The first step is to ensure that your customers have been loaded onto your database. At this stage, they have no knowledge of your new platform and need to be introduced to your new and improved value proposition

(See value proposition and branding guidelines)

Here are some of the proven methods of not just getting your clients to register on your new platform but also to increase customer activity on your platform. The purpose of providing you with this insight is simple! You want to increase your productivity and income. To this end, you will be interested to learn a new fact that has evolved from clients using Pfirestorm.

Conventional wisdom dictates that the more active a consultant (the more customer appointments he or she has), the more likely the sale. In essence the higher the consultant activity: the higher the sales opportunity and thus the greater the number of sales and hence income.

This may be true! BUT! What if there was another way to increase production (sales or fee opportunities)? What if this alternative required the minimum of effort and resulted in twice the number of closed sales than conventional wisdom would suggest.

Here is a new fact for you. Our research has shown that there is a direct correlation between the levels of production AND THE LEVEL OF CUSTOMER ACTIVITY. As your customers’ activity on your site increases, so does production. In fact, our research shows that sales opportunities are twice more likely to be closed where the customer initiated the contact. The question is “how can this information be leveraged”

An alternative production focussed activity

The purpose of Pfirestorm is to create customers and to retain them. How well you do this must be measured in money! Profit! Income! Turnover! This is first assumption.

The second assumption is a logical one (although there IS evidence to support this). This assumption says that the opportunity to close a deal (sale of fee arrangement) is doubled if the customer sourced you as opposed to you sourcing the customer!

The third and final assumption is that you have the capacity and capability of adopting this new approach systematically and at an economical cost to you. This is where Pfirestorm serves your interests.

- Turning the tables on your customer

If it were possible to get customers to contact you as opposed to you targeting a customer, your success rates in doing business would increase! The question is HOW can you influence his behaviour to the point where customers are initiating the first contact and you are responding (as opposed to the other way around)?

Pfirestorm is designed to do exactly that! Let’s see how!

o Initiating systematic responses from Customers

This refers to automated contact points created for you which are initiated by the customer.

o Customers update their own personal and financial profiles via your Pfirestorm platform. As this is done by a customer, you the advisor are notified of this activity. This gives you the opportunity to RESPOND to this. This is a contact point (or touch point) or am lead. For example, if a Bond Liability is added by the customer to his Liabilities, you are notified. The Liability may need to be insured. At the very least, this activity may need a review of the customers’ financial plan.

o The system is set up for you to remind you and your customer periodically that planning and a review needs to be addressed. The customer can activate this himself anytime (using the Priority Schedule feature). When he does, the contact is made for you to respond to. However, if he does not use this feature within a set tie period, the system automatically notifies the customer (and the advisor) that a review is due. Another contact point and/or lead.

o Customers can do their own simple Will use the Will Compile Program. The advisor is informed of this activity and may also have access to the draft Will. This is a further contact point created by the customer that is automated for you to follow up.

o Understanding Pfirestorm and what results in systemised contact points is important. When targeting customers to become active in the routines mentioned above, are limited only to your imagination.

o Responsive marketing

This refers to activities that can be undertaken by the advisor (or his PA, manager etc) that will encourage customers to respond to. These responses can be direct or initiate a systemised response. We suggest STRONGLY that you register yourself as a clientand feel the experiences which are detailed hereunder. This will give you huge insight for what your customers see.

o Send out a message to your customer using your CRM to update their details on their personal and financial profile. Offer an incentive (For example it could be a lucky draw for all of those who update their profiles in a particular month)

o Send out a message using your CRM for customers to update their priorities. This will initiate a systemised contact by the customer to you.

o Send out messages for your clients to Compile there own Wills. Direct the customer to the Wills Compile Program feature on their secure portal. When customers use this powerful Will Compile program, you are automatically notified. This enables you to respond to the client to offer advice and huge opportunities.

o Your PDF VIEW button is a powerful tool to stimulate your customers. For example, go to a customer profile, click on Assets and Liabilities and Click PDF VIEW. A PDF document of the assets and liabilities will be created for you. Simply click SEND and send this to your customer with a message. For example:

Dear …., I have attached the latest update of your assets and Liabilities. Please check that we have the latest information. If not, please login (or register at) …….. (Your website) and update these details for me. I will be automatically notified once you have done this. The purpose for this is to ensure that my financial planning review is accurate and based upon your latest information. Thank you.

You can use the PDF VIEW for all your customers profile information. You will also have a permanent record of this to follow up on in need.

o Send out a message using your CRM for customers to update their objectives. Remember that the objectives include anything that they would want to plan for - not just in the event of death, disability or retirement. This will generate a systemised notification to you allowing you to follow this up.

o Use your CRM to find specific categories or groups of customers that may be interested in a particular product, product feature or service that you offer. It takes no time at all. This will stimulate customers to respond to issues that are of interest to them.

o Create your own Newsletter and using your CRM, distribute this to all of your customers. Articles of interest to customers will stimulate responses.

o Send out brochures or marketing flyers to individual or groups of customers using your CRM. Interested customers will respond to well presented information.

o Send our information or news articles using your CRM. Cut and paste interesting articles in your message. For example, customers who are farmers will be interested in the latest developments in fertilisers. This type of information not only enhances relationships but often results in responses.

o Special Offers that come around from product providers may be of interest to your customers or special groups of customers. Use your CRM to identify these customers and keep them informed and updated. This more often than not stimulates a response.

o Contact your product providers and ask them for marketing information that is NOT technical. This is useful when sending out flyers or brochures. Use our CRM to deliver this to your customers instantly.

o For your customers who are on your database and who have not yet registered, use the Invitations feature to send pre-designed invitations or your own custom invitations to these customers. Remember, this is an ongoing process. Customers who register for the first time are gold and require responses to their interest expressed.

o And more. The opportunity via Pfirestorm to stimulate your customer is limited only to your imagination.

Conclusion

Pfirestorm is designed to enable you to deliver and reach every one of your customers – regularly and efficiently. It takes only a few minutes to create a message and by using the CRM features, identifying who you want to communicate this message to.

Our feedback indicates that for as little time as 20 minutes per WEEK, you can routinely communicate with your customers I a way that simply seeks responses – either systematically or directly by your client. Either way, the more active your customer, the more likely you are to:-

• Increase your production.
• Save on costs
• Build relationships
• Brand your business
• Communicate your value proposition
• Deliver of your promise of customer service.

The contents of this article are sourced from third parties.There is no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, regarding the information or any aspect of this article. We shall not be responsible for and disclaim liability for any loss, damage (whether direct or consequential) or expense of any nature whatsoever, which may be suffered as a result of, or attributable to, the use or reliance upon the information provided in this newsletter

Pfirestorm is an affordable internet based service that organisations are able to offer their clients that will result in the cementing of existing relationships and/or the establishment of new relationships between the clients and the organisation.

This service is CLIENT-CENTRED and simultaneously provides the organisation with a platform that addresses fundamental business matters such as strategy and wealth creation, operations and practice management, compliance issues, day to day matters, vast Marketing opportunities, leveraging IT in a unique way, staff incentives and measurements and impact directly and indirectly on your income flows from day one.

The purpose for this service is to enable organisations and clients to be able to reach out to one another in an environment that is transparent, promotes shared responsibility and facilitates relationships providing mutual benefit for the client and the organisation.

It is no longer a matter of who you know! It is who knows YOU!

It is time!

VALUE PROPOSITION TO OUR CLIENTS

Pfirestorm’s unique collaborative technology will enable our clients to deliver a branded and unified sustainable experience to their customers at all levels of their organisation, through programmed alignment of internal procedures and processes with their Customer Value Proposition.

Our clients will experience the power of a programmed behavioral system designed to sustain, facilitate and deliver to their clients, a distinctive Customer Value Proposition resulting in increased new and retained customers that can be measured in terms of higher production outcomes, reduced operating costs, focused employee and customer activities, customer services that exceed expectations, business continuity, and ultimately good corporate governance aligned to a dynamic regulatory environment.