

The Customer Wins
Richard Walker
This is The Customer Wins podcast where business leaders discuss their secrets and techniques for helping their customers succeed and in turn grow their company.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 18, 2023 • 39min
Using AI To Financially Plan Our Future With Robert Kirk
Robert Kirk is the Founder and CEO of InterGen Data, a prediction and analysis company that uses AI to help financial professionals prepare clients for impactful life events. He is an accomplished technologist, leader, and industry expert in wealth management. With over 30 years of wealth management experience, Robert has led several firms in technology implementation and played a critical role in helping those firms grow. In this episode… As we navigate life, significant events are bound to happen, including retirement, critical illness, or inheritance. While we cannot predict precisely when these events will occur, it is entirely possible to prepare for them. However, many are completely unprepared for their future. This is what Robert Kirk discovered after his grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and had to move into a long-term care facility. To help others avoid this, he built a company that uses predictive analytics and machine learning to analyze data and provide insights into potential future events. The insights help individuals make informed decisions about their financial future. Financial advisors can also provide personalized advice and recommendations based on the predictions and their client's unique situation. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Robert Kirk, Founder and CEO of InterGen Data, to discuss the use of AI to predict the future and financially plan for it. Robert talks about InterGen Data and what it does, the challenges of running a software company, and its success stories.

Sep 11, 2023 • 35min
Leveraging AI Technology To Provide Holistic Financial Advice With Charlie Clark
Charlie Clark is the Chief Revenue Officer of FP Alpha, the first AI-driven wealth management tool for financial advisors. He kickstarted his career at eMoney Advisor, where he served as SVP of Sales and Business Development until its acquisition by Fidelity Investments. With over 20 years of experience in the fintech industry, Charlie has a proven track record of building and leading successful sales teams. In this episode… Providing financial advice to clients is a time-consuming process. With so many documents to go through and varying client needs to consider, keeping up with everything can be daunting. Fortunately, the power of artificial intelligence technology can make this process much easier and more efficient. According to Charlie Clark, leveraging AI technology as a financial advisor can help you advance to the next level. With its help, you can quickly sift through large amounts of data to identify the most relevant information for each client. It means you save time, stay relevant, and deliver advice tailored to each individual's needs. The possibilities of AI today are ever-growing, so here is what you need to know In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Charlie Clark, Chief Revenue Officer of FP Alpha, to discuss the value of leveraging AI technology in the wealth management industry. Charlie explains how FP Alpha uses AI to help financial advisors become better, the challenges of using AI, tips for measuring success as a FinTech firm, and advice for salespeople in the space.

Sep 4, 2023 • 26min
Lessons To Learn From The Food Lawyer With George Salmas
George Salmas is the Managing Principal of The Food Lawyers, a law firm providing legal services to all businesses specializing in the food industry. He earned his law degree from UCLA and was a Navy Lieutenant JAG officer handling courts-martial in Greece, Spain, Morocco, and even ships at sea. George has over 25 years of experience in total representing US and multinational food companies. In this episode… It's no secret that owning or managing a food-related company can be a recipe for legal trouble. The pressure can often be overwhelming when underprepared. These legal issues outside of the kitchen can keep businesses from focusing on what they do best. All of this is to be expected. Food law can be complicated and confusing for the uninitiated. It entails dealing with many things, including FDA and USDA regulatory issues, class action defense, trademarks, contracts, litigation, and many more details. George Salmas recommends hiring law firms that work intimately with the food industry — experts that understand the sector to offer them full-service representation and help them flourish. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with George Salmas, Managing Principal of The Food Lawyers, to discuss his journey in food law. George explains the reasons for niching into the food industry, tips for gaining clients’ trust, The Food Lawyers’ customer success stories, and how to win more customers.

Aug 28, 2023 • 40min
Smoothly Transitioning to New Firms With Tamara Williams
Tamara Williams is the Owner and Principal Transition Consultant of The Williams Consulting Group, where she assists financial advisors by managing the process of transitioning their current book of business to another firm. She started her career at Merrill Lynch, eventually becoming the Director of Transitions for an independent broker-dealer, where she learned and experienced the back office piece of how transitioning process works. Tamara received her formal education from Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL, graduating in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in finance with a minor in accounting. In this episode… As a financial advisor, are you planning to transition your book of business to another broker-dealer? Where can you get the assistance required to make the shift experience faster, easier, and smoother? Transferring a book of business to another firm is a very complex and multifaceted process. Tamara Williams recommends hiring transition consultants, experts who help advisors streamline the procedures, identify the challenges, and improve their pain points. She shares her journey developing a go-to resource for transitioning advisors while minimizing any business disruptions. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Tamara Williams, Owner and Principal Transition Consultant of The Williams Consulting Group, to discuss how advisors can seamlessly transition to another firm. Tamara explains the challenges advisors face when switching firms, advice for financial advisors thinking of transitioning, the value of creating strong relationships with clients as an advisor, and their process for simplifying the transition experience.

Aug 21, 2023 • 34min
How To Simplify the Accounts Receivable Process With Mark Firmin
Mark Firmin is the President and COO of ACOM Solutions, a company with a long and successful history of developing, distributing, and supporting integrated B2B software solutions. He is also the CEO of eTreem, a firm that delivers integrated receivables and payment processing for US-based businesses. Mark is a transformative and results-driven B2B tech leader known for his ability to drive short and long-term strategic goals. He has completed four successful exits, including a b2b FinTech acquired by American Express. In this episode… Account receivables is a complex aspect of business that can easily become problematic. So how do you solve the issues that arise as a result? There are many things to consider for a company to run its account receivables smoothly. They include accuracy, speed, cost, quality, and internal controls, which might be difficult for a team to handle. Mark Firm shares his journey building a SaaS-based platform that automates most steps to simplify the process. Listen to this episode of The Customer Wins as host Rich Walker welcomes Mark Firmin, President and COO of ACOM Solutions, to discuss how companies can successfully run their account receivables. Mark explains how ACOM Solutions and eTreem help customers with their account receivables, their ideal customer profile, why they focus on accounts receivable, and the importance of listening to your customers.

Aug 14, 2023 • 35min
Connecting Wealth Management Firms and Solution Providers With Chip Kispert
Chip Kispert is the Founder and Managing Partner of Beacon Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm servicing broker-dealers, asset managers, and supporting vendors. He is a 20-year veteran of the broker-dealer and asset management marketplace. Chip specializes in data management-centric supply strategy and implementation expertise in the form of infrastructure evolution. Before Beacon, he was Vice-President of Sales for Trust Company of America and held senior sales and business development roles at Fidelity Investments for four years. In this episode… The enterprise wealth management industry is constantly evolving, posing obstacles and opportunities. As an advisor, how can you identify and avoid these impediments and make your firm more profitable and productive? According to Chip Kispert, it's fundamental for an advisor to collaborate with enterprise wealth firm leaders, marketplace solution providers, and other prominent industry experts. For this to happen, they need support, people who can coach them through disruptive times, aligning business strategy and vision. He shares his journey as the bridge between enterprise wealth firms and solution providers. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Chip Kispert, Founder and Managing Partner of Beacon Strategies, LLC, to discuss how to be relevant in the dynamic enterprise wealth management industry. Chip explains how Beacon Strategies help wealth management firms, the value of understanding your own processes, the challenges advisors want to solve, and the Beacon Strategies’ roundtables.

Aug 7, 2023 • 36min
Customer Experience Lessons From The Hospitality Industry
Adam Isrow is the President of Hotel Operations at Wolff Urban Management, a real estate acquisition, investment, development, and management firm. He is an experienced business leader with a proven background in software development, business operations, customer acquisition, and relationship management for global hospitality technology companies. Adam co-founded GoConcierge and grew it to become the largest concierge software company in the world. It was later acquired by ALICE (an Expedia Company), the leading hospitality operations platform, to augment its technology and customer service offering in 2017. In this episode… Do you find it challenging to excel in the hotel industry? How can you ensure guests receive the best possible service and experience? Running a hotel or restaurant involves various aspects, such as guest services, front desk management, housekeeping, security, and task tracking. It can be overwhelming for the staff, particularly concierges. Adam Isrow, the President of Hotel Operations at Wolff Urban Management, shares his journey of creating a tool that focuses on guest response and task management. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker interviews Adam Isrow to discuss his entrepreneurial journey of creating GoConcierge, a tool that helps hotels thrive. Adam talks about how GoConcierge helps people, the significance of speaking your customers' language, the importance of a concierge, and tips for being a good leader and fostering a healthy company culture.

Jul 31, 2023 • 37min
Tips for Addressing Financial Regulatory Compliance Requirements With Parham Nasseri
Parham Nasseri is the Vice President of Product and Regulatory Strategy for InvestorCOM, a leading provider of regulatory compliance software and communications solutions for the financial services industry. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. Parham has progressive experience in data-centric roles relating to technology and finance. He is involved in the Canadian RegTech Association, CFA Society Toronto, and was the Chair of The Canadian Advocacy Council. In this episode… As an investor, are you hesitant to make financial decisions because of the complex regulatory requirements in the industry? How can you meet your regulatory obligations and drive better financial decisions? The regulatory requirements in the financial services industry are constantly evolving. It calls for innovative solutions to be able to comply efficiently and intuitively. According to Parham Nasseri, you can take the guesswork out of making compliant product recommendations through technology. He shares how they help wealth and asset managers turn compliance into a strategic advantage. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Parham Nasseri, Vice President of Product and Regulatory Strategy for InvestorCOM, to discuss tips for addressing compliance requirements in the financial service industry. Parham talks about how to adopt regulatory requirements through tech, the value of client feedback on the product development cycle, and the impacts of AI on the regulatory and compliance environment.

Jul 24, 2023 • 39min
Growing Through Active Listening and Good Communication With Mike Row of Future Capital
Mike Row is the Chief Revenue Officer of Future Capital, a firm connecting anyone working toward retirement with the tools, services, and guidance they need to retire with confidence. Before Future Capital, Mike spent over three decades at Pershing, acting both as an advocate for clients within the company and as a trusted senior representative of the firm. Throughout his journey, he has gained a well-rounded perspective of wealth and institutional businesses in the financial services industry. In this episode… As a financial advisor, are you looking for people preparing for retirement? How can you foster a good relationship and help them navigate their financial futures? It's most people's dream to retire with confidence. They understand the value of saving for retirement but know little about planning. Through active listening and good communication skills, you can win their trust as an advisor, help them understand their current financial situation, and plan the next steps toward the retirement they want. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Mike Row, Chief Revenue Officer of Future Capital, to discuss the value of active listening and good communication in the financial services industry. Mike talks about Future Capital and his professional journey at Pershing, tips for having active listening skills as an advisor, the value of good communication in a business, and the impact of AI on communication.

Jul 17, 2023 • 29min
Have Confidence in Where You Financially Stand With Shabana Nathoo
Shabana Nathoo is a Wealth Management Advisor at Navigo Wealth Management, an independent, fee-only Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm based in Texas. She is a Certified Financial Planner, Certified Digital Asset Advisor, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst working with family law attorneys and individuals going through the divorce process. Shabana also teaches at Rice University through the CFP program with over 18 years of experience helping clients achieve their financial planning and investment goals. In this episode… Are you confident in where you stand financially? What can you do to prepare for the future? Shabana Nathoo recommends hiring a wealth management advisor, professionals that will help you understand and reach your financial objectives. She shares her journey of wealth management services tailored to individuals' needs. In this episode of The Customer Wins, host Rich Walker welcomes Shabana Nathoo, a Wealth Management Advisor at Navigo Wealth Management, to discuss how people can better plan for their futures financially. Shabana explains how Navigo Wealth Management helps people, why she empowers women through wealth management, and how she helps her customers win.