From a marketing team perspective, last year was a great year from a business standpoint but also one that offered some welcome change. Overall production numbers from our reps and wholesale partners were up compared to last year, and we added north of 230 new registered representatives. We also moved forward with several initiatives to bring value to our reps for 2024 and beyond.
The marketing team completed a six-month-long rebrand of TLG Advisors with a logo redesign, revised offering, and new website. We hope to market our advisory services more effectively in the coming years, and this was a great step in that direction.
The Leaders Group was purchased by Simplicity Group in August, and my team immediately dove in with their marketing department to determine ways we could work together. One such way was a solution for Leaders University, which previously had been built on an outdated technology platform. We engaged ON24 through Simplicity’s contracting and obtained preferred pricing on a robust multimedia platform for both Leaders University but also for webcasting or webinar capabilities. As my team works to build out the new platform, accessible through the TLG website login portal, we will communicate with you what resources are available throughout the year. This will be where we will have all rep training videos, study group information, recorded Straight Talk conference presentations, as well as dedicated areas for the TLG departments and our carrier and tech partners.
The marketing team completed its first year of our new awards and recognition program. We sent out customized gifts to our reps for anniversary and production milestones monthly. I’m sure there are some of you who received a gift this year, and it is just our little way of saying, “Thank you!” We are going to expand the program in 2024, building on the positive feedback we received from ‘23.
The annual conference, Straight Talk, was held in San Diego in the fall. The venue and conference went well; however, it was lightly attended from an in-person standpoint, and it heavily weighed towards virtual participation. We decided to take a different approach to 2024 given these results from 2023, and we are cutting out the virtual component, going 100% in-person like the pre-COVID days. We are also requiring attendance for the entire program and not just for one segment of the meeting, as previously done. To improve the meeting itself, we engaged our Director’s Council to help us plan and organize it, and with their help have already lined up a completed agenda with seven main-stage speakers. It was a blank slate and will prove to be a complete overhaul of what we have done in the past. This year the conference is in Aurora, Colorado at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center October 7 – 9. We decided to decline the hotel agreement in Nashville, TN for 2025 because it didn’t offer the space configuration we required, and we didn’t know what form this meeting would take going forward. More to come on that as we start to source locations again.
Our meeting involvement for 2024 will not slow one bit! TLG attended our first Forum 400 event in 2023, and we are attending their 2024 event this January. They are now a part of Finseca as a community organization and are a fantastic group of high-end insurance producers. We are happy to continue to sponsor and be a part of their events. We also attended NAILBA’s annual meeting, as we do every year and will continue to have a presence alongside Simplicity for 2024. I attended TLG’s first NAIFA event for their Leadership Conference in Washington DC this past year. For 2024, The Leaders Group is going to become more involved in NAIFA at both a local and national level, attending Colorado’s annual event in February and the two main NAIFA national events for 2024. I am also proud to say I am now a NAIFA member under their industry affiliation, and we will be offering a discounted NAIFA membership for Leaders Group reps who are not yet members, so stay tuned for that announcement as well.
Heading into 2024, you will see enhanced organization and content for our rep communications as well as an additional Advisory Monthly email that is solely focused on investment advisor representatives of TLG Advisors. Of course, you will continue to see the Leaders Weekly, Wholesale Monthly, and Leaders Quarterly emails we put out with valuable information and announcements.
The Presidents Club has been expanded from 30 to 35 members to adjust for our growing size, and congratulations to all our PC members! The Directors Council will continue to be a group both elected and appointed by The Leaders Group and will help guide our operations for the coming year. A special thank you to Jimmy Jacobs for helping me lead the organizational efforts for the Straight Talk conference this year. Additionally, a very special congratulations to Steve Caldara in becoming the new Chairman of the Directors Council! Thank you both for everything.
We can’t forget the Advanced Solutions Group (ASG) that was formed in late 2022 and continues to be a great resource for our reps, so a big thank you to all those associated with the ASG. We will be continuing our study groups for 2024 and encourage anyone who has interest to become involved in those groups. Micah Hesting does such a great job working with all of you, as well as leading those valuable study groups throughout the year.
Lastly, a huge thank you to my teammates in the department who helped us move everything forward. Please reach out to us if you need anything.
Have a healthy, happy, and profitable 2024!
Sincerely,
