Robert D. Knapp - The Supernova Multiplier

1. Chapter 3
2. Chapter 13

1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 4

Rob Knapp

Copyright 2019 by Rob Knapp. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Knapp, Rob

Title: The supernova multiplier : 7 strategies for financial advisors to grow their practices / Robert D. Knapp.

Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2019] | Includes index. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2018045782 (print) | LCCN 2018047876 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119539773 (ePub) | ISBN 9781119539810 (Adobe PDF) | ISBN 9781119539803 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Investment advisors. | Investment advisor-client relationships. | Financial planners. | Financial services industryCustomer services.

Classification: LCC HG4621 (ebook) | LCC HG4621 .K643 2019 (print) | DDC 332.6068/4dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018045782

Cover image: Wiley

Cover design: titoOnz/iStock.com

When Larry Wilson wrote Rob Knapp's Foreword for The Supernova Advisor, Larry stated, Rob and his team have a PhD in the hard knocks school of leaders leading change. Better yet, they transformed what they learned into a powerful change system called Supernova.

A lot has happened to Rob and his Supernova Consulting Group since those heady days of transforming chaos to process using the Supernova model. The model has evolved and become the service model of thousands of Financial Advisory teams throughout the world. Having that eagle-eye view across the industry has given Rob a unique perspective. Rob Shaffer, Supernova coach and friend of the author for over 30 years, said it best, If I only knew then [when he was managing offices] what I know now, what a difference I could have made. Rob Knapp successfully shares that experience in The Supernova Multiplier.

This book picks up where The Supernova Advisor left off. If you haven't read the first book, don't worry, Knapp gives you a quick summary in the introduction. Rob reviews the Supernova process of segmentation and organization, gives you numerous updated and improved ideas, and then dives into acquisition.

Growing practices has been the biggest challenge of the modern financial services industry. Knapp takes on that challenge by offering the 7 strategies for Growth, with real-life examples, testimonials, and key takeaways for each strategy. Nowhere has anyone gone into so much detail on exactly how to step-by-step transform your chaotic acquisition strategy to one that is based on a Supernova process. As a former Naval Aviator, Knapp believes in plan, process, and rituals. He literally gives you checklists to follow as you go from one strategy to the next.

Knapp will show you why some financial advisor's (FA's) with similar talent, experience, and drive are successful using these models while others never get the results. How many times have we heard, I've tried using [COIs, Boards, Networking groups], but I never get any referrals. Rob interviews numerous FAs who in their own words tell you their secrets to breaking through those barriers.

Rob will not only get you on the right path, but show you how to build in the rituals and accountability tools to keep you on track. How many times have you heard, I used to do that and it really worked, but I don't do it now. This FA has no real rituals built into the system and no accountability. Plato said, learning is remembering. Just because something sounds familiar doesn't mean you really understand how it will benefit you in modern-day marketing. Open your mind and let these ideas in. Knapp stated, I haven't held anything back here. I have put every good idea from the last ten years of coaching and my 45 years in the world of sales and marketing into this book. For Rob this book was a labor of love. Taking over three years to create, with hundreds of interviews and thousands of coaching hours, Rob has learned as much from his students as he has taught. Rob intends to donate all proceeds to his foundation, which is dedicated to educating those less fortunate, as he has done with his previous books.

Now dive into The Supernova Multiplier with the mindset of an eager learner and this will be as transformational as any journey you have ever taken.

Steve Siebold, author,
Secrets Self-Made Millionaires Teach Their Kids

The Supernova Multiplier was created out of a desire to share everything we have learned since we began the Supernova Consulting Group in 2006. That is a tall order. We interviewed over 100 Financial Advisors (FAs) who went through our year-long coaching program and showed tremendous growth. We could not include them all in this book but rather used several examples for each of the 7 Strategies for Growth. Their contribution to this book gave it credibility. Their creativity in adapting these ideas to their practice gave us some exceptional breakthroughs. Let me first thank Bob Mulholland who gave us permission to speak to both his staff and Financial Advisors. His leadership, first at Merrill Lynch and then at another major financial services firm, gave our program tremendous credibility. He encouraged us to roll out Supernova to all regions of his firm. Not once but again two years later. We trained over 3,000 Financial Advisors and their teams. We trained their top managers and saw the program get tremendous traction and success. Bob has since retired, but his legacy lives on. The FA satisfaction rate went from the low 30s to the 80s during his tenure. An outstanding accomplishment. Critical players on his team who became completely immersed in the program were Heather Gifford, Gerry Schreck, Chuck Patton, Greg Staab, Clay Bedford, and Dick Lown. Many of these professionals were out in the field with our team coordinating, presenting, and supporting, and coaching the program. Some of their words appear in the text of this book.