My Boston-area networking suggestions

Social media are great, but sometimes I want to meet my business colleagues, prospects, and referral sources in person. 

In this post, I share some names of networking organizations in greater Boston. Perhaps you'll find an organization that works for you. Even if you're not in Boston, some of these organizations have a national presence.

My anchor organizations are the Boston Security Analysts Society (BSAS), the local chapter of the CFA Institute, and the Women's Business Network (WBN). I'm a volunteer for the  BSAS. I try to attend at least one program monthly to keep on top of investment management issues and to meet new people. I belong to WBN out in Wellesley to get myself out of my office to chat with other small business owners.
 
Here are some other organizations I've enjoyed on multiple occasions. They're a mix of financial, communications, and business groups.

• Boston Women in Finance-- I've enjoyed presenting to their members on writing techniques.
• Downtown Women's Club
• International Association of Business Communicators-Boston chapter
• Public Relations Society of America-Boston chapter

There are many more worthy organizations in greater Boston. One that intrigues me is the Boston Economic Club. If only I had more time... 

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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

The two most important words are...

Copyblogger Brian Clark's lessons in "The two most important words in blogging" apply equally to any form of marketing communication. Pay attention because using these words will make your communications more persuasive.

See if you can guess the two words before you surf to Copyblogger's site. If you have attended any of my presentations on writing, you should know one of the two answers.
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

How to write subheads that command attention

Copyblogger Brian Clark accurately notes in "How to write exquisite subheads" that subheads can turn scanners into readers.

I especially like his advice that a subhead should "express a clear and complete benefit."
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Executive's lesson for your communications with clients and prospects

Financial advisors who want to communicate effectively will follow the example set by Bill Carter in "The Scoreboard Can't Tell You Everything." Carter's lesson boils down to this: Put yourself in the mind of the person with whom you're communicating.

Here's what Carter, partner and co-found of Fuse, said in his interview with Adam Bryant of The New York Times:

In terms of communication, I think that I do my best to try to step away from my own belief system and my own priorities, which are the priorities of a 41-year-old man who’s married and has a young daughter. Instead, I try to evaluate decisions based on what the 25- to-32-year-olds in our office are trying to get out of their career, what they want in a workplace. 

Your articles and conversations will be more persuasive when you phrase them in terms of what your clients, prospects, and referral sources care about. 

For example, say "Your interests come first because we don't accept payments from product providers" instead of "We are a fee-only financial advisor."

Do you apply this rule to your communications? Please share your examples.


Related posts
* Focus on features, not benefits, in your marketing
* Encourage good communication or lose your multi-generational clients

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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

"Have mutual fund fees gone up or down?"

Investment expenses have been on my mind this month, as you know, if you've read "Morgan Creek Capital's Yusko on investing," "Morgan Creek Capital's Yusko riles up Tweeters with comments on investment fees" or you follow me on Twitter.


This prompted me to revisit my article, "Have mutual fund fees gone up or down? Are they fair or unfair? It depends on whom you ask." 


Many of the points raised in this 2006 article still apply.

•  For most advisors, it’s a no-brainer to pick the fund with lower expenses, assuming the fund’s style, market capitalization and other major factors are equal. 
• Controversies swirl around several topics related to fees, including their fairness, their correlation with higher fund returns, whether they’re rising or falling, and whether fund firms are responding adequately to advisor demands.
• Some financial advisors say both critics and boosters of mutual funds may be missing the point by focusing on disclosed expense ratios. 
• One thing seems clear: Advisors will continue to gravitate toward low-cost funds that also meet their other investment criteria.

One change since my 2006 article: The Investment Company Institute's research no longer shows that overall mutual fund expenses are dropping. The headline for its latest study says, "Mutual Fund Expense Ratios Ticked Up in 2009, While Total Fees and Expenses Remained Steady." Morningstar Advisor put a more negative spin on fees in "Mutual Fund Expense Ratios See Biggest Spike Since 2000."

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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

Temporary move

I have temporarily moved and merged this blog to:

http://spinshock.wordpress.com

Reason for move is Blogger's lack of a Blackberry app and Wordpress's availability of a clean and functional Blackberry app. This new blog will be more than only stock trading but a wider range of topics. Non random thoughts.

Also follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/alfietrade
or at
stocktwits

I still have my photo blog at:

http://spinshock.blogspot.com

Tip for how to connect with your workshop attendees

Advisors, you can deepen your connection with folks who attend your investment or financial planning workshops using a technique I observed at the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts annual conference on May 7.

Consultant Shari Harley, whom I wrote about in "How to improve your financial planning client relationships," handed out postcards to her audience. There's nothing unusual about that. But what she said next grabbed my attention.

Harley asked us to write on the postcard (shown in the photo above) at least one thing that we learned from her presentation that we'd like to apply. Then she promised to mail the postcards to us in one month, if we dropped them off on our way out of the auditorium.

I like Harley's postcard idea because

1. Her question spurs the audience to think about what was most valuable in her presentation.
2. She gains valuable feedback when participants hand in their cards.
3. She reminds potential clients of her existence--with their permission--when they receive their cards one month later.
4. If audience members haven't acted on their goals by the time they receive the cards, they may say, "I need a consultant to help me act on this."

This postcard technique should work nicely as follow-up to any sort of financial seminar or workshop.
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Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved