They are offering the free question time event to advisers who need help with:

• Communicating forthcoming RDR changes to their clients
• Providing clarity over the costs of advice pre RDR to counter post RDR objections

The question time will be held at Schroders head offices in London and hosted by Derek Bradley, CEO PanaceaIFA, who will be joined by a panel of industry experts, which will include:

• Karen Barrett, Chief Executive, Unbiased
• Richard Hobbs, Head of Lansons Regulatory Consulting
• Nick Cann, Chief Executive, Institute of Financial Planning
• Gill Cardy, Managing Director, IFA Centre
• Garry Heath, former director general of the IFA Association

Following the Q&A session a summary will be sent to the FSA in the hope that this can help any communication strategy they may be planning going forward.

Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, so register today! To register, or for more information, please get in touch with them directly.

The 2 Day Value Proposition workshops we launched before the summer have been so successful that we’ve released another date – May 24th in London. Attendee feedback has been excellent, with 100% of attendees indicating they would like to attend our workshops in the future.

Is our workshop right for you?

• Do you struggle to articulate the features, benefits and value a client will derive from working with you? Are you:
• Concerned about how to justify your fees?
• Struggling to deliver a consistent message across your entire business?
• Unsure how to package and present your offering to generate a steady stream of new business?
• In the process of redefining your proposition but can’t find the words or best format to present it in?
• Dealing with a large legacy book you’re earning little or no revenue from, with many clients actually costing you money to service?
• Looking to build recurring revenue and improve the predictability of your earnings?
• Wanting to grow your business, but don’t know how?

You’re not alone in facing these challenges. We’ve worked with planners and advisers across the UK and have seen them struggle with these very same issues.

If you want help to create a clear and concise value proposition to get the results you really want for your business, attend our seminar on May 24th. For more information, or to register to attend, click here.

Michael spoke about the transformation of their business and how they have reinvented their brand. We thought it was a great story of the journey of a business, very similar to the transformation our adviser clients have gone through in the lead up to RDR, so we’ve decided to share it with you on our blog.

Founded in 1798 in Liverpool, Boodle and Dunthorne became the city’s leading jewellers. After the sudden death of the Wainwright father and grandfather in 1945, sons Nicholas and Michael took over in 1992. Nicholas assumed the role of responsibility for creative direction of the company and Michael focused on developing the commercial side of the business.

With the growth of international jewellery brands, Michael and Nicholas knew they needed to become more competitive in such a tough market. Their vision was to become the British jewellery brand to compete head to head with the very best in the world. Driven by their desire to gain a more dominant position in the market, they started to look at developing their business and their brand. To drive such growth and achieve success they focused on a number of different elements within their business, and of course, their marketing.

Product

The original product strategy was to buy in jewellery from a number of suppliers, including six very well-known watch brands. They realised that in order to differentiate themselves, they would need to achieve a more unique product offering. They took action and changed their strategy, hiring jewellery designers in-house in order to create more unique pieces and assign each a different name.

Boodles began focusing on the acquisition of rare and exquisite gemstones, as well as a highly talented in house design team, and the workmanship of leading British master craftsmen. Today Boodles offer over 400 different styles of jewellery, all from its eight main ranges including Raindance and Velocity.

Brand

The transformation of the brand began when the company was re-christened from ‘Boodles and Dunthorne’ to simply ‘Boodles’. Dropping the second name they created a more simplistic, modern and luxurious brand image.

Image

Next, Boodles began to focus on their image in order to differentiate the business from their competitors. They achieved this through looking at all elements of their image, and in particular, the photography used throughout their printed material and in store. Boodles began using their own models for photo shoots, shown wearing the jewellery outdoors, amongst beautiful scenery. This provided them with differentiation from other modern brands that elect to shoot in studio settings.

Client Experience

Aware of the critical importance of the client experience, Boodles decided to look at every element then reengineer the entire process. Focus was given to new shop fronts and internal displays. In collaboration with architect Eva Jiricna, the Boodles stores were transformed into gleaming confections of steel and glass – the perfect backdrop for sparkling jewels and far removed from the ‘country house’ exposed beam interiors of the past.

Boodles also began to offer a service to all customers to upgrade their pieces of jewellery, every ten years to a newer product, thereby increasing the longevity of their customer relationships.

Community

To establish their brand image within the community and strengthen their customer relationships, Boodles decided to host and sponsor several large events, bringing together loyal clients and raising their corporate profile. These events include ‘The Boodles Challenge Tennis Tournament’, ‘Chester Races’ and ‘The Boodles Boxing Ball’.

Each year these events prove to be a great success, creating a sense of community around their brand. The fact that the events themselves are referred to by the name ‘Boodles’ is further testament to the strength of their brand.

Brand Expansion

To increase their market, Boodles decided to move their business international. Boodles had been considering a number of locations for international expansion, including the US and the Middle East, but have settled in Hong Kong after identifying Asia as a boom market. Boodles managing director Michael Wainwright said that he will look to mainland China for the company’s next Asian store, Beijing and Shanghai in particular. He also said that he hopes to open a Boodles store in New York within the next five years.

As a further expansion of their brand, Boodles have also decided to move their products online, creating a ‘brick and clicks’ retail business. Research carried out by Boodles in regards to their target customer, highlighted that they live quite busy lifestyles, with an online store creating added convenience for them.

By focusing on the key marketing elements of their business from product, to brand, to client experience, Boodles achieved and currently hold a dominant position in the jewellery market, competing head to head with the very best in the world.

We feel this is a very interesting and inspiring story that looks at a very effective marketing and business growth strategy. It is very similar to the work we do in our business, with financial advisers increasingly trying to transform their business and increase client engagement, in a changing regulatory environment.

If you would like to read more information on the Boodles brand, please visit their website, where you will find more information on their business, history and products.

Citywire was on hand to capture ideas for how advisers can stand out from the crowd. Megan Andrews interviewed Abbie and a number of other industry experts, which you can see in the below video.

They are currently on the hunt for an IFA unsung hero, looking for those who go above and beyond the call of duty. We thought we would share an outline of the campaign with you on our blog.

PanaceaIFA regularly hear positive stories about the great work IFA’s do. There are a number of examples of IFAs going above and beyond the expected to help their industry and their colleagues.

Therefore, in January 2012, PanaceaIFA have teamed up with Professional Adviser magazine to recognise our industry’s unsung heroes. Running throughout 2012, they will be searching for IFA’s, paraplanners and back office support staff that go above and beyond the call of duty in their professional life.

Every month Derek Bradley, CEO of PanaceaIFA will choose the most deserving nomination from those submitted and the winner will receive £160 toward a Michelin Star restaurant of their choice. Professional Adviser will also publish a half-page profile within their magazine, highlighting the good they have done.

If you have a colleague who you consider to be a PanaceaIFA Unsung Hero, or if you feel you deserve recognition yourself, please get in touch with the team at PanaceaIFA.  They are looking for great examples of:

• Campaigning for change

• Assistance given to colleagues

• Help given to others within the industry

If you have any questions or would like any more information, please get in touch with them directly.

Do you want a website you can feel proud of? A site that captures your value proposition (the features, benefits, and true essence of what you do) and resonates with clients and prospects – without costing the earth?

Are you:

• Using a template website, but struggling to make it your own?
• Looking to re-launch your site but concerned you’ll be overcharged or talked into functionality you just don’t need?
• Dabbling in Social Media, but lacking a consistent strategy?
• Bombarded by technical terms you just don’t understand?
• Struggling to write copy that outlines your offering in a clear and concise way?
• Looking for someone to demystify the website development process, so you can make decisions that are right for your business?

You’re not alone in facing these challenges. We’ve worked with planners and advisers across the UK and have seen them struggle with these very same issues.

If you want help launching a new website and improving your presence online, attend our 1 day Website Masterclass on March 15th.

For more information, or to register to attend, click here.

We’ve just received the feedback scores and want to share them with you on our blog.

We are delighted to hear that the attendee feedback was excellent, with 100% of the attendees rating Abbie as a ‘good to excellent’ speaker.

The content Abbie presented also received extremely positive feedback, with 100% rating it as ‘good to excellent’.

Below are a few of the comments received from the attendees:

‘Very good and valuable marketing’

‘Clear, concise and extremely helpful’

‘Very motivational, both professionally and personally’

‘Great to have business content that is not of technical nature’

We are thrilled to have received such positive feedback!

Get in touch to find out where Abbie will be presenting next, or learn how to create a value proposition “that pays” by attending one of our CPD accredited seminars.

The workshop has been organised through the Institute of Financial Planning by David Crozier of Navigator FP who will be hosting the event. David has also done a great job spreading the word so we only have a few places left and spaces are filing up fast.

If you would like more information about the event, or to register to attend, visit belfastworkshop-eorg.eventbrite.com.

The 2 Day Value Proposition workshops we launched last year have been so successful that we’ve released another date - March 22nd in London. Attendee feedback has been excellent, with 100% of attendees indicating they would like to attend our workshops in the future.

Is our workshop right for you?

Do you struggle to articulate the features, benefits and value a client will derive from working with you? Are you:

• Concerned about how to justify your fees?
• Struggling to deliver a consistent message across your entire business?
• Unsure how to package and present your offering to generate a steady stream of new business?
• In the process of redefining your proposition but can’t find the words or best format to present it in?
• Dealing with a large legacy book you’re earning little or no revenue from, with many clients actually costing you money to service?
• Looking to build recurring revenue and improve the predictability of your earnings?
• Wanting to grow your business, but don’t know how?

You’re not alone in facing these challenges. We’ve worked with planners and advisers across the UK and have seen them struggle with these very same issues.

If you want help to create a clear and concise value proposition to get the results you really want for your business, attend our workshop on March 22nd. For more information, or to register to attend, click here

Today we are celebrating with a small number of clients at the lovely Cecconi’s restaurant in Mayfair. In the short time since we’ve launched, this great restaurant has become the venue of choice for our Christmas gatherings and we’re sure today will not disappoint. We do like to ‘celebrate in style’ (as our clients will always attest!).

Photo’s might just surface in the New Year..

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