One of the most common challenges NAIFA members share is their need for more leads, more clients, and more sales.  Here are some insights that will help you achieve this goal.

#1: Check Your Beliefs. The most critical element of achieving a goal is a belief that we can do it. Take a minute to answer “yes” or “no” to these statements:

In 2014, I believe I can…

Have a funnel full of my ideal prospects or clients.
Generate $100,000 or $200,000 in revenue in one month.
Have the best income month, quarter or year of my career.
Increase my business by 25%, 50% or even 100%.
Increase my AUM by 15, 25 or 50 million.

Regardless of whether you said yes or no to these statements, you are correct—at least up to this point.

#2: Default Course. Every person has a default course, based on his beliefs and experiences. Your answers to the above statements provide insight to your default course.  The great news is that you, like your peers, can alter your default course.  The advisors who have achieved the above goals, many of whom are NAIFA members, didn’t believe it was possible to achieve them, or they did, but didn’t know how. So what did they do, and what can you do to achieve your desired goal?

#3: Create a Plan. The most common challenge people who need more leads, clients and business share is they do not have a game plan.  Or if they do, they often have it in their head, look at it when things are not going well, or complete it and never look at it again.

The second challenge is focusing exclusively on tactics. While tactics or silver bullets can produce random results, (they have a great month followed by a terrible month), they do not produce long-term, sustainable results.

An ideal plan has three components:

1. Inner Game. This consists of your foundation and includes your affirmative goals, vision and mission.  It is the most commonly overlooked aspect of a plan.
2. Game Plan. This includes a strategy with a detailed description of your ideal client, a process to find out everything about your ideal client, and the lead- generation strategies that will best work to attract your ideal client.
3. Outer Game. This is is generally where advisors who are not achieving their desired goal begin. This component includes tactics such as lead-generation strategies, scripting, etc.  Examples may include writing articles, making warm calls, updating your blog, and offering seminars or educational workshops.

#4: Identify your key HVFDAs and IPAs. Once we complete our plan, we need to identify the HVFDAs (high value fixed daily activities) and IPAs (income producing activities) that need to be completed each day.  Advisors not achieving their desired results need to spend 60-80 percent of each day completing HVFDAs and IPAs. We can’t do on Tuesday what should have been done on Monday.

#5: The Magic of C. The vast majority of advisors who need to generate more revenue lack consistency in their HVFDAs and IPAs. They work really hard on lead generation, fill up their funnel, and then shift their focus to closing the deals.  While this can generate immediate income, it wreaks havoc on a consistent sustainable flow of leads, clients and sales. 

If you would like additional information about generating More Leads, More Clients, and More Sales, join us for the NAIFA National Webinar, when I will do just that.  The webinar takes place on Wednesday, February 12, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. (ET). The link to register for the webinar is

http://www.naifa.org/benefits/speaker_center/webinars/

Until then, take a minute and identify two tasks described in this article, which you will commit to incorporating into your business, so that you can begin to get more leads, more clients and more sales.

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By Annette Bau, CFP

Annette Bau, CFP, is the founder of MillionaireSeries.com and AdvisorMarketingPractices.com. She is the author of  four books and numerous best-selling products, including “The 7 Principles of Becoming a Millionaire for Life, Powerful Lessons to Create Wealth, Health and Happiness”, and “101 Insider Secrets for Marketing to Affluent Women, How to Get Your Share of This $20 Trillion Market.”