Christmas checklist

1. Christmas cards. Run a segmentation report in your CRM to separate out your A-listers from the rest. Your top level clients and associates deserve a handwritten card from you. They’ve added thousands to the bottom line this year, you can spend sixty seconds thanking them and wishing them well. Remember that you should still email all the others – maybe get a message designed for something new!

2. Fill that diary. You can’t afford to start 2015 in mid-February! Run a segmentation report to see who is due for a review in January and book them in now. Your clients may well have some financial New Years’ resolutions that they’re keen to discuss.

3. Rebalance. If you’ve got clients whose portfolios are way outside of the strategic asset allocation that matches their risk profile, you’ve probably got an obligation to advise that they rebalance. Do you want to let it drift even further over the break? Run that list and generate those RoAs! Who knows? This sort of great service could make you the topic of conversation between your clients and their friends at their Boxing Day BBQs.

4. Workflows. If not now, when? Start next year the way you mean to continue! Get those workflows added to your CRM or at least set up the meeting with the consultant who can help you document your processes

5. Empty the too-hard basket. While there is no such thing as ‘completely up to date’ in business, you can get away for a break with a little less hanging over your head. Accept that you can’t do everything before Christmas. Whatever you can do – do it. Whatever you’ll never do, assign it to someone else or abandon it – starting 2015 with that hangover from 2014 is not the way to go. As for the rest, document a plan for January and end 2014 with a clear head so that you can enjoy the festive season!

2015 will be a year for focusing on the important and letting others handle the urgent. A very merry Christmas and happy New Year from all the team at AdviserLogic.

Daniel Gara is head of product development at AdviserLogic. He is passionate about helping financial advisers improve their businesses through increased efficiency and improved sales opportunities.
He was the owner and principal of advice firm PF Services before joining AdviserLogic and has a Masters in Applied Finance.