RALEIGH, NC – April 22, 2019 – In February, over 100 professionals within the African American Market (AAMU) of New York Life gathered at The Woodlands Resort in Texas.  CLJ Advisory Founder, Chris Jordan spoke to the group and presented the fundamentals of  Developing Partnerships with Centers Of Influence (COIs).  This event in Houston represented an annual sales meeting for the AAMU, which is led by Corporate Vice President Eric Jackson.  

Jordan’s connection to the AAMU happened as a result of a brief introduction between Jackson and Jordan during the 2018 CAAFP Conference in Washington, DC.  During a lunch break, the two exchanged contact information.  Little did either know that Jordan would be speaking at the AAMU sales conference.  “This was a historic event for me”, said Jordan.  “I have presented in front of 100s before, but never to this many African-American financial advice professionals under one roof.  During my entire business career in the financial services industry, I didn’t realize this group existed.  It was so good to be a part of this meeting.”

Developing COI partnerships is encouraged at most firms, but not often taught.  “In my opinion, this is one of the most important areas that a financial advisor should focus on.  If they can master these skills, they will increase their knowledge, develop more confidence, give better advice to their clients, and ultimately increase their ability to get referrals from CPAs and attorneys”, said Jordan

Mr. Jordan recently developed the COI REFERRAL TRAINING which is a 90-minute online course that helps financial advisors and insurance agents develop referral based partnerships with COIs.  The course was created based on interviews with CPAs, attorneys and financial advisors over his 18 year career as a Wholesaler.  After the event, several of the attendees enrolled in the course. 

“The training was phenomenal! It helped me realize what I wasn’t doing to capture this market,” said Tamara Haskins, CPA, MS, and Council Agent at New York Life in Bethesda, MD

Stephan Taylor of New York Life in Pasadena, CA said, “The training was very valuable and could really help others in our office.  Since the training, I’ve used what he taught to cultivate my existing relationships while looking for others.”

About CLJ Advisory

Founded in 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina, CLJ ADVISORY is a global consulting firm with a mission to raise the level of the financial advice industry around the world.  The firm provides online training and services to broker dealer firms, universities, wholesale distribution firms and financial advisors.  With students in over 140 cities across the US and Canada, CLJ ADVISORY has provided education to financial advisors at over 27 broker dealer firms and universities (as of February 2020)