plan, retirement plan, critical illness? Come on, ladies and gentleman, they need everything and no one is calling them. Plus, that annuity or life plan will eventually be in “claim” dollars.

You should be the one to work with those dollars. So, set up a meeting- breakfast or dinners with the children if they’re in the area. Or, SKYPE them… yes, SKYPE. Let them see you, and then start dripping. We can help you will all the email and mail dripping materials, and we write the content.

So again… do you know where your clients children are?
 
Until next time ... good selling!

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