It’s crunch time, you’re at the conference!
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So you’ve done your prep, you’ve got your meetings lined up, now it’s time to put your game face on, get on the plane and get out there.
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Professional insights and industry observations, sharing our experience and expertise is at the heart of what we do.
Social media isn’t as new as we think – it’s kind of like telemarketing
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Most of what’s written about social media focuses on the power of it, marveling at this brand new way of communicating and how it’s changed the world! To be fair it’s a powerful force, but approaching your social media from this perspective will simply provide you with frustration at best or, at worst, outright failure.
We all need to step back, take a deep breath and remember that we’ve seen it all before - social media is a tool, like any other communication method that’s come before it.
Read MoreConferences stands and sponsorship (or, how to REALLY waste mega bucks)
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Last week, I spoke about wasting money going to conferences if you’re not clear about WHY you’re going.But let’s be clear, to REALLY waste the mega bucks, you need a corporate sponsorship and stand.
A decent sized conference stand/sponsorship can set you back $50k on the space alone, and then you need to fit it out (easily another $20k) and staff it. It’s easy to blow $100,000, so you want to make damn sure that money is working for you.
Read MoreMaking the most of conferences (or, how to blow thousands of dollars and waste lots of time and effort for not much return)
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Conferences are both a blessing and a curse. I love a good shin-dig as much as the next person, but without some careful planning and quite a bit of work, it’s very easy to not see any benefit at all.
This is quite a big topic, so I’ll cover all the details over four articles. Today – ‘before the conference – personal edition’. Over the next 3 weeks, we will also cover ‘stands and sponsorship’, ‘at the conference’ and ‘post conference follow-up'.
Read MoreWant to be a better communicator? Get to know your business and the people in it.
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When it comes to communicating effectively, most of the advice focuses on technique – write concisely, proof read (and proof read again!), avoid jargon etc. All good advice, but unless you truly know what you’re talking about, you’re likely to say things that don’t make sense or, worse yet, are blatantly wrong.
Whether you’re embarking on a marketing campaign, building a new website, communicating with stakeholders or your own staff, having a deep understanding of your own business environment will give you the edge. Your communication will be clear, honest, consistent and accurate. What’s more if people come back to you with questions, you’ll have the answers.
Read MoreStop, start, keep... repeat
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January is a time of new years resolutions – stop enjoying wine so much, work harder on the business, go to the gym, spend more time with the family, etc, etc. And also a time for planning the coming year (or maybe just thinking that you should do some planning before shelving that idea and just jumping in boots and all!)
Before you jump into this year, it’s really worth spending a few minutes (OK an hour or two) reflecting on 2015 so that you have a good starting base for 2016. One way to do this, of which I’m quite a fan, is ‘start, stop, keep’. It goes like...
Read More2015 in review – where did the time go?
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So, it’s nearly 2016. I have no idea where 2015 went, I’m sure its still October! It’s been a solid first full year for Mayflower Consulting; we’ve worked on some great projects, and expanded the team, with Cameron Woods, Senior Communications Consultant joining us in July.
As many people do, I’ve been reviewing what’s worked and what hasn’t in 2015 and thinking about what I’d like for the business and for me personally in 2016.
On the SMSF front, I’ve learnt that lunacy still reigns when it comes the facts and figures.
Read MoreNational SMSF Conference - Sept 2015
/The Chartered Accountants Australia National SMSF Conference 2015 is being held on September 14 and 15 on the Gold Coast. According to their website, the conference will provide:
up-to-date information on the latest challenges, issues and opportunities facing this complex industry, while offering a platform to challenge and hone your skills. With a stellar line-up of content and speakers, this conference will equip you with everything you need to stand apart in this exciting industry.
Sounds pretty good to me! I'll be speaking at the "CA SMSF Specialist Breakfast" session on Tuesday the 15th. If you're attending the conference and would like to meet-up then please get in touch.
Find out more about the conference at http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/smsfconference.
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Lies, damn lies and SMSFs
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There’s something about self-managed super that just seems to bring out the worst in people. And a complete disregard for the facts.
I’ve had the pleasure of working in many areas of banking and wealth, including retail super, financial planning, platforms, managed funds, insurance, mortgages and retail bank- ing, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I suspect it’s something to do with $560 billion and 1 million people who just refuse to get with the program – i.e. invest in managed funds and platforms via a financial adviser. But even that is a bit of a furphy.
Read MoreLiquidity and SMSFs
/INFRASTRUCTURE, BONDS AND ILLIQUID INVESTMENTS THE TOPICS OF THE MOMENT. EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION AND MANY OF THOSE OPINIONS ARE COLOURED QUITE HEAVILY BY WHICH SIDE OF THE FENCE YOU ARE ON.
It’s an interesting dichotomy that while our industry laments the ‘narrow’ range of investments utilised by the average self-managed super fund (SMSF), it isn’t particularly easy for SMSF trustees to expand their portfolios past Australian equities, term deposits, cash and the odd property without significant assistance from a financial adviser and a willingness to pay ongoing management fees. This as we all know, is simply not how most SMSF trustees want to run their portfolios.
This discussion is about broadening the scope of investments in your clients’ portfolios and meeting their expectations for ‘interesting’ investments, which is often why people get an SMSF in the first place.
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