2017 PM Forum Takeaways

We held our Program Managers Forum this Fall at the Andaz Hotel in Downtown San Diego. We had a large diverse group of program managers (PMs) from financial institutions across the country in attendance.

Here are some key takeaways from the two day event.

• Share the Vision: Atria and CFS/SPF are a Great Partnership

With the acquisition catching many people by surprise, PMs appreciated meeting and hearing from the executives at Atria Wealth Solutions. The Atria team shared our joint vision of where our companies are headed, how we will grow, and our future business strategies. With Atria’s support, we will continue developing CFS/SPF as the best wealth management firm in the market. We will be making investments into technology, support services, practice management, process efficiencies, and more.. PMs came away feeling secure, excited, and eager to share their support for the acquisition with their teams.  

• Explore New Program Marketing Center

Attendees enjoyed a demo of the newly-launched Program Marketing Center (PMC). The PMC is a new platform with compliance-reviewed marketing collateral templates that your marketing team can personalize with your program’s logo, advisor’s headshot and contact information. It makes creating full marketing campaigns as easy as clicking a button. Program Marketing team members Deanne Laurvick and TJ Kidder answered questions and offered their assistance. You can view their PMC overview video here. If you have questions about the PMC, contact Deanne at dlaurvick@cusonet.com.

• Take Advantage of Practice Management Group and Data Mining Techniques
  Remember to tap into our new practice management group to help reps improve their business. Our dedicated professionals offer resources, training, and coaching in four key areas: Business Basics, Appointment Generation, Sales Process, and Client Management. The practice management and program marketing groups can help reps identify their best target market based on data about their current book of business. Using information gleaned from dataVISION, reps can better manage their book and improve client interactions by adding structure to their practice and carefully tracking activities and results.
• Give Great Customer Experience to Differentiate Your Practice

During one of our collaborative group discussions, called Table Talks, attendees discussed the differences between the traditional delivery of investment services and remote delivery. In particular, PMs noted that in a traditional delivery model, reps who customized and elevated the client experience saw increased client loyalty. Remember, that excellent service, personal touches, and a luxurious client experience will differentiate you in a sea of similar advisors.

• Tell your advisors and CU/bank executives

PM’s should ensure their advisors know what their resources are and how to utilize them. There are many tools and support services available at CFS/SPF. Share the best practices you learn at CFS/SPF events as well as those that are implemented at other programs. Remember, if something is working for another program, consider trying it at your program!

 

We covered so many other topics including Embracing Change in a New Environment, Technology and Productivity Updates, our new mutual platform fundVISION, Advisor Compensation, and more. For our final thought though, we leave you with this comment from one of our attendees:

“This was a great opportunity and forum to engage with other CFS Leaders and Program Managers, to learn about the various tools and resources available, and to discuss the challenges and nuances of managing a successful program in an evolving industry. This was a meeting definitely worth taking the time to attend.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Thank you to all of our attendees! We’re so glad you got value out of the meeting. If you have any questions, reach out to us. We look forward to seeing you at our events in 2018!