Ron Carson’s new book, Tested in the Trenches: a 9 Step Plan for Success as a new Era Advisor, updates the 2005 version and provides well defined action steps for advisors to thrive in our era of change and uncertainty. Carson thrives in our industry and in his life and shares his methods and systems in Tested in the Trenches.

Ron Carson, LPL’s largest advisor client, is Founder and CEO of Carson Wealth Management Group with $3 billion in AUA and founder of Peak Advisor Alliance, a coaching and resource program for financial advisors.

An Investment News article features an excerpt from the introduction to Tested in the Trenches. Interestingly, the segment is Carson’s experience not as an advisor or coach but as a client who was surprised and delighted by the service he received. We need to surprise and delight our clients. Carson calls this Love Affair Marketing and it is Tested in the Trenches (TNT) # 7 of the 9 Step Plan.

The first step is The Blueprinting Process™. Carson claims The Blueprint Process is the most difficult and important step as it helps you pith your life’s passions and distill your career’s significance which provides clarity, focus and direction. Should you want to tackle this step first, Peak Advisor Alliance offers The Blueprinting Process as a stand-alone Guide in the RIA Match Store.

Carson channels Michael Gerber’s E-Myth Revisited as Carson too is an evangelist of systems and procedures to provide a consistency of client care. Yes, setting up systems is painful yet powerful. We know we need systems not only for the monumental tasks but also for the mundane. These systems will transform our financial practices, maximize our potential. Step 3 of the Plan addresses systemization.

Carson’s advice, “If you have a sincere desire to make significant improvements in your business and your life, then clear your schedule, read this book, and go back and implement each TNT idea in the order it is presented. By doing so, you’ll  join the rarefied group of personally fulfilled and professionally successful top achievers.”

An aside:  In October 2012, Carson launched Carson Institutional Advisory which allows advisors to join and access turnkey succession plans, reporting resources, marketing and PR programs, and investment strategies. These programs provide scale to advisors while allowing them to remain independent unlike rollups which require the advisors to sell their practices. Here is an RIAbiz article about Carson Institutional Advisory.