The Path to Success Program is a program designed for professionals who work closely with business owners to support their transition-readiness strategies.

Live Sessions, Online Learning and One-on-one Coaching

- The program includes four 90-minute interactive virtual sessions with expert presenters and peer-learning opportunities
- Built with an online platform offering sales tools, resources, marketing and exercises available 24-7.
- Live sessions are bi-weekly for 8 weeks
- The program also includes four one-on-one coaching opportunities with course instructors to support business development in your practice.

Expand your expertise and invest in your professional development

CEPA and CFP credits available on completion.

Join our next cohort of advisors starting in
2025

SPACE IS LIMITED
$500 to BOOK YOUR SEAT

Why participate

  • Leave the program with the confidence to approach business owners in a way you have not done before.

  • Connect with the core concepts of transition planning, value acceleration and transition-readiness.

  • Establish a structured approach for owner client and prospect engagements.

  • Learn techniques for mutual exploration and transformational selling.

  • Enhance your practice and build on what you learned with regular coaching opportunities with Cindy and Sean.

  • Access to tools, resources and learn from a cohort of like-minded advisors.

Watch Intro Video

What is included

  • Live Interactive Training

    Four 90-minute live virtual sessions designed with the cohort approach of accelerated learning. Access to recordings throughout the program.

  • Resources and Tools

    Variety of resources and tools to support your approach with business owners.

  • Community Groups

    A dedicated Advisor Community for sharing and developing connections with the group.

Instructor(s)

Partner, Strategic Development and Partnerships (USA) Sean Hutchinson,

CEPA, CMAA

Over Sean Hutchinson’s 30 years in business, the most valuable lessons he has learned have been from business owners who generously shared their stories of success and struggle. Sean’s primary focus is strategy and growth. He helps owners and their leadership teams to imagine what being a ‘company of the future’ looks like for them, and then helps them achieve it.

Partner, Strategic Development and Partnerships (Canada) Cindy Reid-Shelton,

CFP, ChFC, CLU, TEP, CEPA, CBA

Throughout Cindy Reid’s nearly 30 years as a trusted advisor and instructor in the financial industry, she has endeavoured to deliver the best advice available to clients and advisors alike. As an industry professional and business owner who knows the value of expert advice, Cindy is committed to education and keeping on top of the ongoing evolution of the financial and economic landscapes. She has successfully achieved accreditation as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) and Certified Business Advisor (CBA).

Program Outline

Live virtual Sessions, videos, resources, marketing templates, exercises and more.

    1. Welcome

    2. Program Overview

    3. Goals

    4. Setting Goals

    5. Onboarding

    6. Terms of Engagement

    7. Weekly Zoom Live Meetings

    8. RFN Team Contact Information

    9. Resources

    10. Action Items

    11. Introduction Slides

    1. RFN Advisor Cohort Community

    1. Goals

    2. Baby Boomer Business Market

    3. Understanding Business Life Cycles, Stages and Value Acceleration

    4. The Business Life Cycle

    5. Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play

    6. Owner Motivations

    7. Meet Your Clients Where They Are

    8. Three Legs of the Stool

    9. Who Do You Really Want to Work With?

    10. Ideal Client Profile

    11. Ideal Client Profile

    12. Ideal Client Worksheet

    13. Psychographics Profiles of Self-employed

    14. Data Mining

    15. Transformational Selling

    16. Start thinking about your hook

    17. Action Plan

    18. Client Opportunity Tracker

    19. Resource Links

    20. Reflections and Observations

    21. Module 1 Slides

    1. The Neuroscience of Effective Conversations - Part 1

    2. The Neuroscience of Effective Conversations - Part 2

    3. Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play

    4. Think about Social Styles

    5. Selling to Different Social Styles

    6. Sales Approaches

    7. Qualification Process

    8. Introduction to the Hook Call

    9. Developing Your Hook

    10. Hook Call

    11. Hook Examples

    12. Value Proposition

    13. Value Proposition Exercise

    14. Action Items

    15. Tools and Downloads

    16. Module 2 Slides

    17. Reflections and Observations

    1. Meeting clients where they are

    2. Explorers

    3. Exploring

    4. Pivoters

    5. Pivoting

    6. Triggerors

    7. Triggering

    8. Outreach

    9. RFN Solutions

    10. Segmenting - EPT

    11. Module 3 Slides

    12. Reflections and Observations

    13. Action Items

    1. Qualification Process

    2. Opening Conversations

    3. Opening Conversations

    4. Seek to understand

    5. Are you a good listener?

    6. Meeting Evolution

    7. Meeting 1 - Connect Sample Plan

    8. Meeting 2 - Solution Meeting

    9. Meeting 2 - Solution Sample Plan

    10. Structure the Conversation

    11. Meeting Structure

    12. Five beliefs

    13. Meeting structure and tips

    14. Tools and Downloads

    15. Module 4 Slides

    16. Reflections and Observations

About this course

  • 101 lessons
  • 3 hours of video content
  • 5 Live Virtual Sessions
  • Advisor cohort and peer sharing
  • One-on-one mentoring session

What participants are saying

Excellent!

Merrill Lynch Advisor

Excellent and would recommend to others. It takes the knowledge we learned in the CEPA designation and allowed me to create a marketing plan to approach business owners."

New opportunities

Wealth Advisor

I have taken what I have learned in the program back to my team and it has opened up new opportunities with owners already.

Provides a framework

CEPA Advisor

The course has provided a framework to help develop my brand as a resource for business owners and centers of influence and being their quarterback for education on exit planning.

Eye Opener

Bank Advisor

It has been an eye opener for me, I have introduced succession planning to existing clients that I have never opened up this conversation before.

Phenomenal!

Sam

I give this course 5 stars. It added tremendous value to my practice!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is my time commitment?

    We estimate the time commitment to the program 2-3 hours a week. There are 4 live virtual sessions for 90 minutes that will be scheduled during an 8-week period.
    The program also includes self-paced learning and resources in addition to the live sessions.
    There are action items, exercises and tools to support development opportunities in your practice.

  • What does cohort-approach mean?

    A cohort is a group of participants that start a program together and remain together throughout its duration. The cohort model enhances the speed of learning while encouraging both collaboration and professional success.
    Because of the supportive interaction among participants, cohorts provide a community to create a professional network of peers.
    The Path to Success Program has an online community and live virtual sessions to support each cohort.

  • What coaching opportunities are available?

    Each participant has access to four 30-minute coaching sessions with an RFN Instructor throughout the program. Valued at over $1000.

  • What if I cannot make a live session?

    We understand that our lives are busy with competing priorities. All live sessions will be recorded for access anytime during the program.

Contact us directly to learn more.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Contact us