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
How to have a difficult client conversation about overspending
MDRTClients can overspend, or turn to other possibly harmful behaviors, when they're stressed. Two financial therapists talk to Juli McNeely about how you can compassionately and respectfully talk to your clients about that.
My client's surprise wealth
MDRTDo you judge people by their appearance or get to know them more deeply than that? Do you meet with clients whose financial circumstances might change for the better? In this episode, MDRT members share how they connected with clients who turned out to have far more assets than initially thought.
You’ll hear from:
Terri E. Krueger
Alain Poirier
Episode breakdown:
0:28 – When clothes don’t match up with savings
1:59 – Looking beyond the surface for information that other advisors miss
2:53 – Less-than-ideal location becomes home to big winners
Working with centers of influence
Paresh B. Shah, CFPHow to get introductions to their clients and maintain long-term relationships.
Start with a planning framework
Chee Hong (Vincent) GanGan highlights four simple modules to help clients better understand the financial planning process.
Luxury items are out. Financial security is in.
Liz DeCarloHow recent changes in consumer attitudes could be a good thing for advisors.
Advising Clients
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Build better relationships through better questions and a different mindset
You will change how you relate to clients when you realize that although we don't have much control over what happens, we can choose how we relate to what happens.
Is your mindset about older clients outdated and offensive?
You may want to retire the terms “senior citizen,” “elderly” and “retirement” from your vocabulary, especially when talking to people in their 60s and beyond. Just because you know someone’s age doesn’t mean you know their goals and plans. Find out how you can connect better with clients as you listen to members of an MDRT book club discussing in-depth the “third age” with the authors of "What Retirees Want." MDRT members can see the see the full version of the discussion. Find out more about book clubs at mdrt.org/bookclub.
Science & software
Leledakis embraces a technology- and data-driven approach to prospect and client meetings.
The next employee benefit
Twedt finds financial solutions that companies can offer to the masses and customize for individuals.
Sticking to the plan
MDRT members discuss the importance of holding clients accountable to their goals.
Luxury items are out. Financial security is in.
How recent changes in consumer attitudes could be a good thing for advisors.
5 persuasive questions about empowering education planning through insurance
One of the best gifts parents can give their children is a strong foundation through a good education. Yet many parents don’t recognize the role life insurance can play in securing their children’s future. Learn what questions you can ask to help them see the possibilities.
The importance of family when selling insurance
Plus using a family record worksheet and making the family your client
Marketing
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My client's surprise wealth
Do you judge people by their appearance or get to know them more deeply than that? Do you meet with clients whose financial circumstances might change for the better? In this episode, MDRT members share how they connected with clients who turned out to have far more assets than initially thought.
You’ll hear from:
Terri E. Krueger
Alain Poirier
Episode breakdown:
0:28 – When clothes don’t match up with savings
1:59 – Looking beyond the surface for information that other advisors miss
2:53 – Less-than-ideal location becomes home to big winners
6 fixes for friends who hesitate to refer
Sometimes clients you consider friends don’t send you referrals, and you don’t know why. It could be for one of these six reasons.
My hidden talent and why it helps my business
If you’re a great salsa dancer or experienced singer, can that benefit your practice? In this episode, MDRT members share how their personal, potentially unrelated skills have crossed over to become professional assets.
You’ll hear from:
Xiao Chen
Chad Demarre
Maria Josefa Garcia
Stacy L. Kahan, CLU, RFC
Episode breakdown:
0:35 – Connecting with clients through dancing and food
2:15 – Singing for clients after appearing on the Chinese version of “American Idol”
5:18 – Utilizing a knack for being very persistent
9:03 – The talent of being able to read people well
Working with centers of influence
How to get introductions to their clients and maintain long-term relationships.
10 responses to whole life insurance objections
While the advantages of whole life over term insurance are obvious to you, that’s not always the case with prospects and clients. When discussing insurance with clients, try these ideas to help clarify the differences.
Success strategies from a legend
Past MDRT President and 42-time Top of the Table member Tony Gordon is one of MDRT’s favorite speakers. Join Past MDRT President, and 32-year member, Jennifer A. Borislow, CLU, as she taps into an MDRT legend to learn how he has achieved and maintained his level of success. Following the presentation you will have the opportunity to get your questions answered. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Gordon share his decades of experience to help you make the best of your career.
My three-step process to every review appointment
Learn a simple presentation that can help you match clients' goals with their income and their assets in a single image. Using easy-to-understand language and analogies, Clairmont will help you quickly build trust and understanding to move clients forward in your planning process. The idea takes a client around four quadrants of when they should touch their money, educating them about which assets are best for which purposes and where the risks are that might need protecting.
Getting referrals through virtual prospecting
Prospecting in traditional ways has been widely used by financial planners around the world. Prospects are getting resistant to these similar approaches, to the point where it is difficult to even get a prospect in for an appointment, especially high-net-worth prospects. Lim Yee Von illustrates a new way of prospecting that will not only get you appointments from your prospect easily, but also attract prospects to open up to your financial advice.
7 ways to kickstart your prospecting
Keep in touch with friends, clients and prospects with these seven tactful strategies for financial advisors and insurance agents.
Start with a planning framework
Gan highlights four simple modules to help clients better understand the financial planning process.
Practice Management
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Working well with an assistant
MDRT member Tam Kim Fang works well with her assistant. Find out how to foster better engagement from your team.
How we handle joint work
Two successful teams of advisors, Micki and Matt Hoesly and Tom Levasseur and Jared Koelker, share how they work jointly with clients.
3 surprising secrets about high-net-worth clients
Understanding these key secrets about the high-net-worth can help advisors work better with them and attract more clients like them.
The charity connection
Swofford creates strong bonds with clients by coming together for good causes.
The 7 C's of effective checklists
Create a process for client interactions to transform your business.
7 ways to show respect for clients
Clients want to know you care about them. Try these ideas to let them know they're important to you.
The challenges and rewards of cross-generational partnership
A panel of MDRT members discuss how they successfully partner across generations within their firms, including the challenges that come with working with someone from a different generation, how they’ve proactively defined roles both now and for the future, and why it’s worth it to partner cross-generationally.
How advisors overcome staffing challenges
What do you do if employees don’t work out the way that you expect? What’s the lesson from a staff member who doesn’t know to put a stamp on a letter? In this episode, MDRT members explain difficulties they have encountered and what they have gained from these experiences.
You’ll hear from:
David Braithwaite, Dip PFS
Sofia Dumansky, MBA, LUTCF
Jonathan Peter Kestle, CLU, B Com
Mark D. Olson, MSFS, CFP
Episode breakdown:
0:27 – Refining the job description to find the right person to replace departing staff
1:57 – Realizing the problems caused by continually extending a staff member’s probationary period
4:08 – Improving team camaraderie by removing a problem employee
4:33 – Learning that not everyone knows what you think they know
6:38 – When a new hire seems great but turns out not to be so great
8:39 – Adapting to things that aren’t done the way a team member says they are
10:36 – Changes being made to ensure hiring success in the future
Developing new ideas for customized service and digital marketing
The pandemic has created new opportunities to tailor your approach with each client and prospect. In this episode, MDRT members share how they make sure that communication on video, on the phone and, if possible, in person matches the wants and needs of the client.
You’ll hear from:
Catherine Chee Keng Lian, MBA, FChFP
John P. Enright
Sarah Helen Hogan, ACII
Episode breakdown:
0:31 – Delivering information via PowerPoint rather than a folder in person
1:06 – Utilizing video but recognizing when a phone call is preferred
4:04 – How video marketing can drive follow-up conversations with clients
5:27 – Remembering to give clients a choice about how they are served
7:18 – Thriving through a willingness to change and adapt
Whole Person
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Fighting as a team
Dailey secures MDRT Foundation grant for organization supporting people with ALS.
Books that have played an impactful role during challenging times
Have you found a book that can make a difference in a client’s life and taken the initiative to share it with them? In this episode, MDRT members explain each of the books they have chosen and the difference that it made.
You’ll hear from:
Catherine Chee Keng Lian, MBA, FChFP
John P. Enright
Sarah Helen Hogan, ACII
Episode breakdown:
0:31 – A surprising coincidence about “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse”
2:36 – Recognizing the elevated value of “Raising Financially Aware Kids” during the pandemic
3:12 – Why clients can learn from “Walking out of the Financial Maze”
There are many reasons why advisors might have wanted to share reading
The 3 P’s of this business
Meszaros shares how believing in people, purpose and passion allows her to take care of her clients and make a difference in the world.
Committed to helping
Brian Walsh brings his lifelong motto to his leadership role as MDRT Foundation President.
On the path to growth
2021 MDRT President Ian Green focuses on guiding clients and members to greater satisfaction at work and home.
Results alone are not enough
In a world of ongoing digital transformation, we must rethink our practice to continue being relevant, creating value and being our clients first choice. In this session you will learn how, if you implement small details into your practice, you will gain client loyalty and maintain a solid and lasting bond.
Nominee acceptance speech
Gagne discusses the beginning of financial services career, his MDRT family and his involvement within the organization as he joins the Executive Committee.