The Quarterback Q4 2012
Warrior, October Robert issued £111,000 he wasn’t the only one issuing over £100k, we had two Warriors going home with enough money to make Jimmy Carr blush – we also had Dean with £78k in the bag – not a bad month to be in the pensions business.
November FINALLY SAW Dean chalk up a winning month he bagged a very respectable £132k to clean up for November and his figures for the last 5 months were very impressive, from Aug to DEC read £58k, £42k, £78k, £132k and £64k and he still only won 1 man of the month!
Deans £132k was the biggest month of the year and surely it was down to circumstance that he didn’t win man of the year for the second time. In 2012 Dean averaged more than a deal a week, writing 56 deals – 9 deals more than Robert and 60% more than anyone else, and his total issued was only £4k less than our eventual Warrior.
December Deans’ £63k for December wasn’t enough to clinch consecutive months, Jim Humphreys would you “Adam and Eve it” finished the year in exactly the same way that he started – a very impressive £68k was enough to take his second month of the year.
Jims work rate has been unbelievable, it’s not easy to come in from a standing start and generate as quickly as he has done. I think reflecting on the year, the turning point for Jim was Liz making the move over – not only from a work perspective with Liz chasing down all the LOA’s etc. But from a happiness perspective Jim has been a new man and that has been reflected in his business, with over 20 deals issued in December and January. Jim is a great example to anyone coming in what can be achieved with a bit of elbow grease, some humour and no less talent.
So that was it for 2012 another year bites the dust and Robert for the second consecutive year wins the Sword. Robert not only won the most months but he also issued the most business overall, made the most money and with 47 deals issued there was a lot of effort involved.
Congratulations to Robert a worth Winner and a true Gentleman and he wins not only the honour but a nice £3k for his kitty. It is true in any organisation that the best will find a way – not only did our top two write the most business, they also issued the most deals by some distance. Good luck for 2013! Jim looks like he could mount a challenge and HK is now on the agenda.
Company Update From a Forth Capital perspective 2012 was a successful year – we hit our targets for new recruits (if we include Chris!) We increased turnover by over 70% and we made a profit! We opened up a new office in Asia and we certainly enhanced our reputation within the industry. This has resulted in better deals for us which in turn helps you guys. The trail payments for funds are on the back of our recent success and we hope that you gents can all take advantage of this opportunity to build up some recurring income for yourselves. We are committed to having the best people and to getting the most from them, hence we are putting aside 2% of turnover towards company events and Sales training which gives us a nice budget for 2013 and we are targeting 10 hrs. per year per consultant. As we bring in more people we are also ramping up our campaigns run by Nick and Sam to get you guys the most and best qualified leads—this can be very expensive but we will continue to pour all available cash into this area as we look to scale up our operations and become a significant player in the world of expat finance.
So far in 2013… It’s been a very busy start to the year – we were back in situ Jan 7th with a bang – Class 1 started and we had Susan Young and all of the HK team in Geneva for a few days. Anton, Jim and Martyn passed their class 1 and the advantage of our very stringent recruitment process (thanks Jill) was that all the guys who joined are seasoned pro’s they sailed through the course, which was great as the course is pretty intense – Robert and Graham hosted but we also had sessions with Sovereign, Skandia, GWMS; FE, Russell’s and a popular session with our regular sales guru Bill Morrison. The course went well and all three are now in the field. Congratulations to Jim and Martyn who have passed their 3 HK exams in less than 2 weeks – which is great work and to Anton who after only a couple of weeks in the field is off and running with 2 deals boarded on Friday. Welcome and well done guys.
Forth Capital Hong Kong went out for an inaugural branch dinner on Friday 8th February, where Jim and Martyn had the honour of smashing the Beggars Chicken!
Susan Young also joins the HK office, Susan is married to Graham but she has a lot more on her CV than Graham to qualify her position in FC. Susan ran the admin team for the company I worked for in a previous life, and she knows our business inside out and I am delighted that Graham’s good luck is also ours – Susan is a key addition to the team and is one of the reasons that our team in HK will succeed. So with the Hong Kong project on the move, the rest of the team headed to Dubai to sample a bit of the good life, reflect on and celebrate our successes to date. I think I can safely say that everyone had a great time, it all seems a bit of a blur now but from the World fastest roller coaster to flying over the Palm and of course a bit of belly dancing, a lot of fun was had. My favourite was the gala dinner at the IVY, the food and service was exquisite and we had a great couple of hours with Pete Cohen.
Qualification Criteria Robert, Dean, Jim & Richard – 10 new deals from existing clients or self introduced business. Minimum ETI of ₤5k per deal & minimum total of ₤70k. Protected note & Iveagh deals excluded Graham, Anton, Jim & Martyn – 10 new deals with a minimum ETI of ₤5k per deal. Protected note & Iveagh deals excluded Qualification Period 4th February to 26th April
Welcomes Anton Taylor Consultant in Geneva Anton has moved across from London at the start of January 2013 to join the Geneva team. He has over 20 years experience in the financial services industry having worked for several practices in London and running his own firm for 5 years. His wife and two children will be moving out to Geneva later in the year. Anton enjoys rugby, snowboarding and skiing.
Martyn Ludlow Consultant in Hong Kong Martyn moved across to Hong Kong in mid January, with over 28 years experience in the financial services industry from management to sales. Martyn has lectured all over the world on sales, marketing and planning. He’s a qualified chef and enjoys sports including martial arts. Martyn fought Karate for Wales in the late 70’s. He has also sponsored and organised many charity events linked to sporting events.
Jim Mackie Consultant in Hong Kong Born and educated in Cardiff, Jim started out his working career with JCB and worked in Canada for two years as a hydraulic engineer on heavy plant machinery. Jim ran his own business in plant repair and transport for 15 years before moving into the financial services industry. Jim loves rugby and played for over 20 years and has travelled to see lots of the 7’s games. He has played golf all over the world and has a handicap of 14. He also loves the sea, having owned his own yacht and enjoys scuba diving.
Susan Young Administration Manager, Hong Kong Susan has previously worked as an Operations and Administration Manager for 15 years for other IFA organisations, and two of these years were in Hong Kong. Previously she worked for Santander and the UK Civil Service. Susan and Graham have five children between them, and two grandchildren. A lot of time is spent with the family. Susan loves horse riding, socialising and motown music.
Zuzuana Kovacova PA for Dean Elliott Zuzu has worked in Sales & Business Development and as an Events Co-Ordinator internationally. She spent four years in Dubai before returning to Europe in 2012. Zuzu enjoys travelling and would like to visit all of the seven wonders of the world. So far she has visited three and plans to go to the Great Wall of China later this year. She loves the mountains here in Switzerland as well as fondue and chocolate.
Martina Gorekova PA for Richard Beresford Martina studied Business Management until 2008 in the Czech Republic. She started her career in Turkey, before moving back to Prague for a year and then across to Geneva. She speaks Slovak, Czech, French, Russian, English and even a little Italian. She enjoys music, fitness, literature and going to the theatre.
Final words 2013 is now well on the way, with everyone in Geneva on the board and the HK team raring to get started and by the time you see this I expect Dean to have 200k on the board – nearly all from his own prospecting. There is a really strong team of 5 in Hong Kong with lots of experience and Nick providing energy to the operation. After the Chinese New Year celebrations, look for fireworks from Asia! Having worked under Mr Graham Brown for a number of years, I can only say to the HK team that they are very lucky to have a man with his experience and courage to lead them into battle. Here is to a healthy and prosperous 2013 for all.
Tom Tracy “Amat Victoria Curam” Tom Tracy Feb 9th 2013.