Many of us are not "natural" sales people — we toil away at the process. We can respond to an RFP and get in front of a plan committee, but aren't sure how to improve our success rate at closing the deal. I recently read an article on behavioral selling that had some very useful tips and reminders... READ MORE

Tom Clark, chief compliance officer and director of fiduciary oversight at FRA/PlanTools, has spent considerable time and energy delving into and analyzing the DOL's Form 5500 database for usable prospecting information. He shared the following insights and tips that I think you will find useful in... READ MORE

A new report from the Retirement Advisor Council shows plan sponsors continuing to use formal RFP searches to find the right retirement advisor. According to the study, “What Type of Financial Advisor is Right for My Plan?”, plan sponsors ascribe the following benefits to the process:• it's... READ MORE

In building strategic partnerships, Pete Kirtland wrote in Friday’s Wall Street Journal about the value and benefits of the unbundled approach: “When we talk about building 401(k) partnerships, there are two models in the retirement plan space. The old-fashioned one is called bundled. That's where... READ MORE

Often we miss some of the simplest and easiest opportunities to enhance our relationships with existing retirement plan clients. That's the premise laid out by Bob Kaplan, national retirement consultant for ING U.S., in this article. Kaplan offers six suggestions on how to use the year-end plan... READ MORE

A new year is fast approaching, which for many advisors means it’s time to give some thought to their marketing plans. Creating — or reviewing — a marketing strategy provides an excellent opportunity for you to define and launch initiatives to capture a greater share of the retirement plan business... READ MORE