An expert in dealing with difficult challenges, Parisse helps leaders and professionals address challenging markets, rapid change, mergers and more. His presentations include: The Changing Face of Financial Advice, Questions Great Financial Advisors Ask, This Is Your Time, The Great Salesperson and Thriving In Turbulent Times.
When Successful Meetings magazine named Parisse one of the “Top 21 Speakers for the 21st Century” it was not a surprise. Alan is well known for helping individuals and organizations deal with challenging transitions. Often called the “thinking person’s motivator”, Parisse helps audiences reframe their thinking, let go of the past, organize for the future and take action. The insights and strategies he shares are a culmination of a career dedicated to overcoming difficulties by finding new ways to harness the forces of change and shape the future.
Alan has been speaking eloquently to groups about selling value over price for more than 20 years. His talks address the “price objection” and what it really means. He provides an experienced perspective and tools to salespeople in any industry that answer difficult questions about price and promote the value of their product to close the sale. Consequently, they walk away with ideas they hadn’t considered able to see new client sales differently and retain their current book. Alan has personally experienced everything on which he speaks to his audiences. He has an intelligent humor in imparting the information. He’s personally guided top producers for many years from many industries. They remember, learn and laugh in the process.
No one is more aware that in 2009 salespeople will face higher objection rates than before Fall 2008. The lagging dollar, housing bust and generally uncertain economic state has created a more conservative buyer. Experienced, top producers know that economic ups and downs are part of doing business, but they will still face the price objection that leads to longer closing timelines. Those can be made shorter with insights from Alan Parisse.
Alan has spoken to the Million Dollar Round Table and Top of the Table. The articles, books and audio programs he’s created have addressed the important basics of selling, relationship building and promoting value over price for salespeople.
Parisse is a seasoned, financial services professional with over 20 years of experience. He is internationally respected for his insights into the impact of the changing, global economy on investment cycles and financial marketing. In high demand, Parisse has been a keynote speaker for a long list of securities firms, insurance companies and banks. In addition, he has been a guest lecturer at the Stanford Business School, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Business, UCLA Graduate School of Management and the University Of Pennsylvania Wharton School Of Business.
After graduate school, with only $6 in his pocket, Parisse joined a small San Francisco investment firm. In just 4 years, he rose to the position of President and C.O.O. Regarded as an expert in his field, he authored 4 books and became the National President of the sector’s trade organization. In that capacity, he solved communication problems between the professional and practitioner sides of the business, created the first positive cash flow the organization had ever experienced and established a reserve fund for its future.
Parisse served as President of Mill-Park Consultants. In that role he assisted CIGNA and several other major financial firms in diversifying their product line to include non-traditional offerings. Parisse has also served as a senior executive for Oppenheimer and other national investment firms. In those roles, he was responsible for developing and marketing major investment banking strategies. His last role in the investment business was with a large investment firm as Senior Vice President, Marketing. Due to changes in tax laws, that part of the investment business ceased to exist and Parisse transitioned to speaking and consulting. In that capacity, he helped companies including CIGNA and NY Life bring non-traditional products to market. Parisse has held various positions in the investment business. Within those, he was instrumental in the creation, marketing and sales of investments that in today’s worth would be valued in the billions.
Alan Parisse is a Certified Speaking Professional and Inductee the Speaker’s Hall of Fame. He is a member of the NASD and has an MBA from the University of Arizona.
Alan Parisse’s books and courses include:
· Questions Great Financial Advisors Ask (co-author)
· The Great Salesperson
· Taking Charge – Lessons In Leadership (co-author)
· This is Your Time: Empowering Today’s Financial Advisor (co-author)
· Power Marketing: Strategies for Financial Professionals
· The 101 Best Financial Marketing Ideas
P&C Insurance Clients:
Accident Fund, Acordia, Aetna, Allstate, Captive Insurance Companies Association, Casualty Actuarial Society, Chubb, Gallagher Benefit Services, Group Underwriters Association, Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa, Independent Reinsurance Underwriters, IOA-RE, ITT-Hartford, Kinnerer & Company, Marsh, Milliman & Robertson, National Association of Insurance Brokers, National Risk Retention Association, Nationwide, Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, Property Loss Research Bureau, Risk and Insurance Management Society (MN Chapter), RSA Surplus Lines, Schinnerer & Company, Sedgwick, Texas Association of Insurance Agents, Transamerica
Additional Financial Services and Insurance Clients:
AIG, American Express, ING, Merrill Lynch, Oppenheimer, Northwestern Mutual, New York Life, Principal, Prudential, Securities Industry Association, Smith Barney, SunAmerica
Topics:
1) Questions Great (Financial) Advisors Ask (adaptable for Insurance audiences)
The speech based on the new landmark book shows how advisors who ask the right questions, listen to the answers and use their clients’ success as their measure of achievement will:
· Dramatically boost money under management.
· Significantly increase average account size.
· Create clients for life who eagerly refer others.
Advisors learn to:
· Dramatically boost money under management.
· Significantly increase average account size.
· Create clients for life who eagerly refer others.
· Recognize their clients’ Investment Wiring, up close, beyond the façade.
· Help clients weigh risk vs. RISK!!
· Get clients to do what they ought to, when they are not inclined to do it.
This speech reveals the decision driving questions, straight from the industry’s preeminent advisors:
· Who do you want my client to be? You now? You later? Your heirs?
· How will you feel when you have to go back to work?
· Do you know what you should do?
2) Thriving in Turbulent Times
Thriving in turbulent times starts with an understanding that the problems we make are almost always worse than the problems we have. Our reaction to problems frequently creates more difficulty than the underlying problems themselves. To sustain and enhance success, organizations must be able to move quickly and find fresh solutions. Alan passionately communicates innovative insights and inspires people to get on with the task at hand.
3) This is Your Time
Despite the challenges in the world – and to a considerable extent because of them – this is the time to renew and rededicate yourself to the important work. Look at a list of great U.S. Presidents. Now there is a list of peace and prosperity Presidents, right? Wrong! Greatness requires something significant to push against. This Is Your Time. Challenges and adversity should be the launching pad for future success. When we have the perspective to see opportunities and the self-esteem to keep our attitude up, we can forge ahead with vigor, passion and resolve.