The catchy headline for the talk from the IFP's former London branch chairman Dennis Hall of Yellowtail to East Anglia branch members in March was: "How thinking small doubled my turnover in two years." It certainly lived up to its billing.
Although the title implies a story of one success after another, this could not have been further from the truth, according to co-chairman Duncan Hannay Robertson CFP^CM. "Dennis let us into his laboratory and candidly revealed not only all that had gone well but also his 'unsuccessful' experiments within his Financial Planning business.
"The journey has been a long one looking honestly at his strengths and weaknesses; finding out who his clients really are and surprised to find that most are ladies looking for guidance in their later years.
He covered other issues such as, pricing and pricing barriers, using Paraplanners in-house or external, passive and active investment management, outsourcing, office space and virtual services. He also shared many of the benefits of using consultants."
{desktop}{/desktop}{mobile}{/mobile}
Chris Adams CFP^CM, branch co-chairman, said, "This has been one of our most successful meetings. It was a complete practice management session in an evening. Dennis handed over knowledge and wisdom that has taken him years to shape. Everyone took away not just one idea, but a few that could change their business the next day."
Mr Hall said: "Sharing ideas and experiences, particularly unsuccessful ones, is easier if the audience is open-minded and receptive. I've never believed in overnight success, and while the title of my talk is true, it was designed to attract an audience.
"I shared the four-year journey leading to the two years in the title. My business model has been turned on its head in the last couple of years, not through RDR, but because I found what worked best for me. I'm currently working on the 'Ascending Transaction Model' but that's for another day."

• Want to receive a free weekly summary of the best news stories from our website? Just go to home page and submit your name and email address. If you are already logged in you will need to log out to see the e-newsletter sign up. You can then log in again.