Renato Mota
Viewpoint with John Billington

By Renato Mota

With my leadership team now in place, our focus is firmly fixed on identifying the areas where we can make a real and measurable difference to your practice. First among these is the Business Affinity Program (BAP). The BAP is a key element of our offering and one that helps us build true business partnerships with our adviser and Dealer Group partners.

The right support is vital

For advisers running their own practice or AFSL, who don’t have back office support and systems provided by a large parent organisation, the right business partner can literally mean the difference between a thriving ongoing business and one that will never achieve its potential. Through the BAP, IOOF offers a flexible suite of services designed to help you achieve best practice when it comes to running your business.

Services such as a brokerage management system, marketing support, and access to Research and Technical teams are all available and fully customisable to suit your business needs.

Practice management

Most notably, we have developed a comprehensive practice management module, the Business Optimisation Program, that will provide clear and measurable results whether you are just starting out, growing your business or need succession planning advice.

The Business Optimisation Program is extremely powerful and can have a significant impact on the performance and direction of a practice. This was ably demonstrated by a testimonial I received recently from an adviser who had seen her practice swing rapidly from profit to loss during the recent financial crisis. She was still providing quality advice to her loyal clients but lack of control over the rest of her business was destroying her profitability.

After dedicating a significant amount of her time to participate in our Business Optimisation workshops, she was full of praise, reporting that it was well worth the effort. Not only was her practice well on the way back to profitable levels but the systems and processes implemented via the program will ensure that her renewed profitability is sustainable in all market conditions.

If you would like to learn more about how you may participate in the BAP, and how it can be structured to meet the needs of your business, I encourage you to speak to your BDM.

Results from latest Investment Trends

I’m pleased to report that the latest Investment Trends report has named Pursuit the most improved platform for 2009. It’s welcome recognition of work that has been going on for some time. We continue to invest in our platforms and support services (like the BAP) and we particularly look forward to hearing your reaction to our efforts.

Kind regards,
Renato Mota
General Manager, Distribution