A year ago I changed dealer groups

If only I'd done it 5 years ago The next step is to talk to Lonsdale. No pressure. No hard sell. Just the facts. You choose how and when we contact you.

Louise Morris, CA, Martin O'Connor & Partners Financial Services Pty Ltd, Melbourne

One year ago we switched dealer groups and came to Lonsdale.
I sincerely wish we’d done it sooner – because the results have been outstanding.

Martin O’Connor & Partners is an accounting practice specialising in clients associated within the horse industry. About 5 years ago we agreed that we needed to provide a financial planning solution to our clients.

I considered Lonsdale at the time, but I wanted to start on a part-time basis and they like their financial planners to be fully committed. So I went with one of the big dealer groups instead. They didn’t seem to care about my level of commitment.

That was my first mistake, because I soon realised it was only going to work on a full time basis anyway. So I changed to full time financial planning and I soon found that I was able to deliver a much better service and start to build this side of the practice into a highly profitable and rewarding business. The only thing holding us back was our dealer group.

It really wasn’t a good fit for us. They were a big group with a very strong sales culture. Their focus was clearly on short term sales rather than long term relationships and quality service. This was clear enough from the start but I admit I was hoping things would change. They didn’t.

It all came to a head when I started to get involved with self-managed super funds. SMSFs are a logical inclusion for most of our clients but our dealer group just wasn’t interested in providing compliance assistance in this area – despite the fact that it‘s a rapidly growing field, and highly profitable.

That’s when I went back and spoke to Lonsdale again. It was just over a year ago. I met with them, went to some PD days and talked to some of the financial advisers in the group – and what a breath of fresh air. Nice people and happy to share their ideas and experiences – genuinely collaborative. I honestly had no idea it could be so much better.

So I decided to make the move over to Lonsdale. The only challenge was getting my old dealer group to co-operate. They could have made the move a lot easier, but it was worth the effort. That’s for sure. My clients are better off and so am I.

• Lonsdale gave me great support during the transition process – really helped me over the hurdles
• They give me excellent business support with their Blueprint program
• They’re a great cultural fit – likeminded people with a professional approach to everything they do
• The Lonsdale compliance team is first class and genuinely keen to help. For example, I get all the help I need on SMSFs now
• Great PD days – with valuable technical content
• The other financial planners in the group are really open and friendly. Happy to collaborate and share their ideas and experiences

As a result, my practice is now growing at the rate of knots – and because I get the support I need from Lonsdale, my job is a whole lot easier.

Was it a breeze making the move? No but it was a lot easier than I thought. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I only wish I’d done it sooner.