The Personal Coach Interview with Kris Dureau, CFP, CHSAs an advisor you are in business for yourself and your firm. So why is it so difficult to grow and succeed by yourself? You are working in your business every day so it can be difficult to step back and problem solve. This is when it helps to have a third party in your corner – a coach that can listen and guide you. Kris Dureau, Insurance and Retirement Specialist at Marlatt Ltd., started his own financial services business 2.5 years ago. Kris is a great example of how coaching can significantly impact your business. His recognition credits went from 16,000 to 44,000 in 2011, 2.8 times more than the previous year and his income tripled! As for 2012, Kris is already more than half way to surpassing his 2011 results after only the first quarter. Read on for his interview with TPC.TPC: What were the challenges you were faced with when you were referred to The Personal Coach?Kris: I had left a large insurance company and the initial training was quite helpful. However, after that I really felt like I was on my own. I tried

to educate myself as much as I could but I would get sidetracked easily and was losing direction. I was trying to do everything and I needed someone to help me streamline my focus. I needed help with clearing out the “noise” that was taking me away from what I should be focusing on. I didn’t want to be making costly mistakes.TPC: What were the top techniques you learned when working with a coach?Kris: One of the biggest things TPC taught

me to have was structure and process (from a client phone call to implementation). We really focused on that and it helped me increase my confidence. I have more control with my clients now. Each client and each solution is different; however, with a sound process I can carry out my business consistently and confidently. Also, I learned how to ask for referrals as part of my process. Before, asking for referrals was difficult. Now I’m

extremely confident in asking for them and I get more referrals than ever before. I also learned how to focus my efforts on what was most

Tel: 519-576-2262confidence@thepersonalcoach.cawww.thepersonalcoach.ca

Spring 2012 IssueIf you would prefer an eNewsletter

email kelly@thepersonalcoach.ca

Tips and ideas for your business.

LaTeST NewS & eveNTS The Personal Coach is pleased to announce that we are presenting at the IFB Summit.

IFB Toronto November 6-7, 2012IFB Calgary November 20, 2012We will discuss effective marketing strategies to put your practice a step above the rest in this competitive market. www.ifbc.ca/summits.asp

weBINarSWe are offering both complimentary and priced monthly webinars. These webinars will be facilitated by our coaches as well as some special guest speakers. Check out our home page at the bottom of the left column for a full list of topics. Email us at confidence@thepersonalcoach.ca to sign up and save your spot today!

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“Now I feel like I will be nothing but successful! TPC helped me with my confidence, talked me through what I was doing and showed me how to improve.”Kris Dureau, CFP, CHS Insurance and Retirement Specialist at Marlatt Ltd., started his financial services business 2.5 years ago.

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2012 MarKS THe 10TH aNNIverSary For THe PerSoNaL CoaCH!

Continued on page 2

tel: 519-576-2262 confidence@thepersonalcoach.ca www.thepersonalcoach.ca

arTICLeSOur team writes articles for advisor.ca every month. Most recent articles have been written by April-Lynn Levitt, Fortunato Restagno and Kelly Weichel. Search their names and let us know what you think!

New aFFILIaTeThe Personal Coach has teamed up with Jim Ruta, Performance Consultant for financial advisors in the Art of High Performance. Jim Ruta has been in the financial services industry since age 22. He led Canada’s largest

agency at the time, with more than 250 employees. Jim is now the author of four books and a contributor to online and offline magazines around the world. Jim is a Million Dollar Round Table Main Platform Alumni. His high-energy, high-content presentations have highlighted

important and not waste my time on the day to day administration.TPC: With the help of a coach, what have you discovered about yourself and your business?Kris: As tough as this business can be sometimes, I’m confident and feel I have the proper resources. Now I feel like I will be nothing but successful! TPC helped me with my confidence, talked me through what I was doing and showed me how to improve. Issues that seemed like a big deal became less of a problem. TPC: What would you say to someone who is hesitant to look into customized one-on-one coaching?Kris: I just referred TPC to a friend of mine. He is very successful but I said to him, if you do what you always do, you will get what you always got. You may think you are successful but how

do you really know until you have someone else looking into it? The rewards are huge.TPC: Do you think working with a coach from The Personal Coach is a good idea for someone fairly new in the business?Kris: Yes. When you work with a lot of people, you have directors and managers there to help but it’s a biased internal opinion. With a coach, you have someone in your corner. A coach sees other practices and they see other ways of making things work. Things are tough when you first start out. When I was having a rough time I had a coach to listen to my concerns. My coach would give me a pep talk to help me build my confidence.

To speak to a coach to get started today, please email us at confidence@thepersonalcoach.ca

THe 5 MINuTe PHoNe CaLLa Simple Idea to Get Prospects to return your Call or emailIt can be challenging to get a hold of prospects. The best approach is to request a short phone call. It’s much easier to get a “yes” when you aren’t asking for too much of their time.You can have a productive prospect phone call without overdoing it. Bill Cates, President of Referral Coach International, has it down to 5 minutes! Here is a Summary:Minute 1 - Acknowledge the referral source, their relationship, and perhaps why the source thought this would be a valuable call for the prospect. Minutes 2-4 - Ask them a few questions. Hopefully your referral source told you one or two things of importance in their life and your products and services can have a positive impact in those areas. This will help stimulate further conversation. Minute 5 - Suggest next steps - When you dial their phone number, have a next step goal in mind and be ready to be flexible (e.g. setting up a longer meeting or in-person meeting).

For the full excerpt on The 5 Minute Phone Call, email kelly@thepersonalcoach.ca. For more information regarding the Referral Coach Solution, please visit www.referralcoach.com or email info@referralcoach.com for more information on how to get quick tips on improving your practice through more and better referrals.

When you dial their number, have a goal in mind and be flexible

Jim Ruta

Continued on page 3

tel: 519-576-2262 confidence@thepersonalcoach.ca www.thepersonalcoach.ca

CreaTING THe uLTIMaTe weBSITeDriving your online PresenceA website design is one of the most important marketing and branding tools you can have. You may use social media or print materials, but they always lead your audience back to your website. It’s what your audience uses to qualify you and eventually contact you. Here are some handy tips to create the best website for your business. 1. Know your audience All the clients we coach have had the most success when they identify who they do their best work with and then focus on that market. If you aren’t targeting anyone you are wasting your time marketing to too many people.2. Create a Stimulating and

unique BrandYou don’t want to blend into the crowd and be forgotten. Building a unique and stimulating brand that tells a compelling story may be the best investment an advisor can make. Hire a professional that knows the science of brand development, knows your industry and can build a brand for your business and budget. 3. Get to the PointReaders don’t want to spend a lot of time going through your website. They’ll scan it for something that catches their interest. So your home page should quickly communicate why you do what you do, what you do and for who. The use of images and compelling headings can help hit the mark.4. Put your Links in GroupsFor easy navigation, categorize your links under 3 headings (in this order): (i) Links about your firm

(e.g. About Us, Our Team) (ii) Links about your services

(e.g. What We Offer, How We Help) (iii) Information links

(e.g. Newsletters, Articles)

5. Prove you’re the expertOn your home page include information that positions you as knowledgeable and helpful. Offer tips or ideas or a professional video. Offer links to other helpful websites.6. Quality Content with Key wordsProvide high-quality content. Don’t compromise. Well written content will attract more visitors. Make sure you provide your website design company with key words to help people find you (e.g. your services, team members, community involvement to name a few).7. use Google analytics This is a great service that allows you to see how many people have visited your site and also when and what they are viewing. If you are doing any type of promotions, articles, email campaigns or social media, it will help you determine if that strategy is leading people to your site.8. Call to actionThis is the most important part of your website. Create a call to action. It could be a free consultation that gives exceptional value. It could be telling people how to get started or discussing a hot topic. It could also be an on-line check list, application or questionnaire for potential prospects to fill out. The options are endless.There are so many features that can be added to your website. If you are starting out or are re-doing your website you don’t need to do everything at once. Start off with what’s important.

For more information about website development or our MasterPoint™ Branding services for advisors, email confidence@thepersonalcoach.ca

top sales of leadership programs around the world. He can inspire any audience.

For more information on Jim Ruta please visit his website at www.jimruta.com

SoCIaL MeDIa MISTaKeS Make the most of your social media marketingSocial Media has changed the way organizations and individuals communicate. As an advisor, you can’t predict the exact time that your prospects are ready to commit. All you can do is

make sure you are constantly present so you are always top of mind. Here are the top mistakes people make with social media.

1. you only use one type of social media.

Leveraging is key. You can link most of your social media outlets together and they will all help to send out a more effective message to your connections. You don’t need to use every outlet. Choose what makes the most sense for your business.

2. you don’t have time.

Initially putting yourself “on the map” won’t cut it. Continued on page 4

Tel: 519-576-2262 Email: confidence@thepersonalcoach.ca

For example, in the Twitter world if you aren’t participating or providing value to people, they may stop following you. Remember you need to stay in the mind of the prospect.

3. you only promote yourself.

There is such a thing as social media etiquette and your connections will quickly get annoyed if you are simply advertising your business. Social media is a sharing platform to provide value. Marketing yourself indirectly by sharing will be more effective.

4. you think social media is a trend. It’s not part of your marketing strategy.

If you don’t plan, how can you effectively execute? A social media plan should be in place as part of your marketing plan. Determine your goals and which tools will be most effective for your business. Also, plan what information you are going to share with your followers. Your social media needs to be updated everyday so careful thought needs to go into this strategy.

Personal Phrase of the Day“You can’t just ask customers what

they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built,

they’ll want something new.” Steve Jobs

PIECE OF MIND

by Fortunato Restagno

Job interview in progress

SoCIaL MeDIa MarKeTINGThe Personal Coach now offers a package to our clients including:• Social Media Assessment

(Current vs. Future Analysis)• Initial Roll Out or, if Already Existing,

a Clean Up• Social Media TrainingWe also offer a monthly package, where TPC will manage your social media for you.

For more information on our full package, please email kelly@thepersonalcoach.ca

ProDuCTIvITy TIPTime for a Clean Sweep!The concept of “work-life balance” is on the minds of many people as we try to juggle our multiple roles at work, home and in our community. A recent article in the Globe and Mail, written by Barbara Moses, advises against trying to achieve a perfect balance. She tells people instead to focus on what is most important at the time and accept that we may be out of balance sometimes.When coaching, we use a simple tool called “The Clean Sweep” that can help you identify where you are out of balance. This questionnaire has you rate different aspects of your life in 4 areas: physical environment, health and emotional balance, money and relationships. You rate yourself on statements like, “My weight is in the ideal range” and “I am consistently or easily on time.” You then track the areas that need work over the next 90 days or next 365 days. This breaks what can seem overwhelming into bite-sized chunks which are easier to handle and keeps you motivated. You may not have a completely “balanced” life, but incremental improvements can help reduce your stress and increase the feeling of control in your life.

If you would like a copy of this tool, email kelly@thepersonalcoach.ca

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