By Annette M. Bau, CFP™

I've studied successful advisors for more than 20 years. The best of the best all have
one thing in common -- a follow-up strategy that includes the following seven steps for
growing business and increasing income:

1. Provide a Personal Touch
The more personal your communications with clients, prospects, and centers of influence
are, the more effective your messages will be.  The old saying clearly is true: "They don't care
how much you know until they know how much you care."

2. Communicate Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Successful service providers understand how important it is to differentiate themselves from
the competition. Every message you send, including postcards, letters, and e-mails, should
reflect the theme that makes you stand out and resonate with your target audience.   

To read the entire article click the link below and go to page 40.

Annette Bau, CFP™

The Affluent Women Market is a niche you simply can’t afford to ignore. When I began working with this niche market 20+ years ago, it was definitely under the radar. But today, women control 51 percent of all private wealth in the U.S.¹ and make up 43 percent of the North American affluent market with more than $500,000 in average assets.²

Affluent women are also decision-makers. Within three years of the death of their husbands, 70 percent of widows change their advisors.³ This is important because the average age of women at widowhood is just 56 -- leaving women in charge of the family finances for decades.

The opportunity 

Understanding the needs and habits of affluent women can give you great insights in regard to tapping into the potential of this valuable niche market.

 By Annette Bau, CFP^®

Learn the 6 steps to Create the Business and Life of Your Dreams

Recently, a colleague shared a story about a network marketer who asks prospects if they want to work hard for five years or spend the rest of their lives in prison (working for someone else). The story made me smile, because it’s similar to a situation that transformed my life and my business more than 20 years ago.

A coach I listened to back then said to me, “You need to give 10 years of hard work like no one else ever will, so you can spend the rest of your life like no one else ever can.” I made a commitment to this, and today I’m living the life of my dreams.

You can too, and here’s how to work smart for those 10 years that will build the foundation for your success:

By Annette Bau, CFP(TM)

I just had the pleasure of speaking with Michael Lovas from About People who is the author of the new book the Axis of Influence: How Credibility and Likeability Intersect to Drive Success.  I will be interviewing him in a live webinar on April 2^nd at 3:00 pm PT/ 6 pm ET.  To register click the link below

In this day, when people like Bernard Madoff are all over the media, it is critical that advisors take the time to build and improve their credibility.  

During our interview on April 2^nd, Michael will dive deeper into the details of building credibility and likeability, while also answering your personal questions.  In preparation for this exciting event, I wanted to give you some insight to get you thinking about what you can do to grow your business and increase your income by improving your credibility and likeability. 

Michael began his career with JC Penny Financial Services where he undertook an exhaustive study to determine the secret to building credibility.  His passion was to determine how successful people in various businesses became credible.  Interestingly, he found that when asked the top two responses on how they became credible was 1-giving speeches and 2- getting published (white pages, articles, with the ultimate being to publish a book).

Why?  Because both venues, speeches and getting published, give the perception that you must be credible and knowledgeable.   He also shared that by writing an article, a white page or even sending a personal card you can improve your credibility, and someone’s perception of you.   Join us on this free webinar to learn how you too can increase your credibility, likeability and referrability. Click the link below to register!  See you April 2nd.

By Annette M. Bau, CFP^®

Learn the 6 steps that will transform your  Referral Marketing

It seems that everything you read these days about referral marketing says that all you have to do is ask for them. If only it was that easy! While I agree that asking for referrals can work in certain situations, you risk embarrassing yourself with existing clients and getting referrals to clients you’d rather not be working with.

Initially in my career, I would work with anyone. I found it frustrating, however, because the people I was advising had few things in common, and many of the referrals I received weren’t worth the trouble.

I knew there had to be a better way to get qualified referrals than asking all my friends and clients. I just needed to find out what it was. Once I stopped asking for referrals and instead spent more of my energies doing research and developing a niche, I built a thriving business with plenty of multi-millionaire clients. 

Follow these six strategies and you, too, can attract quality clients and amazing referrals.

Click the link to continue reading the article.

By Annette Bau, CFP^®

Whether your prospects are 6 years old or 60, the same rules apply for getting your message out and building relationships effectively.

While this article is geared toward financial advisors, regardless of your professional the same rules apply. 

While it goes without saying that you should always fully disclose what you’re selling and strive to meet your clients’ goals and objectives, here are 5 simple strategies you can use to become a salesperson who your clients appreciate, admire, and refer again and again.

To continue reading the entire article, click the link below:

By Annette Bau, CFP^®

Learn the 7 steps you need to know to get your clients, colleagues, and prospects to recommend you.

Most advisors agree that they’d love to get more referrals. The key is simple — become more referable! In my 20-plus years of working with successful advisors, I’ve discovered 7 valuable steps that will virtually guarantee you a steady stream of qualified referrals.

Here they are:

If you would like to read the rest of this article click the link below