Graham worked to add value to advisors throughout the year. He noted that he was able to leverage technology, develop a new approach to business development, and demonstrate how Franklin Templeton’s various departments could also support advisors.
Franklin Templeton is committed to partnering with visible minorities in Canada, so he recalled confirming a meeting with one of Franklin Templeton’s Mandarin-speaking portfolio managers in Hong Kong to help a Mandarin-speaking advisor here land a high-net worth prospect.
He also noticed that several of the financial advisors he worked with were struggling with mental health issues during the pandemic, so he created a wellness program for them. He worked with Franklin Templeton’s fitness experts and guest speakers to develop a variety of seminars, which addressed healthy eating, meditation, and physical activities, which got advisors moving.
“That contributed not just to relationship growth, but also sales growth year-over-year, which more than doubled,” said Graham. “So, that was a highlight because it was a challenging year where anxiety was high because of the pandemic, and being able to provide some form of wellness program was the main attrition for my success.
“But, partnering with financial advisors is more meaningful than that. It’s trying to identify ways of knowing their needs for their overall success. If they’re not physically or mentally healthy, then everything crumbles. And that was one of the issues that I identified last year because quite a few of our advisors were exiting the business because they were struggling with pandemic challenges.”
