Accretive relaunches

In addition to the Elite Advisor program, the partners also acquired Accretive 360’s Insights & Opinions website and newsletter – an educational resource for investors that currently has more than 40,000 subscribers.

The original idea of bringing investors and advisors together through a web portal was developed by Randy Ambrosie, Accretive 360’s founder and former CEO. Hartman says the portal is a concept that still works well.

“The original concept was a sound one,” says Hartman, “and the intent was certainly there. But in order for people to want to come back, you need to provide them with a much deeper and dynamic offering.”

The Elite Advisor program continues to include a rigorous qualification process that audits various aspects of an advisor’s practice, including the satisfaction and engagement levels of their clients, the advisors’ professional standards and their service offerings. Advisors will still be able to access the Client Audit Tool, offered by Toronto-based Advisor Impact Inc., a strategic partner of Accretive Advisor that is run by industry veteran Julie Littlechild.

Currently, there are 75 advisors who hold the Elite status and another 25 advisors who are working toward obtaining it. Over the next year, Hartman and Reimer expect to see those numbers jump significantly. The partners would like to see the Elite database reach 2,000 advisors.

Hartman and Reimer have also partnered with Toronto-based Infinite Media Inc. to redesign the Accretive website. The new platform provides advisors and investors with a variety of new financial tools, links, courses and resources.

There are now three access points on the website: one for individual investors; another for advisors looking for coaching and practice-management tools; and a third for advisors who already have the Elite Advisor qualification.

For the individual investor, the website provides information about investor protection, product details, a glossary of advisor designations and articles on investing. In addition, investors will be able to tap into the Elite Advisor database, which has a search engine that can locate an advisor for the user based on location, designations and specialties.

Advisors also will have a portal that provides access to an online marketing-support tool kit. Advisors will be able to access individual coaching on how to build their brand, how to generate third-party endorsements and how to use social media platforms.

“Advisors are getting ‘Googled’ before a client even steps into a face-to-face meeting,” says Reimer. “So, we designed the tool kit to help them be searchable through social media and, in turn, show advisors how to become more referable.”

Throughout the acquisition process, the Elite Advisor program maintained its relationship with 26 investment firms, including five of the Big Six banks. These firms have approved the process for their advisors.

“Throughout the country, there are around 50,000 advisors,” Hartman says. “We would like to create a community with the ones who are serious about their business.”

Once an advisor gains Elite Advisor status, he or she is able to build an online profile that includes creating online content for investors. These advisors will be featured throughout the Accretive Advisor website. An investor will be able to share these advisors’ contact information with friends through more than 300 social media platforms.

In addition, advisors with the Elite Advisor status will be able to create video content and submit written articles or blog links that will help to drive business back to their own website.

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