Resource Zone
Welcome to the Resource Zone — home to MDRT’s multimedia resources to help you improve your productivity and run your business more efficiently.
Search by keyword, or browse by topic or collection, to find ideas in video, audio or text format.
Resource Zone
Simple ideas for referrals, prospecting and client service
Michael DePillaBest ways to have meetings with clients, tips for managing staff and building the right client base.
How saying no to clients’ children saves retirements
Brad J. MyersYour clients love their children, of course. As a financial advisor, what do you do when their children are asking for too much money and endangering their parents’ comfortable retirement?
Growing a niche market: Female clients in life transitions
Renee Hanson, CFP, CDFALike many people, your clients may be going through transitions and seeking advice. Learn how Top of the Table qualifier Renee Hanson, CFP, CDFA, works with clients going through transitions -- such as divorce, loss of spouse or job transition -- and how she works with centers of influence to find clients in her niche.
Long-term planning I’m doing to prepare myself for a slow recovery
MDRTAre you doing things every day to improve yourself and the situation for your clients? What strategies have you developed that you won’t implement until later on? In this episode, MDRT members share the adjustments they’ve made to set themselves up for success in the long-term.
You’ll hear from:
Anant Jain, AFP, CFP
Miliana, CFP
Sherry Lee Ong
Episode breakdown:
0:31 – Making a daily habit of reading about how to improve your closing
2:14 – Connecting with clients to help them with philanthropy
4:30 – Creating a study group to enhance development
7:24 – Going back to basics while being conscientious of those who are most affected
9:58 – Differentiating between active businesses and inactive businesses
10:54 – Preparing to make loans available to those who need them
11:44 – Being part of a group that helps promote each other’s businesses
15:00 – Connecting the crisis to the need for protection and finding solutions for financial challenges
How to help clients and team members who are struggling emotionally
MDRTThere are times when stress and anxiety, which can be caused by a financial or family crisis, can be too much for clients or even your team members and co-workers. Two financial therapists discuss ways you can refer them to mental health professionals.
Advising Clients
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How to strengthen your self-discipline muscles
Past MDRT President Tony Gordon discusses how self-discipline is like a muscle. The more it’s used, the stronger it becomes.
The opening of a new door to success
How these work-from-home times have become the most productive in the career of Plabita Priyadarshi, an MDRT member from India.
How going through trying times can lead to new possibilities
What are you adjusting in terms of your technology or communication during this difficult period? Are you helping clients recognize how essential it is to prepare for the unexpected? In this episode, MDRT members share how they are taking setbacks and turning them into opportunities.
You’ll hear from:
David Eric Appel, ChFC, CLU
H. Richard Dobson Jr.
Julianne Hertel, CLTC
Episode breakdown:
0:26 – Office processes that can become more refined during difficult times
1:15 – Examining your communication style with clients regarding mortality
2:51 – Taking this time to reflect and make sure all necessary coverages are in place
3:45 – Communicating the proactive nature of planning and protecting
6:05 – How insurance companies are adapting to current challenges
The lifesaving exam
When a client wanted to reduce the amount of his critical illness insurance, Guy Mankey, a Top of the Table qualifier from Australia, requested he get a medical exam. The results of the exam were shocking to the client. Find out more in this short video.
Finding new ways to give clients what they want
Simon D. Lister, Dip PFS, explains how he has adapted his practice for the current, challenging climate.
Communicating with almost-retirees when the market tumbles
How can you show pre-retiree clients that you have helped them prepare for the current climate? What analogies will help clarify your point and put people at ease? In this episode, MDRT members share how they are talking with clients to make sure they see that a falling market doesn’t mean they are in trouble.
You’ll hear from:
David Eric Appel, ChFC, CLU
H. Richard Dobson Jr.
Julianne Hertel, CLTC
Episode breakdown:
0:31 – Reiterating to clients that you have been planning for this
2:58 – An opportunity to zero in on clients’ asset mix
3:36 – Why you should be wary about the law of averages
5:41 – An example from what my mother wonders about the market
7:37 – The importance of reviewing what clients have and why
How to help clients and team members who are struggling emotionally
There are times when stress and anxiety, which can be caused by a financial or family crisis, can be too much for clients or even your team members and co-workers. Two financial therapists discuss ways you can refer them to mental health professionals.
More questions to consider in tumultuous times
Have you considered how the current crisis will affect various deadlines? Have you thought ahead to how your business will adapt when people are back in the office? In this episode, MDRT members address a variety of issues worth thinking about during this unexpected and challenging situation.
You’ll hear from:
David Eric Appel, ChFC, CLU
H. Richard Dobson Jr.
Julianne Hertel, CLTC
Episode breakdown:
0:27 – Paying attention to deadline extensions
1:16 – Considering how to get back to business when quarantines end
2:01 – Determining how to continue as if nothing has changed
3:36 – Contextualizing this event in the history of difficult times
4:23 – Acknowledging the impact of the presidential election and related tax laws
7 ways to emerge stronger from a crisis
As financial advisors, we were made for this crisis. Our profession is suited to go through tough times with our clients and help them learn, adjust and prepare for the next major event.
Every problem creates an opportunity
An MDRT member discusses how now is the time to have courage and seek new opportunities.
Marketing
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Should you share personal items on Facebook?
MDRT members debate what photos and comments clients should see.
The power of words: What you say determines if clients listen or ignore your advice
Easy analogies and examples for explaining insurance and financial planning.
What do you say to clients during rough times?
Attendees from the 2008 Top of the Table Annual Meeting, which took place during a market downturn, discuss what they tell their clients during tough economic times.
Earning trust in tough times
Amid the 2008 recession, MDRT members share how earning their clients’ trust has helped them make a sale.
3 words that generate client referrals
Try this easy method for meeting potential clients, without seeming to ask for referrals.
Discover the power of introductions instead of referrals
What’s the difference between a referral and an introduction? One may be preferred by clients and a more effective, easier way to meet new clients, according to Norm Trainor, who works with high-performing advisors.
Practice Management
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Bust through a career bottleneck by segmenting clients
When you hit a career plateau, how do you move to the next level? Court of the Table qualifier Lim Ren En, of Malaysia, shares in this short video what works for him.
Ways that I’m looking out for clients during this crisis
Do clients need help becoming tech-savvy or figuring out where to shop during this time of unexpected challenges? In this episode, MDRT members share how they have helped clients in new ways as the world adapts to a difficult situation.
You’ll hear from:
Anant Jain, AFP, CFP
Miliana, CFP
Sherry Lee Ong
Episode breakdown:
0:33 – Helping clients get up to speed regarding technology
3:35 – Sharing personal advice instead of seeking any sales
5:37 – Maintaining a positive attitude for people who are struggling
8:31 – Developing better conditions for Zoom calls to enhance client communication
Don’t get left behind in the digital transformation
We can prepare professionally and personally for the "day after" the coronavirus crisis. Read about some changes happening for financial advisors, their clients, and the insurance and investment companies.
Long-term planning I’m doing to prepare myself for a slow recovery
Are you doing things every day to improve yourself and the situation for your clients? What strategies have you developed that you won’t implement until later on? In this episode, MDRT members share the adjustments they’ve made to set themselves up for success in the long-term.
You’ll hear from:
Anant Jain, AFP, CFP
Miliana, CFP
Sherry Lee Ong
Episode breakdown:
0:31 – Making a daily habit of reading about how to improve your closing
2:14 – Connecting with clients to help them with philanthropy
4:30 – Creating a study group to enhance development
7:24 – Going back to basics while being conscientious of those who are most affected
9:58 – Differentiating between active businesses and inactive businesses
10:54 – Preparing to make loans available to those who need them
11:44 – Being part of a group that helps promote each other’s businesses
15:00 – Connecting the crisis to the need for protection and finding solutions for financial challenges
Training your successor
A mentoring relationship can train your successor and build your practice’s value in the process.
The two Jerrys
Two examples show how failing to have a business succession plan in place affects more than just your business.
The personal touch
No matter where negotiations settle, the human side of succession planning — interpersonal dynamics — can make or break your transition’s success.
Know your practice's worth
If you’re thinking about retiring and selling your practice, start the transition process sooner rather than later.
The incremental steps to success
We all know that activity drives performance, but achieving the right level of activity, especially during difficult or unusual times, can be a challenge. In this webinar, two MDRT members share their own tried-and-true strategies to help you identify and refine your goals. Plus, learn how to chart a course to achieve those goals through a Whole Person holistic approach and a time management tool.
Whole Person
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Diary of an MDRT member: 5 things to do daily while at home
While we can’t go to the office to work, we can use our time at home well as our imagination and abilities allow. Read how an MDRT member is productive daily with these positive activities.
Discovering a balanced approach to staying at home
Rather than seeing this virus outbreak as a great disaster, why don’t we try to see it as a great corrector that gives us the opportunity to re-evaluate our lives?
Stick to your goals to thrive in uncertain times
Now is the time for MDRT members to activate their greatest attributes, self-discipline. We need it to succeed, says Tony Gordon.
How I’m approaching my biggest challenge during quarantine
How do you help yourself right now if you are a social person used to having a lot of in-person appointments? Or you want to help friends and family but can’t? In this episode (recorded before stay-at-home orders went into effect), MDRT members explained what they have struggled with during the current global crisis and what they have done to overcome these challenges.
You’ll hear from:
David Eric Appel, ChFC, CLU
H. Richard Dobson Jr.
Julianne Hertel, CLTC
Episode breakdown:
0:29 – Finding new ways to interact when you’re a social person
1:45 – Overcoming the feeling of being powerless with friends and family
3:12 – Utilizing new opportunities to get out and do something
3:48 – Establishing new perspective on a calendar without in-person appointments
7:09 – Counteracting your own concerns by making comfort calls to clients
Persevering through the unexpected
Grant shares extreme lessons in maintaining your business when your personal life falls apart.
7 steps toward reducing stress
Marston, a noted expert in work-life balance, shares seven sanity savers that can reduce stress in your profession and personal life during difficult times.
The 7 conditions of success
Philosopher Tom Morris reveals the seven pillars that make up a universal framework for satisfying and sustainable success.
Tell your story!
Greshes, a sales-motivation expert and entrepreneur, implores financial advisors to stresses the extraordinary quality, service, convenience and value of their work to the world.
Taking your life to new heights
Adventurer Ronnie Muhl shares how the lessons he learned from climbing Mount Everest apply to financial advisors.
Facing emotional volatility: How to care for yourself and your clients
Your ability to provide clients with your best objective advice in stressful times may be impacted by what's called compassion fatigue, which happens when you care about clients and overidentify with their anxieties. This is hard to avoid when you're a financial advisor who loves helping people. In this video, two financial therapists discuss what you can do about compassion fatigue and how self-care is not selfish.
How to be productive and creative when business pauses
You can build relationships and your skills when you're not able to meet with clients.