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
Fishing in rough water
Jerry SoverinskyProspecting secrets for achieving success in a challenging business environment.
Telling is not selling
Subhas V. NathanAsk your clients questions so they come up with the answers about what’s important to them. Then you can guide clients in their financial planning. Find out more from Subhas Nathan, of Singapore.
Three ideas to stay in business during a crisis
R.J. Kelly, MSFS, RICPDespite uncertain times, your business doesn't have to slow down. Try these three ideas to help your clients be more secure in an insecure world as well as keep your business thriving.
Spot missed opportunities and quit prospecting
Rick B. Stanzione, RFC, CSALearn about the process Rick Stanzione uses to consistently reach Top of the Table early in the year -- without prospecting. It also allows him to maintain a 97% client retention rate.
Don't buy the ostrich farm
Matt PaisTalking to clients about alternative investments and get-rich-quick schemes.
Advising Clients
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How to build strong client bonds in stressful times
By applying the principles of emotional intelligence you’ll strengthen bonds with clients, friends and family as well as become a better leader.
Changes I’ve made in response to surprising client reactions during crisis
Every client is different – how will you adapt if one catches you off-guard regarding their coverage, or in their openness to refer you during a challenging period? In this episode, MDRT members explain how they are making adjustments to meet each client’s needs.
You’ll hear from:
Anant Jain, AFP, CFP
Miliana, CFP
Sherry Lee Ong
Episode breakdown:
0:30 – Connecting clients’ plans with a time when they’re especially needed
1:45 – Acclimating to receiving unexpected referrals
3:36 – Communicating with clients who can’t sleep because of financial worries
Memorable connections
Chin finds innovative ways to establish relationships and lets the business blossom from there.
When the client's job has an early expiration date
Ning navigates best practices with stunt people, athletes and more.
Explaining volatility
Why you should discuss market volatility and financial planning with your insurance clients.
Don't buy the ostrich farm
Talking to clients about alternative investments and get-rich-quick schemes.
Working with millennials: Stereotypes vs. reality
Walsh notes the many ways in which this demographic may not be what you expect.
Three ideas to stay in business during a crisis
Despite uncertain times, your business doesn't have to slow down. Try these three ideas to help your clients be more secure in an insecure world as well as keep your business thriving.
Marketing
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What sets me apart as an advisor
Do you provide unique gifts to fit your clients’ interests? Do you hold them accountable to their goals? In this episode, MDRT members share some ways in which they make themselves stand out to their clients.
You’ll hear from:
Peter Jason Byrne
Danielle J. Genier, CFP, CLU
Jonathan Godshall Camacho, LUTCF, MBA
Randall D. Kaufmann
Episode breakdown:
0:33 – The benefit of branded teddy bears
3:11 – Calling clients to sing “Happy birthday” to them
4:27 – Having clients identify their interests to utilize as gift opportunities
6:37 – Holding clients accountable as a means to ensure success
10:58 – Inviting clients to send postcards from their dream vacation spot
Generating quality introductions from centers of influence
Building relationships with centers of influence is an important part of growing your practice, but there’s no single way to do it. In this webinar, two MDRT members share their methods of working with centers of influence, including why making those connections is so essential. They explore ways to get introductions, how to build relationships that result in introductions to prospects, and how centers of influence can lead to building a referral-based practice.
Lessons from a marketing whiz
Goebel shares techniques that launched him from extended struggles to constant expansion.
Fishing in rough water
Prospecting secrets for achieving success in a challenging business environment.
Can I still get referrals during the pandemic?
While clients may still be apprehensive, you can help their friends and earn referrals.
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.
Practice Management
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How communicating the miracle of insurance led to my early success
One of the few things you can control in your profession is your activity level. Find out more from an MDRT member who succeeded early in his career.
Beyond a bathrobe and slippers: Survival skills for working from home
To get the most out of telecommuting, try out some of these best practices.
Boost your income by removing pain points
Find out what two things Adrian George, of Calgary, Canada, does -- or doesn't do -- every year that allowed him to qualify first for MDRT, then Court of the Table and now Top of Table.
Don't act your age
Let go of the stereotypes and bring out the best in today's multigenerational workforce.
Hit your business reset button now
Adapt to the current market conditions or struggle professionally. Learn how to thrive with ideas from MDRT member Kennedy Sumarlie.
Turning no clients into yes clients
Use creative touch points and the long game to win over prospects and clients
How I’m keeping staff engaged while business recovers
Even during a crisis, it is important to make sure your team feels that your practice is a place where they are valued and can grow. In this episode, MDRT members share what they are doing to ensure their staff members remain connected to the business during difficult times.
You’ll hear from:
Anant Jain, AFP, CFP
Miliana, CFP
Sherry Lee Ong
Episode breakdown:
0:32 – Adapting quickly to new procedures and communication
1:48 – Finding ways to pay more, not less
2:37 – Assigning fun activities to increase team member engagement
3:45 – Changing job descriptions to help staff adjust to new responsibilities
5:46 – Looking out for professional growth and emotional health
12 ideas to better client service
Get people to call back and get more referrals with these easy tips.
The hardest long-term change to consider in the face of crisis
How will you adjust your practice to recognize clients’ lowered cash flow and new challenges for staff? In this episode, MDRT members identify the most difficult elements on their minds for the long-term, and what they’re doing to plan for the changes.
You’ll hear from:
Anant Jain, AFP, CFP
Miliana, CFP
Sherry Lee Ong
Episode breakdown:
0:30 – The importance of connecting with other advocates to vouch for you
2:07 – Adapting to clients’ decreased cash flow and future planning
4:46 – Gaining new perspective on your staff
6:31 – Dealing with the idea that this could be the new normal
8:01 – Choosing to be proactive
Whole Person
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Recovery and empowerment
Top MDRT Foundation Quality of Life grant awarded to support survivors of human trafficking.
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.