All Episodes
MDRT Podcast — 174 episodes
How to expand your team to support an acquisition
Making the full-service, family office model accessible to clients
A surprising discovery that’s come from regulation
How to learn from members who have different specialties
How to cope when you feel overwhelmed
Helping clients plan for a new kind of retirement
When emotions have most strongly impacted my work – and how I handle that
Something I’m always working on in my practice
Small changes in word choice that can have a big impact with clients
How I’m succeeding – and struggling – with AI
Why you should not just embrace but seek out rejection
Memorable client experiences related to regulation
How to adjust your practice to accommodate new clients gained in an acquisition
Changes I made to foster growth in my business
Experiences that have enhanced how I see the power of insurance
Why — and how — you should push your boundaries
What you learn after years of working with clients facing retirement
Mini-episode: The power of accountability
How regulation impacts what I can do with technology
What to do when it’s clear the client-advisor relationship is not a match
How to resolve staff frustration through clear communication
How to embrace the Whole Person concept
Changes I’ve made to embrace regulation and overcome challenges
What you absolutely should not do in an acquisition
Unique ways I identify financial solutions for my niche – and how that can help other advisors
Finding and fostering relationships with centers of influence
What to do and not do for joint work
How I navigate awkward conversations with clients
Smoothing out some complexities of business transition
How I ensure that clients understand their finances
How MDRT Executive Committee members start the year off right
Unique insights about what makes clients open up or shut down
Something coming up that I’m excited about in my practice
Expert insights about what to do in an acquisition
Quick steps to gain more clients and referrals
Using the power of unselling to finance education and retirement
What advisors might not know about working with a culturally specific niche
Establishing the rules of engagement with your prospect
Developing processes for enhanced client service and staffing performance
How I match my fact-finding to my target market
Generating the right referrals while offering incentives
Caring for clients who’ve experienced a lifequake
How my staff reviews our performance and pursues efficiency
Overcoming challenges related to multi-generational referrals
Steps to create consistency through communication and culture
How to monitor and adjust existing relationships with centers of influence
Unique gifts I give high-net-worth clients
How I handled a tough decision in my practice
Clarifying important information with difficult clients
When I realized giving is important and how it overlaps with my business
How I develop camaraderie among staff members
Turning referrals into reciprocal introductions
A client experience when I didn't know what to do
Finding appropriate ways to discuss insurance at unexpected times
A specific challenge I have with a client or staff member
How to make time to give back
A time when I failed with a client
Best practices to generate referrals through events
How to be referred to more high-net-worth clients
Social media lessons to drive prospecting
Best practices for consistent production
Adapting to new and surprising circumstances with staff
How the pandemic changed how I discuss insurance
Moments when clients have shown unexpected appreciation
How to adapt pre-pandemic approaches to show you care
Mini-episode: How I’ve grown recently
Becoming a resource to clients and staff when circumstances change
Is it necessary to scare clients about income replacement?
Easily overlooked improvements that have happened during tough times
Success stories from reopening my office – or keeping it closed
What I do to ensure clients are the right fit
Mini-episode: My client’s surprise wealth
My hidden talent and why it helps my business
Mini-episode: Something most advisors struggle with, but I don’t
How advisors overcome staffing challenges
Developing new ideas for customized service and digital marketing
Mini-episode: Books that have played an impactful role during challenging times
Lessons advisors apply from other roles they’ve had
Finding new opportunities to embrace virtual connection
Significant ways I’m adapting to a new normal
How the MDRT Foundation has impacted me
Mini-episode: Safety protocols to make clients and staff more comfortable
Navigating difficult situations with clients and staff regarding the virus
Forecasting client needs as the crisis goes on longer
What sets me apart as an advisor
Changes I’ve made in response to surprising client reactions during crisis
How I’m keeping staff engaged while business recovers
The hardest long-term change to consider in the face of crisis
Ways that I’m looking out for clients during this crisis
Dealing with clients’ other sources of financial input
Long-term planning I’m doing to prepare myself for a slow recovery
How going through trying times can lead to new possibilities
Communicating with almost-retirees when the market tumbles
A hard lesson I learned about staffing
How I’m approaching my biggest challenge during quarantine
More questions to consider in tumultuous times
Mini-episode: What to say to staff during a period of change and challenge
Reassuring clients in uncertain times
What advisors and clients don’t discuss enough about business planning
Mini-episode: Ways that I show gratitude to clients
Something I struggle with and how I try to improve
How you can simultaneously do good and have fun by getting involved in the MDRT Foundation
The unexpected intricacies of using technology
Lessons from mistakes in client communication
Retirement topics clients and advisors should talk about more
The most extreme thing I’ve done for a client
Is it better to push too much or too little?
Something you do that other advisors don’t
Are you keeping your staff both productive and happy?
What to do when couples disagree about financial decisions
Determining what clients do or don’t have
The wildest client experience I’ve had
The professional benefits of prioritizing your personal life
My most difficult income protection client
Why it’s OK to tear up your business plan
Stories that help explain the need for income replacement
What advisors wish they knew sooner
What to do when client information catches you off-guard
How to spot a good business idea and what to do with it
When advisors can motivate clients to stop smoking
How I knew my business plan had to change
A mistake I made in discussing income replacement coverage
The differences and universalities of a family business
The value of dropping in unannounced with business owners
How to avoid prospects just looking for a free meal
Why you shouldn’t ignore clients’ kids
Improving your time management
How to talk to millennials about retirement
Take prospecting beyond the business card
What you learn from listening to recordings of yourself
How to get clients to think and talk about retirement
How to make joint work work for you
Improve communication with clients and staff
Why you should hire a coach and how to find the right one
How workflow and morale impact office efficiency
Part 1: The decision that got me to Top of the Table
Part 2: How to grow beyond Top of the Table
The client who advanced my career
Keep yourself and your team motivated
Network to arrive, strategize to stay
Make the most of the client’s first meeting
Can social media benefit your business?
When to say goodbye to a client
Strategies to handle objections
Complying and determining fees based on the DOL fiduciary rule
Preparing for the DOL fiduciary rule
Global producers discuss the DOL fiduciary rule
Stand out to clients
How to find the right staff member
Episode 5: Differentiating your agency to attract the right advisors
Meet the Nominee: Regina Bedoya
Episode 4: Training and technology know-how
Positioning fair compensation with clients
Episode 3: Predicting the future of financial services
Navigating Clients' Emotions
Agency Principal Series: Episode 2
Looking Forward to the Unknown: Eszylfie Taylor
Agency Principal Series: Episode 1
Jumping Into Things: Alison Murdock
How to Get Clients and Keep Them Happy
Top of the Table: W. J. Rossi
Getting into the Business
2016 MDRT President: Brian D. Heckert, CLU, ChFC
Switching to a Fee-Based Practice
Live from the Annual Meeting: Your best ideas
Live from the Annual Meeting: Idea Exchange
Live from the Annual Meeting: Sharing ideas
Live from the Annual Meeting: Registration
Live from the Annual Meeting: MDRT Foundation service project
David Appel: Planning for yourself is planning for your family
Episode 4: Top of the Table Tips
Succession Planning: How to Add Value to Your Practice
I'm Not Retiring: How to Get Started Succession Planning
Building a Business