Tom Hegna

Spending yesterday with Arkshire Financial. Yesterday I did a Q&A during their management lunch. That was followed by a book signing. The Q&A session was different than any I have done before. There were a couple of questions about annuities, prospecting and what I would do if I was just starting out.

I shared ideas about how to use social media to help prospect and how I would learn as much as possible about using AI. The entire rest of the questions were about AI. One advisor said she made a presentation to a prospect. The prospect copied and pasted the illustration into AI and AI said don’t do it. She asked how I would handle that.

I said before I would make a recommendation to a prospect, I would have loaded it into AI myself and would ask if this was optimal and if not, what could I do to improve it. Then when I made the presentation to the prospect, if they loaded it into AI, AI would say it’s a great idea.

Collaborate with AI, don’t try to compete against it!

What is the ROI of one great event?

Ask the advisor whose client appreciation dinner produced 14 referrals. Ask the manager whose kickoff meeting turned a flat sales force into the region's top producers. Ask anyone who has watched a room full of clients lean in for 60 straight minutes and then line up to schedule appointments.

Events are not an expense. Done right, they are the highest-leverage marketing investment in this business. And right now I am booking three types of them:

End-of-year client appreciation events, where your clients bring their friends and I give them a reason to become YOUR clients too.
Mid-year kickoff meetings, to reignite a team that needs a stronger second half.
2027 kickoff meetings, to launch your organization into the new year with math, science, and momentum instead of another recycled pep talk.

I have spent 35 years and 5,000+ seminars perfecting a message that moves BOTH audiences: clients who need to hear the retirement income truth from a third-party expert, and adv

Well we have finished our Club Championship season for 2026. Two weeks ago was the Senior Club Championship and today finished our Club Championship. I didn’t win either of them but was in the final group for both Championships. Today I finished a couple of strokes out of first but won the overall Net Championship. So, for a 65 year old guy to hang with the young bucks - I felt pretty good. I was at least in the conversation of both tournaments. Especially since we played the tips almost 7200 yards.

Shot 3 x 30 minute episodes of The Greg Parady Modern Retirement Show. Greg is a dominating force in the Villages, Florida and is now expanding nationwide.

Heading back to Phoenix and then Flagstaff.

Set your alarm for Sunday, August 22 at 7:30 am EST to catch Roma Pithadiya on CNBC. She has an incredible story! She’s the “Million Dollar Immigrant.”

Remember, we are filming next week on Long Island on August 5th and 6th. There is one slot left.

Advisors and managers: three windows are open on my speaking calendar, and they will not stay open long.

1. End-of-year CLIENT APPRECIATION events. Thank your clients, wow their guests, and fill your January pipeline with warm referrals.

2. MID-YEAR KICKOFF meetings. Behind on your team's goals? Games are won in the second half, but only if the halftime message changes something.

3. 2027 KICKOFF meetings. Start the new year with the math, the science, and the stories that turn a sales force into a movement.

35 years. 5,000+ seminars. 300,000+ advisors trained. When I take your stage, your audience leaves with something they can use the very next day.