During this episode of The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast, Bill Bush and Chad Soileau talk about best practices for meetings on Zoom.

Episode Highlights:

• 01:42 – Bill and Chad discuss the prevalence of Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to create a good Zoom presentation.
• 03:30 – Do some practice runs on Zoom with your coworker to familiarize yourself with the software's functionality.
• 05:00 – How can you make your Zoom meeting not look bad? Think about the visuals—what's behind you?
• 05:56 – You can use a virtual background or green screen in Zoom.
• 06:50 – Make sure your camera lens is clean.
• 07:22 – You can plug in a higher quality external camera to your laptop to increase the production value, and consider purchasing a separate microphone.
• 10:04 – Remember to unmute yourself, but it's still common courtesy to mute yourself when you aren't talking. You can also turn your video on and off to prevent distractions to others.
• 11:37 – Even though first impressions are digital now, you should still look presentable in meetings with clients.
• 12:42 – Staying on top of scheduling is very important so everyone who needs to use a company's Zoom account is able to do so, without disruptions from other meetings running over time.
• 13:54 – Depending on your Zoom subscription, you may run out of time.
• 14:30 – Remember that people can see you if you are constantly on your phone or distracted in other ways.
• 15:52 – If you are hosting an open meeting, be aware that "Zoom bobbing" is a thing and you could have uninvited guests pop in. You might prefer to lock the meeting with a password.

3 Key Points:

1. Make sure you know how to use all of the features you plan on accessing during a meeting to limit fumbling and technological delays.
2. Consider how you and your background looks on camera.
3. Be considerate of others’ time when scheduling a Zoom meeting.

Tweetable Quotes:

• "Your background and your appearance is only as good as the camera that you have. Something simple is: make sure your lens is clean!" –Chad Soileau
• "You only have that one time to make a good first impression, and although it's digitally now, it's still an impression." –Bill Bush
• "I don't like the idea that if I'm the host and there's other people on there and they're doing everything else but paying attention, then why are you even on the call?" –Chad Soileau

Resources Mentioned:

• Horizon Advisor Network
• The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• Call the Horizon Financial Group: (225) 612-3820

During this episode of The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast, Bill Bush and Chad Soileau talk about 19 different things that happened during the coronavirus pandemic that can be viewed as positive.

Episode Highlights:

• 01:41 – Bill Bush and Chad Soileau discuss that there are positive things that came out of the COVID-19 crisis?
• 02:50 – What are ways to be organized and efficient?
• 04:00 – Prepare a planning process on both the client side and the advisor side.
• 04:55 – What are some positives that have come out of trust?
• 05:47 – Which pluses emerged on the technology side?
• 07:28 – Place an importance on good leadership.
• 08:10 – How often do you reach out to your clients and adapt to their needs?
• 10:10 – COVID-19 was a chance to stress test your staff and address wants and
•  
• 13:26 – Look for chances to enhance even when situations are difficult and help

             others make better decisions.

• 15:58 – They talk about their personal work/life balance when working from home

             during the coronavirus. 

3 Key Points:

1. Be organized and efficient in your practice to prepare for challenging times.
2. You are only as good as the weakest link in your chain.
3. There are opportunities to grow during all situations.

Tweetable Quotes:

• (Technological efficiency) “Us using Zoom, being more efficient in the way that we can talk to our clients, and talk to our peers, and talk to our partners so to speak, it has pulled all that forward.” – Chad Soileau.
• “What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty. Every difficulty has an opportunity.” – Chad Soileau.
• “You have to find a way to get in touch with your client, and the idea that maybe what you did before worked. Now maybe it doesn’t.” – Chad Soileau.

Resources Mentioned:

• Horizon Advisor Network
• The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• Call the Horizon Financial Group: (225) 612-3820

This episode of The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast with Bill Bush and Chad Soileau talk about the importance of your clients trusting you, and ways to maintain that during times of uncertainty like COVID-19.

Episode Highlights:

• 01:41 – Bill Bush and Chad Soileau discuss changes in communication due to

             the coronavirus.

• 02:26 – Chad expresses the importance of a client’s trust.
• 03:00 – Times of uncertainty push people to find answers from those they trust.
• 03:46 – What happens if there is a breakdown in a client getting in touch with you?
• 05:39 – Is your voicemail operating correctly?
• 06:23 – Are contact numbers and email addresses up-to-date?
• 08:57 – Do you have trade instructions and the proper disclosures on your
• voicemail?
• 11:35 – Are you prepared with a plan B when you sit down with a client?
• 12:47 – Proactive communication on a frequent level with clients is key.
• 14:44 – Keep bringing value to clients.
• 15:03 – Chad talks about a blog post he recent posted about trust.

3 Key Points:

1. Make sure your voicemail is operating correctly and check that it isn’t full.
2. Be sure that you don’t have old contact numbers, email addresses, and website information in your system.
3. Have more than one plan prepared for your clients to keep their confidence in you strong.

Tweetable Quotes:

• “A client’s trust is very hard to come by, and it is very hard to earn. But the opposite side of that is it is really easy to lose at the same time.” – Chad Soileau.
• “It’s those small things, it's those bricks that you build up that wall of trust with a client that can easily get chipped away.” – Chad Soileau.
• “There is no amount of talking or reasoning you can do with a client that is going to change their mind. So, do you have some alternatives that are there, maybe plan B, maybe plan C?” – Chad Soileau.

Resources Mentioned:

• Horizon Advisor Network
• The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• Call the Horizon Financial Group: (225) 612-3820

This episode of The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast with Bill Bush and Chad Soileau talk about the similarities of what it takes to have success in sports and having success in the financial arena. Bill and Chad break down how the Three Ts: talent, team, and time play a key role...along with the non-T-word ‘luck.’

Episode Highlights:

• 01:45 – Bill Bush and Chad Soileau make the comparison between the NASCAR
• success and having financial success.
• 02:51 – Financial success starts with having great talent involved.
• 03:24 – Make sure your talent is supported by a strong and resourceful team.
• 04:58 – Time is needed for talent and teams to work together and establish

             success in the long run. 

• 06:53 – Luck is the x-factor that rewards those that are ready for it.
• 08:07 – It is not just one element. It typically takes all of them working in unison.

3 Key Points:

1. Talent is the front-stage, client-facing element in the financial world that is respected for their experience.
2. The team has talent as well and they support and develop the frontline talent from the background.
3. Time is the long-term continuity and familiarity that builds sustainability.

Tweetable Quotes:

• (Success in NASCAR) “Sometimes it is the talent. Sometimes it is the car. Sometimes it is luck. Most of the time it is all three.” – Chad Soileau.
• “Luck favors the prepared. As we all know, if you are doing the right things over time and you are consistently doing them over and over and over and over and over, luck is going to be on your side more often than not.” – Chad Soileau.
• “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go forward, go together.” – Chad Soileau.

Resources Mentioned:

• Horizon Advisor Network
• The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• com

This episode of The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast with Bill Bush and Chad Soileau expands upon three common financial terms and applies them to managing your practice: diversification, allocation, and re-balancing. Learn what they mean to you as a business owner, how they can improve your practice management, and the ways in which they will focus the way you are using your time.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:55 – Bill Bush and Chad Soileau introduce the topic of applying the financial

             terms diversify, allocate, and rebalance to managing their practice.

• 02:37 – What is diversification and how does it apply to your focases and your

             activities?

• 04:40 – Make sure you have enough diversification for what you are focusing on.
• 05:34 – View your allocation in terms of prioritizing your energy, resources and time

             to areas of importance.

• 07:20 – Rebalancing is important to reconfigure your actions to match your intent.
• 09:05 – Toggl.com is a tool used at Horizon that keeps track of what you are

             doing.

3 Key Points:

1. Diversification is a risk management strategy that mixes a wide variety of investments in a particular portfolio.
2. Allocation is how you are applying your time, resources, and energy into your areas of improvement.
3. Rebalancing is a great way to start a business year to look back at the previous year to see where improvement is needed.

Tweetable Quotes:

• “Look at where your focuses were. Was I very diversified in my thoughts? Was I very diversified in my actions? Was I over-diversified in what I did? Was I under-diversified in what I did?” – Chad Soileau.
• “Anytime you focus more on one particular area of your business, well then something else inevitably is going to fall behind.” – Chad Soileau.
• “Certain asset classes are going to get overweighed and it is not where you originally started and you have to ask yourself, ‘Do I want it to continue being that way because this is working for us right now?” – Chad Soileau.

Resources Mentioned:

• Horizon Advisor Network
• The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• com

This episode of The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast with Bill Bush and Chad Soileau of the Horizon Financial Group covers about how to build better clients by investing in continual learning.

Episode Highlights:

• 1:09 - Chad talks about when he was a junior advisor, and he watched the film GlenGarry Glen Ross
• 2:00 - Chad says the blog is about being a better student at your profession, and getting better at what you are doing, so you’ll close more business.
• 2:32 - Where do you start on the concept of ‘Always be learning?’
• 3:24 - Designations and industry standard learning as an educational component to the career- CRPS, CPFA
• 4:25 - How people put value on seeking out a specialist
• 4:42 - How Chad goes to peer group events and networking to upskill and learn
• 6:52 - Windshield opportunities - podcasts are a great way to broaden your knowledge
• 8:47 - Chad discusses coaching services to increase knowledge and expand their business
• 10:47 - Mentoring or being mentored?
• 11:58 - Bill shares his story of mentoring
• 13:30 - What about resources, and how they support learning?
• 15:50 - What would you like to share as final points, and your quote from the blog?

.

3 Key Points:

• Don’t just be a student of your industry, broaden your horizons
• Consistently attend events for a year round educational opportunity
• Learning will take you further than anything else in your business

Tweetable Quotes:

• “ABC - Always be closing. You should always be looking for the opportunity to close business - you should always be pressing, to some extent” - Chad Soileau.
• “To find those better clients, and to really be better at what you do, you should always be learning” - Chad Soileau.
• “Don’t just listen to industry type podcasts - generalise. If you’re going into a client meeting and all you’re talking about is X’s and O’s, it’s going to get boring.” - Bill Bush
• “Go back and reflect. Take notes. Go back and look at it consciously. Try adding something new in - it’s one of the better ways to find new clients and close new business” - Chad Soileau.
• “Better clients demand more, pay more, and make it easier for you to level up. Better clients challenge you to dig deeper and do what you’re capable of. You don’t do better by working more hours - you can’t work more hours. You do better by finding better clients” - Seth Godin

Resources Mentioned:

• Blog - Always Be Learning
• 1992 movie GlenGarry Glen Ross
• Horizon Financial Group
• The Confident Wealth Podcast
• Bill Bush
• Bill Bush’s Email: [email protected]
• Chad Soileau
• Chad Soileau’s Email: [email protected]
• FPA - Financial Planning Association
• NAPA - National Association of Planning Advisors

This episode of The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast with Bill Bush and Chad Soileau of the Horizon Financial Group talk about succession planning, the benefits that advisors need to be aware of, and the resources that Horizon Financial Group can provide.

Episode Highlights:

• 01:09 – Chad Soileau introduces himself and how he got involved with Horizon

             Financial Group.

• 02:09 – What does Chad’s job at Horizon Financial Group?
• 03:27 – Chad discusses a blog post he wrote about succession planning and the

             importance of it.

• 08:17 – What steps should someone take in their 40s if they don’t have a
• succession plan in place?
• 10:07 – How did things work out with the advisor that Chad was sharing a story
• about?
• 1136:04 – 15%-20% of the advisors that Chad Soileau talks to actually have
• succession plans in place.
• 12:57 – What kind of attitude does Chad see among advisors in their 60s?
• 13:55 – Advisors should think about the optics of having a succession plan in place
• that they can talk about with their clients to lead by example. 
• 15:00 – What resources does the Horizon Financial Group have available?

.

3 Key Points:

1. Chad Soileu’s role at Horizon Financial Group includes: helping other advisors build their practice, protecting that practice, and finding ways for them to leave that practice.
2. Without succession plans in place, any buying advisor is going to try to get the best value for their purchase as possible.
3. What is the value of your book of business to know what you are dealing with and consult with someone that has experience.

Tweetable Quotes:

• (Succession planning) “Advisors really work with clients for planning purposes in a lot of ways. But often times they don’t think about it in their own roles.” – Bill Bush.
• “People have two things that they care about, most...their money and their family. And it is not necessarily in that order sometimes.” – Chad Soileau.
• “Maybe the first part is, getting a sample copy of what a continuity plan or succession plan looks like.” – Chad Soileau

Resources Mentioned:

• Horizon Advisor Network
• The Confident Advisor Practice Podcast
• Bill Bush
• Bill Bush’s Email: [email protected]
• Chad Soileau
• Chad Soileau’s Email: [email protected]
• Dan Mayes: [email protected]
• LinkedIn
• Chad's Blog An Act o Love

This episode comes from a recent Horizon Advisor Network coaching call with Pete Bush, who explains how and why to charge consulting fees to take your business to the next level. You’ll learn why you should charge this way to position yourself as a problem solver with a business that will be ready for big changes in the financial planning industry.

Show Notes:

• 2:07--- What is fee for service or fee for advice?
• 4:09--- What is a financial planning consulting agreement?
• 5:25--- What is the ERISA participant advice program agreement?
• 6:05— What is the plan advice and consulting program?
• 6:50--- Why should you charge this way?
• 6:54--- Position yourself as a problem solver.
• 9:43--- Separate planning and advice from the implementation of advice.
• 11:58--- This industry is evolving and will continue to evolve.
• 12:48--- How do you go from product-based compensation or an asset management program to fee for service or fee for advice?
• 14:10--- Develop specialized knowledge that sets you apart.
• 15:11--- Develop a narrative around leading with planning.
• 18:48--- How do you have a planning discussion?
• 21:54--- How do we present the actual amount we charge?
• 23:43--- How do we collect the fee?
• 27:48--- How does this take your business to the next level?

3 Key Points:

1. When you begin charging a fee for service or a fee for advice you’re charging clients for your wisdom, your experience, and your unique problem-solving capabilities.
2. When you charge this way, you are actively preparing for the future of this business.
3. When you lead with planning services, you will take your business to the next level.

Tweetable Quotes:

-        “When you have the ability to charge this way, it definitely separates planning and advice from implementing advice.” – Pete Bush

-     “You have to have a scope of knowledge and ability to help people beyond picking investments.” – Pete Bush

-     “You ask open-ended questions so that they get really clear on their answers.” – Pete Bush

Resources Mentioned:

• Think and Grow Rich (book)
• The Confident Wealth Experience
• Connect National Investment and Finance Conference
• Decipher
• Advice Pay
• Rachel Stewart
• Horizon Advisor Network

• Contact Information:
  • [email protected]

This episode comes from a recent Horizon Advisor Network coaching call with Pete Bush, who addresses the difference in whether your practice is a stock or a bond? Learn the characteristics of stocks and bonds as they apply to a business, how the estimated value of your business effects you whether you are buying selling, or in a holding pattern, and how you should be balancing your total revenue between labor and expenses. 

Show Notes:

• 0:43--- Whether your practice is a stock or bond effects your strategy
• 0:56--- Think of your business as a long-term investment
• 2:17--- Like any investment, your business should have a capital value
• 3:58— What are some of the characteristics of a bond
• 5:56--- What is the credit quality of the business’s clients that are producing the income
• 7:44--- What are the characteristics of a stock
• 8:23--- Quality stocks mature companies that create earning pay dividends

9:45--- How do stocks and bonds differ

• 10:28--- How much should your total revenue go to labor and expenses
• 11:36--- Stocks should have a greater multiple of its liquidation value than bonds
• 13:50--- Wealth accumulation comes from owning not lending
• 15:28--- How can you get an initial value estimated for your practice
• 17:19--- Should you take clients based on your overall average client revenue
• 19:28--- How do evaluations metrics matter if you are in the holding pattern
• 20:45--- What should you do if your business is a bond and you want it to be a stock
• 22:34--- Where would you go to find good information on the Truelytics software

3 Key Points:

1. Are you building your business, liquidating your business, or looking to buy and absorb other companies?
2. Bonds typically mature at a fixed known rate, pay yields, and normally are less volatile than stocks. 
3. Stocks are often valued as a multiple of their earnings.

Tweetable Quotes:

-        We started off as actually thinking about our business in terms of an investment, versus a job or a career.” – Pete Bush

-     “We certainly expect stocks to grow over time. We expect them to grow above and beyond any income they might produce.” – Pete Bush

-     “Your compensation for labor, that’s your compensation as an advisor, should be about 40% of your total revenue.”

Resources Mentioned:

• The Confident Advisor Practice-- Discover more about the Podcast
• Horizon Advisor Network

• Contact Information:
  • [email protected]

This episode captures Pete Bush’s recent quarterly coaching call for Horizon Network, and he talks about buying and selling practices and what you can do to position yourself well.

Show Notes:

• 1:00 - How to make your practice the most attractive buyer or seller in the market
• 4:00 - A buyer preparation service can make you the ideal buyer
• 5:00 - Why do we want to be an attractive buyer or seller?
  • We want to have the best fit for our clients
• 6:53 - Succession is a long thought out process to plan
• 7:20 - You want to choose a successor that you can work closely with
• 8:00 - How to successfully execute continuity
• 9:31 - As a buyer, having everything put together makes you a company of confidence for a selling company to turnover their clients to
• 11:14 - Know your numbers cold - Revenue, Expenses, and other KPIs
• 13:00 - Always be prepared and know what the process is
• 14:15 - Take a different approach to marketing your practice than you do to marketing to clients
• 15:20 - Know your documents and paperwork
• 19:47 - You save thousands of dollars by working with Horizon and Cetera

3 Key Points:

1. We want to be an attractive buyer or seller because we want to attract our ideal clients.
2. Selling is relatively immediate whereas succession planning takes time and compatibility.
3. Know your numbers and documents. If you know your revenue and key KPIs, you know your ideal client, buyer, or seller.

Tweetable Quotes:

-       “Take a different approach to marketing your practice than you do to marketing to clients.”–Pete.

-       “If you put off retirement planning one day, no harm, no foul, but there becomes a moment when it is too late.” – Pete.

-       “It doesn’t matter what the solution is it just matters that we all have one.” –Pete.

Resources Mentioned:

Discover more about the Podcast at The Confident Advisor Practice

Horizon Advisor Network