Who proactively asks their software stack providers about security?
The results are in from ASIC's Cyber Pulse Survey, and the report has been released (12th November 2023). So much to unpack! One of the points they make is around supply chain risk. Without looking at the survey, I'm interested to know your thoughts on the percentage of advice firms that have already asked their software stack providers about the levels of security they have in place and can provide the evidence to show they did their DD. What percentage do you think have this on file?Does everyone understand the “why”?
When working with clients, we are often asked to focus on processes and governance so the business can minimise their risks while driving efficiencies and reducing costs. We often find what happens “on the ground” could be their biggest risk. How often are you engaging with staff who are making sure the “doing” is getting done and they understand how critical they are in bringing to life advice provided to clients? How often do you think about what will happen if some/all of your key people involved in admin/support roles suddenly left the business? Who can step in and fill in the gaps to implement advice that has been provided to clients? Does everyone understand the role they play in the advice process and their “why”? Investing in staff is a crucial component in risk management and the success of a business. What are some of the things you are doing to invest in your people? We would love to hear some fun and different ways in how staff are brought along the journey and involved in the vision of the business, as well as ensuring everyone is across the “why”.Succession Plan - Be honest ! How prepared are you?
This is something that is so close to my heart at the moment as I am in the home stretch of realising the dream that I mapped out 8 years ago! A real mixture of emotions and this has been 8 years in the making to get to that realisation. With a number of advisers still looking to transition out of the industry over the next 3 years I am very interested to understand and get comments on how prepared they are, is it documented in an actionable plan and what areas are they focused on to maximise their attractiveness and value. Also, how are they protecting their clients that they have nutured over many years to minimise the impact on them as this will ultimately have an reputational impact on the whole industry and the success of that transition.Efficient vs Effective
I'd love to hear the experts' views on Efficient vs Effective, please. I think we fall into the trap as business owners and advisers of focussing on efficiency at the expense of being effective. For instance, we can be super efficient at producing a review document (as measured by time taken, quality, content etc.) but, if the client doesn't understand the advice or is not responsive to it then it probably isn't very effective. Another example could be onboarding new staff - contracts are ready, PD is agreed, introductions to the team are made and the checklist is complete however, the new team member might not understand what's expected of them and how they fit in. So, what tips do you have on achieving the holy grail of having an efficient process or system that is also super effective at achieving your goals? Peter.Worn jessica.lambWhat steps have you and your team taken to address cybersecurity risk?
Recent CoreData research suggests advice practices could lose at least 13% of business in the aftermath of a cybersecurity incident. In light of this alarming figure, I want to know what steps have you and your team taken to address cybersecurity risk? I also encourage you to register for the upcoming webinar on February 29th at 9:00 am AEDT where Fraser.Jack and I will be looking at real-life stories of cyber breaches and what you can learn from them! Click here to register.The struggle for adviser capacity
These days, we see advisers doing more administration work than we saw 5 or 10 years ago. Research, plan requests and even application forms are unnecessarily taking up their time and stifling capacity. And this is not simply due to more compliance. So what's driving the hesitation to hand-over to a support role? Is it finding the right support? A lack of trust? Or something else?How do you stay focused on the right client?
I think the best of us get sidetracked into helping people with their challenges, especially when that's what we've had training and experience in. I'm curious about how other advisers, or even business owners "stick to their knitting"? It's so easy to say "yes" to someone especially if things are a bit quiet but what tips and tricks do you use to say "no" to stay focussed? mat.tenison3 jenny.brown deborah.kent What to do if a referral isn’t right for you | AdviselyWhat is limiting your efficiency?
It seems between compliance requirements, size of advice documents and the general administration practices need to keep up with, no one is feeling at the top of their game. I would love to hear what areas you are struggling with, or if you have found some solutions that may be helpful to us all!Virtual office, what are your thoughts?
Back in 2020, we were forced to close our office due to Covid and the many lockdowns that Melbourne had. We quickly had to mobilised the team of 10 at that time to work from home, fortunately we predominately use M365 and Xplan, with any other software being 100% cloud based, hence no server issues, which made life a little easier. Later that year we made the decision to give up our office and work virtually. Many advisers said to me that it wouldn't work for them due to their client base being older, they still say it. I would like to challenge the thinking around that, we focus on pre and post retirees, who are usually the least tech savvy of any age group, but whilst they like to sometimes see us in person for coffee or lunch, the majority of the work we do is all via video, email and phone, after all they all learnt to facetime their grandkids during covid. Our business has grown in people, clients and revenue over the past 3.5 years since we have been 100% virtual, yes it's been a lot of work, trial and error, but it can work, if you want it to. I'd love to hear from others who have gone virtual and what has worked best for you, your team, your business and your clients?Creating your vibe
You need one thing above everything else, to create a vibe which is genuine and personal for your clients – you must truly know your clients. Unfortunately, it’s our experience that very few practices are taking full advantage of their CRM functionality to capture the information they need to create that key personal, relationship building information. And, even if it’s being collected at the onboarding stage, few practices deliberately maintain this information. Simple info such as their children’ names (and their occupation or education level), details of the client’s preference for morning or evening meetings, coffee or tea, in-person or virtual meetings, wine or the ballet or both (will allow you to provide interesting content for your communications, plan events which appeal and so on), what the client is planning to do once the retire, when’s their next major holiday and so on. In other words - the ‘life stuff’. What info do you collect (and maintain) to build meaningful, long term relationships with your clients?
