Innovators band together to provide cutting edge solutions for advisers

Michael Topper

Creators of the AstuteWheel, Hans Egger and Michael Topper, have partnered with other financial services innovators, The Social Adviser, Complete Client Connection, Now Sorted!, 64 Media, and PressDev, to launch AdviceInnovation – an online hub providing innovative solutions for Australian financial planning businesses.

Mr Topper said the members of AdviceInnovation are some of the very best in their field. “We have hand-picked partners to be part of AdviceInnovation,” he said. “They have innovative ideas that have been commercialised and proven.”

When first involved in co-founding, developing and launching AstuteWheel, a successful innovative client engagement system for financial advisers, Mr Topper said he soon realised that although it might be a brilliant product, if the target audience couldn’t easily find out about it, then it was difficult to help them improve their businesses.

“Advisers were contacting us as a result of word-of-mouth referrals but wished they knew about us sooner,” he said. “That got me thinking – why don’t I find other great innovators for advisers and build an innovators hub on the net?”

The result is www.AdviceInnovation.com.au, which is designed to help advice businesses locate innovators who have developed practical applications and services advisers can use in their businesses to add value for their clients and/or make their businesses run more efficiently and profitably.

“Often innovative products and services are well-kept secrets and until now there hasn’t been a central source or directory for advisers to gain access to them,” Mr Topper said. “Often this can be attributed to a few factors including a lack of marketing funds, lack of expertise in promoting the applications, or lack of distribution.”

AdviceInnovation will promote the members’ applications and services via a database of advisers, direct marketing communications, public relations and regular ‘innovation think tanks’.