ADVISORFIRST Advisor Essentials AN EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM DESIGNED TO ENHANCE EFFECTIVENESS Course Catalog
Advisor Essentials LPL Financial understands the demands of running a successful practice. To help enchance your efficency and profitability, we created Advisor Essentials, a strategic educational curriculum that addresses four key areas: Sales Use effective persuasion and sales strategies to generate interest and enhance demand for service. Client Service Build and maintain client loyalty by employing expertise, credibility and effective partnering. Value Proposition LPL Financial platforms and research will differentiate you in the marketplace. Office Management Improve time management and take advantage of the multitude of resources available to you from LPL Financial. 2 ADVISOR ESSENTIALS
Who will benefit? Advisor Essentials is designed for advisors new to the business and staff training to become a financial advisor. The program presents the best practices from top producers. How much time will it take? The degree program consists of 20 elearning modules organized by LPL Financial. Each online class is 15 to 45 minutes. Ideally, participants complete two to four modules per week. Any classes completed previously will credit toward this degree program. Advisor Essentials sets the foundation for a successful financial advisor practice. The program can also be used as a recruiting tool by OSJs or Program Managers. COURSE CATALOG 3
Curriculum Courses by Degree Program Client Service Managing Client Statements 101 Review the benefits of creating a combined statement relationship. Topics include: Adding an Account Nickname and Adding a Household Nickname. Client Service: When 99.9% Isn t Good Enough You will review four basic service principles and a set of 10 client service rules. You will also learn how to apply a five-step approach for handling upset clients. Understand and Benefit from Client and Service Segmentation CPA Program & The Professional Advisors Alliance Program This course shows you how to run a more efficient business by using a four-category process to determine your best clients and match your time and service to their specific needs. Partnering with centers of influence (COIs), such as CPAs and attorneys, are the most common way LPL Financial advisors generate new business; at a 17% growth rate on average. In this recorded WebEx, we will discuss the two programs available that will help you create partnerships and share revenue with other working professionals. We will discuss the differences between both programs, requirements and the operational processes so you can decide which program is better suited for your needs. Value Proposition and Resources Research Overview Essentials of a Fee Based Practice: Fundamentals Essentials of a Fee Based Practice: Selection Essentials of a Fee Based Practice: Value Add Implementation Building a Sustainable & Profitable Advisory Practice Creating a Client Advisory Council In this online course, we will provide an overview of LPL Financial Research, including the department s philosophies and objectives. We will also review some of the popular research resources and end with the four key resources we think you should focus on to make your practice more efficient. An introduction to fee-based business and learn platform fundamentals. Recommend appropriate advisory platforms by recognizing specific situations for each. Understand how to articulate your value proposition, define and implement your advisory fees and leverage Advisory Consulting for assistance during the transition to an Advisory Business Model. The largest producers utilize fee-based management to drive their practice value and manage profitability. During this presentation, we will be joined by a member of our Advisory Consulting Department who will discuss the advantages of using a fee-based account with your clients, from both the advisor s perspective as well as the client s perspective. Additionally, we will discuss how to leverage the LPL Financial centrally managed platforms to increase efficiencies within your practice so you can be more client focused. In this module we will explore what a client advisory board is and the six steps towards creating one. Experiences from the field and a Q&A session is also included in this presentation. 4 ADVISOR ESSENTIALS
Value Proposition and Resources continued Creating an Effective Business Plan Creating an Effective Marketing Plan Did you know that up to 60% of all LPL Financial advisors do not have a written business plan? Take part in this recorded presentation to learn how to create one for your practice and make it your personal road map to success! A strong marketing plan is essential to the success of your business, allowing you to capitalize on your strengths, focus on your highest potential clients and relationships and deliver your message effectively. Just as a overly complex business plan for your practice is not needed, LPL Financial believes the same can be said regarding your marketing strategy. Take part in this recorded WebEx presentation to view examples of the Marketing Plan Workbook and listen to first-hand accounts from fellow LPL Financial advisors who have already completed their written marketing plan. Office Management Tips to a Successful Branch Exam Portfolio Manager The Marketing Gateway Time Management: Useful Ways for More Productive Days Building and Protecting the Equity in Your Practice Keys to Effective Client Segmentation Setting up and managing a compliant office is simple if you know what is expected. In this module, you will learn the most common infractions and how to avoid them, as well as practical techniques and guidance that will save you time preparing for your next exam. A robust reporting tool that enables you to streamline account management, analyze your book of business and create client-approved reports that significantly enhance your presentation of advice. Tour all LPL Financial marketing tools, and learn about the wealth of valuable resources and materials from LPL Financial and key sponsor partners to help you set yourself apart from the competition, and win and sustain profitable relationships. Take a time management personality style assessment and learn ways to work best with your style. Additionally, learn an easy method for prioritizing according to importance and urgency, along with a variety of simple techniques for managing time. Helping you build enduring and transferable practice value is a primary goal at LPL Financial. Our succession planning resources employ an integrated and systematic process to link together all the lifecycles of your financial services business from your initial recruitment to LPL Financial to your eventual exit from the business and everything in between. This module will begin your experience with the tools, resources and support you require to grow, monitor, protect and realize the value of your life s work. Advisors who segment their book of business show an average growth rate that was 6% higher than those advisors who did not. A key element of segmentation is developing a service model that varies for each of your client groups. For example, if you know that 80% of your revenue is derived from 20% of your clients, you would want to treat those clients differently. We will show you how to segment and create a level of service based on client attributes. COURSE CATALOG 5
Courses How by to Degree Enroll Program To enroll in Advisor Essentials: Select the Advisor Essentials Degree program in the LPL Financial Learning Center. Enroll in the curriculum and start your online classes. Start today: BranchNet Resource Center Learning Center LPL University Advisor Essentials. For more information, contact LPL Training at (800) 877-7210, ext. 1515, or email business.consulting@lpl.com. After you graduate: At LPL Financial, you have access to a multitude or resources to support your business. We recommend the following next steps: Explore the LPL Financial Marketing Gateway and take note of AdvisorFirst, ClientsFirst, SocialMedia, and WomenInvest Within AdvisorFirst, take note of ways LPL Financial supports your business growth, including creating a business plan Complete your succession plan to secure the future of your business (Note: Not applicable to Institution Services advisors) 6 ADVISOR ESSENTIALS
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