A few weeks ago I attended an invitation only conference hosted by LPL Financial that they fondly call “Accelerate” - a structured two-day conference designed to provide their advisors with innovative ideas, strategies, and resources to help us manage and grow our practices. In attendance were 250 out of their 16,000 financial advisors. When they shared that figure with me I had to let that sink in … ok, I guess they meant it when they said invitation only!
If I had to sum up the conference in one sentence, it would be: “What got you here, won’t get you there.” An insightful example that they shared was comparing advisors of the past and the present:
A healthy Charlie Sheen in the movie Wall Street (1987)
A computer-based Robo advisor (current)
They challenged us to think about ways to differentiate ourselves from the thousands of other advisors in the industry. They asked, can we define and articulate our value proposition? They pushed, are we open to change? My three favorite parts of the conference were:
- Learning from industry experts
- Enhancing my peer network & hearing best practices from advisors across the country
- Attending an executive dinner with LPL’s Managing Director Andy Kalbaugh, Executive Vice President Angela Xavier, and LPL Board Member Rick Shifter
Here we are after an evening of thoughtful conversation. I was profoundly honored to sit across the table from a Board member and have them ask, “What can LPL change to better serve you and your clients?”
So now I ask you – what can I do to better serve you, your family and your friends? Are there ways I can better communicate with you? Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts via email at sarin.barsoumian@lpl.com or phone at 781-863-5800. I look forward to hearing your ideas!