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Now is the time for investment professionals to determine how they will manage their business in 2004 to meet the years sales plans and production goals. The use of technology increasingly is important in giving your strategy a competitive edge.
No matter where you are on the technology continuum, the opportunities to impact your sales, service, marketing and customer satisfaction through technology are substantial. There are a number of products and platforms that can impact your business positively. And best of all, you wont feel as if you need a degree in computer science to become a proficient user of them.
Among the latest technology tools are those that help you reach more people more effectively. There are only so many hours in 2004, so you need to make the most of your time and that of your clients.
Now you can collaborate over the Internet with clients or groups of clients in a detailed manner that once required timely face-to-face meetings. Several vendors have created easy-to-use platforms that combine a phone conference line with the ability to share documents, slide shows and other Web-based tools with one or many other participants. The only capability required to participate in an online session is a traditional Internet browser. Clients simply log on to the Web site and enter a password to join the Web conference session.
Recent advances have made this technology feasible with even low-speed phone connections. You can even record the sessions for your clients to play back at their convenience (with the approval of your firms compliance department). This technology is especially useful for:
401(k) enrollment/
education sessions;
Sharing needs analysis, product modeling and illustration results;
Collaborating online with internal wholesalers for illustrations and other tools; and
Collaborating with advanced sales personnel to better leverage the tools they have at their disposal.