Crowd around question mark

Turn questions into blog posts

Tired of writing explanations for an audience of one? Your clients, prospects, or even folks doing Google searches, may contact you with questions. Depending on your relationship and availability, you may respond at some length. This takes time. Your blog makes it possible for you to get more mileage out of these inquiries. If the question […]

Outlook Social Connector

Outlook Social Connector: A cool email helper

Better email communication results from a better understanding of the person with whom you’re exchanging messages. It’s hard to keep all of the relevant information in your head, or even to collect it in one place. This is why I like Outlook Social Connector, which I learned about in consultant Bill Winterberg’s presentation on “Transformative […]

Middle Office by Philip Lawton, performance reports, client communication, investment performance reports

Your investment performance reports are failing you

Sending inadequate performance reports to your firm’s clients can hurt your client retention, says Philip Lawton in Middle Office: Managing Financial Institutions in Turbulent Times.  Too many numbers is a common flaw. Clients also need narrative explanations, says Lawton. In my experience, some people can quickly grasp the significance of a chart or table. Most people […]

POLL: What are your blog’s goals?

Why do you blog? I’d like to get a better sense of why my readers blog and the obstacles they face. That’s the focus of this month’s two-question survey. Talking with students in my blogging class for financial advisors, I often hear that they’d like to attract more clients. In fact, some of them take […]

Why I’m lucky clients didn’t flock to me

I reluctantly launched my career as a freelancer after getting laid off from a wonderful investment communications job at an investment management firm. After I decided to freelance, my phone didn’t ring with eager prospects. On the other hand, as an introvert, I didn’t do much to market myself. Cold calls? Heaven forbid. Blessing in disguise […]