Why are some advisors wildly successful with e-Relationship?
They have larger databases than the average; they continually add names every month to their databases; they call responders to their seven yearly e-Storyboards and four quarterly mini e-Checklist within 10 minutes of getting a response. Ten minutes! They don’t call later in the week or next week, or even 24 hours later.

How big is a good database?
Our average subscriber database size exceeds 870 people and averages an 8 to 10% cumulative response rate to an e-Checklist or an e-Storyboard every year. Many of our MDRT advisors have well over 1,500 prospects in their database. They believe in prospecting and they believe in constantly adding names and keeping frequently connected.

Who owns the data?
Our End User License Agreement requires that you only enter data for which you have permission. Our privacy policy prohibits us from sharing or selling your contact data. You should always maintain an original copy of your data. However, for most companies, if you find that you ever need a copy of your data, our programming team can provide an export file for you for a charge of $50.

Why do some subscribers fail?
Failed subscribers often put an initial 200 to 300 names in their databases and three years later, after not adding a single new name, proclaim it isn’t working for them. To compound the problem of not adding names, 30% of all database names go dormant every year. But, when a life event does occur – as when a friend is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a fellow civic club member dies unexpectedly, a young mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, someone has a baby, a neighbor starts a new business, or a parent retires or needs to move a 401k – these contacts rekindle their interest. And if you’re connected, you get the business.

What are the three secrets to great success?
1) Commit to filling your database with 1,000 plusprospects
2) Add new prospects every month (at least 15)
3) Call e-Storyboards and e-Checklists responders within 10 minutes

Why do some responders say they didn’t mean to click on the link?
That indicates that you have either waited too long to make the call (more than two hours) or you requested an appointment too quickly without furthering the conversation and elevating the relevance of the financial concern before asking for an appointment.

Are responders actual sales leads?
Successful subscribers say that e-Storyboard and e-Checklist responders are conversation opportunities. Responders aren’t gleefully waiting for you to call for an appointment until you engage them in a conversation about the financial topic. That’s why we provide a conversational phone script with every response. Every conversation increases your positioning, and your production will increase.

How do I position myself in a specific market?
Placing individual names in a database is not optional; it’s foundational if you expect to build prospect positioning. Join the Young Entrepreneurs Association, the Small Business Association, the National Association of Women Business Owners, or the local Homebuilders Association. Add your church members, civic club or sports club. If you don’t belong to anything, get involved. Join a Rotary Club and the homebuilders, always a sizeable group that welcomes ancillary members who do business with their members. Membership allows easy access to names and allows you to participate as “one of them” in their meetings. Add new names each month. Prospecting is not a onetime effort; it’s a continuous journey!

How often should I connect by email?
Psychology recommends 12 to 15 contacts per year to build familiarity, approachability and personal positioning. Circulating in your market can make a big impact, but combining that with an e-connection strategy will increase your reputation and approachability.

Is Social Media effective for prospecting?
Social media posts provide a degree of image recognition, but that alone (including ours) often delivers an insurmountable challenge. When social media identifies a life event, it doesn’t mean you can easily move the prospect into an appointment. One manager said, “Our advisors get a lot of identified life events but very few are transitioned into appointments.” Why? Because the advisor often has limited personal positioning. Viewing an occasional impersonal social media post, regarded by most as an advertisement, too often results in an awkward appointment conversation when trying to capitalize on their personal “life event.”

Why do I need to send cards and other “fluffy items?”
The auto mailer feature sends financial storyboards, checklists, inspirational messages, a birthday card, a wedding anniversary card and four holiday cards. These aren’t just fluff. They are humanizing touchpoints. They cause the recipient to see you as more engaged than just a salesperson and it makes a difference .

Jon L., a NYL advisor in Wisconsin, offered this quote, “I signed up for e-Relationship three years ago. This week I heard from a woman who I met three years ago. She has been receiving my various messages from e-Relationship and has never had any communication with me. After she received my Thanksgiving Card this week, she called to schedule an appointment to discuss her upcoming retirement and a $400,000 rollover. Frequent connection works!”