Articles Written by Jon Henschen

B/Ds in the Year 2010-What Does the Future Hold in Store for Independent b/d’s?

00:00 01 July in Articles Written by Jon Henschen by rafferty

by Jonathan Henschen, CFS and featured in Investment Advisor July, 2007: IN DUSTING OFF our crystal ball, we thought of taking a prophetic approach to what lies ahead for our industry, attempting to answer such vexing questions as: Will equity indexed annuities by declared securities? Will advisors have any say as to their quilt or innocence when clients pursue arbitration? Will Merrill Lynch buy LPL, thereby confirming something advisors already believe, namely, the LPL is the Merrill Lynch of the independent channel? Instead, we decided to focus on a few key trends that have cropped up over the past couple of years that we think will not only continue, but are likely to accelerate through 2010. Technology There has been a growing sameness in the technology broker/dealer firms are offering. For example, most standard technology platforms such...

Ten Steps Towards Creating A Flourishing Recruiting Environment

00:00 01 March in Articles Written by Jon Henschen by rafferty

by Jonathan Henschen, CFS and featured in Broker Dealer Journal March, 2007: When put to the test in your Business Development Plan, the Ten Steps towards Recruiting Efficiency described in this article can help your broker/dealer reap accelerated success. Neglecting some or all of these issues, however, can result in conflict, discontent, and inefficiency among your recruiters and staff, as well as prevent your firm from reaching its full potential. Note: The following insights are a combination of personal experience gained from before I became an independent recruiter, feedback from broker/dealer recruiters I work with every day, as well as from those who, for various reasons, contact me about leaving their current firms. Though we don’t name names, the examples used here are real—the better to illustrate these key issues from a recruiter’s...

Waiter, There’s a Fly in My Soup! Looking for Nice People

00:00 01 January in Articles Written by Jon Henschen by rafferty

by Jonathan Henschen, CFS and featured in Broker-Dealer Journal January, 2007: A functional back-office that delivers good service to advisors must be nurtured by management. No matter how much they produce, advisors who are rude and condescending to support staff should be weeded out before setting a dangerously negative tone. Recently, I started a weekly 30-minute radio show through ProducersWeb.com interviewing broker/dealers. It wasn’t long before I discovered a reoccurring pattern among my guests. When asked what kinds of advisors they target, instead of “Advisory focus,” “Big producers” or “Financial planning Approach,” as I was expecting, their first reply is usually: “We want them to be nice!” But that focus made perfect sense the more I thought about it, since the alternative to “nice” can have dire effects on a firm’s back office, and...