Don Trapnell
Almost two months out from Synchron’s annual NextGen conference and the event for young advisers and sales executives is already at capacity. “We have a total of 64 places for NextGen advisers and industry BDMs and they have all been filled,” said Synchron Director, Don Trapnell. “We believe this is because NextGen is a one-of-a-kind conference in this industry and perhaps even in all industries across Australia.”
Launched in 2006, NextGen is open to Synchron advisers and financial services sales executives aged under 40 and is specifically designed to break down barriers.
“The NextGen program is all about pushing boundaries – pushing the boundaries of the things NextGen delegates do now and also the things they have never done before. We provide sessions on technical knowledge but also focus on those incredibly important soft skills of client interaction.”
Mr Trapnell says young sales executives are invited to the conference because Synchron believes they add considerable value and without them the lives of advisers would be very difficult.
“It is no secret that we have a very high BDM to adviser ratio at NextGen. Normally at a conference you might get 10 advisers to one BDM. At NextGen we have two advisers to one sales executive because we believe that the DNA the sales executive brings to the room has great value. The symbiotic nature of the relationship means that without advisers BDMs don’t have a job and without BDMs advisers can’t do their job well.”
Mr Trapnell says while there is a lot of criticism around the sales element of financial services, the reality is that sales exist in every profession. “Every time you walk into a doctor’s surgery and you see a sign on the wall that says, ‘Talk to me about losing weight’, that doctor is trying to sell you something.”
He argues that sales is simply about removing artificial barriers that a potential purchaser may put up to prevent them from acquiring a service that is in their best interests. “Sales is not about pushing product, there is no place for that in our industry. But sales is about removing artificial barriers that may exist that prevent people from getting the financial services they need. NextGen helps pull down those barriers by encouraging and fostering strong relationships between advisers and sales executives.”
This year’s NextGen conference will be held in Darwin from 21-25 September.
