Fastest growing dealer groups: RetireInvest still on the recruitment trail

RetireInvestis on the up and up — and they want you.

While RetireInvest’s franchise operation currently has 124 offices nationally and is one of the fastest growing dealer groups according toMoney Managementcalculations, it is not resting on its laurels.

“We’re very much in a growth phase, still opening offices and looking at the size of individual franchise territories nationally, and making sure they are well worked,” says Lynne Wyatt, national marketing manager — adviser networks marketing.

RetireInvest’s franchise territories are defined by postcode to ensure advisers are not competing with each other. This, says Wyatt, creates advantages both in advisers being able to create networks in their local areas and build their practices, and to also share intellectual capital with each other and the national marketing division.

According to Wyatt, the group is currently in recruitment mode for high calibre financial planners — and this means potential recruits must not only have proven technical capability, they must also be able to create rapport with older clients, as RetireInvest specialises in advice for retirees.

“That focus helps us get ahead with depth of knowledge, not only with advisers but also our researchers and technical team,” Wyatt says.

While some growth at RetireInvest can be attributed to the greater demand for advisory services created by the baby boomers moving into their retirement years, the group has also been actively marketing both in terms of brand awareness and in active lead generation, which feeds through to the offices.

And while the group’s after care program for clients is an important factor in growing the business, according to Wyatt, so it seems is the level of service provided to RetireInvest financial planners, who have access to a full back-office offering.

“Certainly, the feedback we get is the support RetireInvest provides its advisers is unique, and our own adviser base says it actually allows them to focus on their own business and their clients, which is key to the RetireInvest culture,” Wyatt says.