business relationships, so he uses online-meeting technology to strengthen bonds
with his clients and prospects and give
them focused service.
He does online sales presentations,
account reviews and more. When clients
first log on to an interactive session, they
see photos of Nelson’s family—a human
touch in an otherwise not-so-human medium. From there, he can go anywhere.
“For instance, if June 30 statements
came out and by late July, market conditions have changed dramatically, I could
show them their account and the return
since their last statement,”
Nelson explains. The technology lets him do more
than just share his screen. If
someone says he wants him
to review his 401(k) plan, he
gets permission from that
person, clicks a button and
views whatever the person
has on his screen.
Online conferencing expands the resources Nelson
brings to the table. “I can be completely
proactive in my business and not just sit
back and trust that my clients are content,” he explains.
Even local customers benefit from this
high-tech way of doing business. For example, Nelson was having trouble scheduling an appointment with
one of his clients. So he described the technology to
that person who liked the
idea, and they ended up
meeting online.
He’s introduced the technology to his professional
network of CPAs, estate planners and fellow advisors. Responses run the gamut,
he says. Some wish they could use it instead of spending several hours with their
clients while others do not like the idea
and fear alienating their clients.
For his part, Nelson did have some
concerns early on. “I thought, well, we
have a group of older clients who don’t
use the internet,” he recalls. “But you’d
be amazed,” he says. “Seventy-year-olds
It allows advisors to co mpare as-is-
sued illustrations with an in-force illus-
tration with minimal input. In addition,
it lets them schedule automatic in-force
illustrations and reminders for illustrat-
ed policy changes, and lets them get
apolicy policy “snapshot,” includ-
i ng snapshots of variable
a llocations and perfor-
mance, and equity-in-
dexed segments.
“We’ve been able to
set up an entire review
program that has gen-
erated calls to our of-
fice,” Hahn says. “We’re
also able to better orga-
nize our business and
deliver on things we said
we’d deliver.”
are emailing their grandkids all the time.
People of all ages are active online.”
Enhancing marketing, reducing
costs
Of course, technology has long been
used to improve serviceand and
lower expenses. Take th e
case of Shannon Hahn,
who hung her advisor
shingle in September.
For years, she worked
on the administrative
side of her firm, Orm-
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iston James, most recently as director of
marketing and business development.
She brings to her new role a deep understanding of agency operations.
Hahn, a NAIFA-Chicago Region
member, appreciates automation and all
of its benefits. A tool she uses faithfully
is a web-based policy-management system, Planned Performance Tracking, offered by Pacific Life. She says the product
helps advisors run their businesses cost-efficiently and make more sales.
The system provides “
at-your-finger-tips” information and tools to more effectively monitor in-force policies. It features
a policy-tracking report that compares
original policy projections to actual performance at any point.
How it works
Advisors gain access to
the system by logging on
to Pacific Life’s website
or through their agen-
cy’s existing management system. A button in Hahn’s system takes her directly to
the site, where she logs in and goes right
to the policy.
According to Alyce Peterson, vice
president of marketing services for Pacific Life’s Life Insurance Division, a key
benefit is the amount of
time saved. “Whether
it’s a small office where
the producer does some
of it himself or a larger
office where they have
staff, prep time for client meetings is kept to a
minimum,” she says.
By automating report scheduling and
production, advisors get the opportunity to spend more face time with their
clients. “It puts the producer back where
their strength is,” says Peterson. “
Producers always ask, ‘How can I get in front of
clients more? How can I grow my business?’ This platform helps them get away
from the back office and back in front of
their clients.”
The system also helps advisors retain
business by meeting client expectations
for immediate information.
