Marie Swift

Hello, this is Marie Swift, Marketing Communications Coach for the Garrett Planning Network.

During your startup phase you may feel the need for more personalized help and assistance. We encourage you to reach out to fellow members, staff members and the Network’s consultants using the Knowledge Bank discussion boards, which offer you unlimited use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and on the numerous webinars and teleconferences offered each month.

Each new member will also get personalized help with their professional profile page for the Garrett master website. This is what the public and media will see when they go through the Locate an Advisor map to seek an advisor within in their locale or within a certain area of specialization. After studying some of the other profile pages on the master site, you’ll create the first draft and send your best attempt to Jamie Breeden, Director of Member Services, via email. Jamie will polish and work through it with you until you are both satisfied that it’s all it can be.

If you would like me, as the Network’s marketing expert, to review other materials (for instance, the brochure you put together using one of Garrett’s templates or another source), to ask my opinion of the logo and tagline that you’re developing on your own or with the help of a local graphic artist, to request that I comment on your website, to ask about niche markets or to request other personalized advice, please save your questions for one of my group tele-coaching sessions or post your question and/or your materials on the Knowledge Bank discussion board. I look at the Knowledge Bank discussion board two or three times per week and will reply there. The other great thing is that a number of accomplished peers, staff members and outside consultants may also comment and provide coaching and advice, so you’ll get a variety of input and opinions as you are grappling with what to name your company, the first draft of your logo, how to communicate your value, the best way to build a website and so forth.

So, file that ADV paperwork, then get working on your profile page, logo, website and brochure. You’ll want to have them ready for use as soon as you’re approved to open your doors. It’s especially important to get your profile page up on the master site as soon as you are officially open for business because we continue to receive significant media exposure. You don’t want to miss out on that next wave of inquiries.

Once you’re approved by the state regulatory body and your profile is posted on the public Garrett site, then use the discussion boards, webinars and tele-coaching sessions and be sure you come to retreat every year to pick my brain to get the additional insights and advice you need to build a thriving financial planning practice. Also, watch for my Marketing Minute page in the Garrett News and Views quarterly newsletter. I always provide a few tips and insights in my regular column space to make sure you are learning new things and internalizing the great advice provided during your initial and ongoing training sessions with the Network.