Dealer group Synchron has announced the launch of an adviser mentoring program within an industry experiencing significant regulatory and technological change.
At a function in Sydney this week, Synchron Director John Prossor announced details of the dealer’s new adviser mentoring program, which will be incorporated into Synchron’s highly successful Next Gen program for emerging advisers.
According to Synchron, the purpose of the program is to utilise the expertise of experienced advisers who possess ‘… untapped knowledge of the industry and excellent sales skills developed over many years’.
We believe our mentoring program will help each party learn from the other
At the same time, however, Mr Prossor points out that many of these experienced advisers lack computer skills and expertise and have a minimal appreciation of the benefits of the Internet, areas in which younger, more tech savvy advisers are more at home. “We believe our mentoring program will help each party learn from the other,” said Mr Prossor.
Synchron says the benefits for the adviser being mentored include:
- Improved business processes
- Increased income
- Learning new skills and knowledge
- Improved confidence in a range of sales and marketing situations
The dealer group has also announced the launch of Synchron TV for advisers and consumers.
Michael Harrison, Synchron’s new Independent Chair said “We looked around the industry and saw that material was being presented to advisers and the general public in very tired, old-fashioned ways.”
“We believe that many people prefer to communicate visually today – not everyone wants to listen or read – and so the concept for Synchron TV was born,” said Mr Harrison.
Synchron TV’s closed content for advisers will cover areas including:
- Adviser technical training
- Regulation updates
- Information on new products
- ‘Much-forgotten’ soft skills training
“For a long time, the industry has been very focused on ensuring advisers are compliant and have the technical skills to do the job,” said Mr Harrison. “While this is very important, it’s also important that they develop the people skills they need to run a successful practice. We must ensure they balance the two sets of skills.”
Mr Harrison also emphasised the growing importance for advisers of using iPad and tablet technology to engage with their clients. He predicted the recently-launched iPad II will be a ‘game changer’ for advisers because they will be able to conduct the entire advice process with their clients using iPad II technology.
The Synchron Mentoring Program comes into effect immediately and Synchron TV will commence from 1 May 2011.
