Back to Index COACHING CORNER During a recent radio interview I was asked to describe how a person should identify a good financial advisor. I told the host of the show and the listeners that I tell my friends to look for a person who is NOT an old-school, know-it-all financial advisor. There was a time when financial advisors positioned themselves as the person with the expertise in financial planning, investing, the many different types of insurance (and there are MANY), plus a little knowledge about tax, and legal issues like estate planning. Today, the best financial advisors have a Deliverables Team of subject matter experts. Financial planners write the plan. Full-time professional money managers handle the investments. Insurance experts from many different disciplines of insurance provide insurance advice. Qualified tax experts give the tax advice and the same for the legal advice, and so on. The advisor or planner operates more like an orchestra conductor to be sure the Client is fully served. Most people are already paying for all these services, they're just not very well coordinated. You might have noticed that the orchestra conductor doesn't sit in any of the chairs or play an instrument. Just like the quarterback doesn't also do the blocking. The best financial advisors today have a team of experts to help their Clients achieve their goals. What about you? How is your Deliverables Team coming along? On September 15th, Mark Little and Rebecca Everett will be conducting the final VBFP Office of 2008. How would being there help you on your journey toward having an Ideal Client Community served by you and your Deliverables Team? Contact your Accountability Coach at (800) 347-3707 if you aren't already registered. Yours on the journey, Bill Bachrach Founder & Chairman Accountability Accountability - That word conjures up many different thoughts and images: personal responsibility, doing the right thing, doing what needs to be done whether you feel like it or not, accepting the consequences of our actions. Whatever you think about accountability, chances are you know someone who could use more of it. In my case, someone VERY close to me would benefit from an even higher level of accountability. And you? Last month I gave a speech for my colleagues at the National Speakers Association's National Convention in New York City. During my presentation I spoke about the Karma of accountability. My colleagues and I live in a continual state of frustration about the degree to which our Clients actually implement what we teach. No matter how good it is, we want it to be better. Can you relate? How much would you rejoice if your Clients acted on your advice more fully and quickly? The Karma of accountability is the degree to which those of us who give others advice have actually earned the right to do so based on how well we follow our own advice and the advice of others. Is it possible that our results in inspiring others to act on our advice could increase based on how well we do? Hmm...deep. Let's shift gears from the ethereal of Karma to something more concrete: actual accountability. You experience this with your BAI Accountability Coach who helps you identify the most important, results-producing activities, get them on your calendar, and honor your calendar! My wife, Anne Bachrach, in her new e-book Excuses Don't Count... Results Rule! explores some excellent ideas to help you get better results by being more accountable. One of my favorite parts of Anne's book is the section on "Perfect 10s." It's a powerful exercise where you visualize 8 key areas of your life each being a perfect 10. Wow! As I read this section of Chapter 2 I could feel myself becoming more focused, resourceful, and committed to do the work necessary to achieve my perfect 10s. Chapter 4, on follow-through and dealing with procrastination, is worth its weight in gold. Here's an excellent quote by William James, "Nothing is as fatiguing as the continued hanging on of an uncompleted task." For some, accountability is a concept and for others it feels like a burden, but the most successful people LOVE accountability because it's one more aspect for actually getting things done that leads to achieving results. And I agree with Anne, "Results Rule!" Bill Bachrach Back to Index

The Trusted Financial Advisor (tm) ISSN 1543-432X A monthly publication dedicated to helping transform the financial services industry from salespeople to Trusted Advisors. Bachrach and Associates, Inc. baivbfp.com info@bachrachvbs.com 8380 Miramar Mall Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92121 800-347-3707 Printing Tip: For best results print this newsletter in landscape mode. (c) 2008 Bachrach & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. The following are registered and trademarked and intellectual property of Bachrach & Associates, Inc.: Financial Road Map®, Success Road Map®, Values-Based Selling®, Values-Based Selling® Academy, Values-Based Selling® Academy 2, Trusted Advisor Coach®, Values-Based Financial Planning™, Being Done™, Values-Based Financial Professional™, The Values Conversation™, High-Trust Leadership™ and The Quality of Life Enhancer™. All rights reserved.