There are many strategies MDRT members use to reach Top of the Table-level production, and some are simply a matter of small adjustments in perspective. George D. Goulet, TEP, CFSB, a 21-year MDRT member from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, recommends these two ways to elevate your practice.

By Brad Elman, CLU, CLTC, is a 24-year MDRT member, from Los Altos, California

''I don't like to give bad news when a client asks if something is possible. With this in mind, my staff and I generally respond with one of two answers. One is "yes," and the other is, "I don't know, I'll get back to you," even if we suspect the answer is "no." A quick "no" rarely helps anyone, and it does nothing for your relationship with the client. The client may think you're not doing your due diligence, and that's not what you ever want a client to think.

In Greece, we've recently faced difficult economic times: banks closed, withdrawals limited, citizens puzzled, pensioners and retirees crying in front of ATMs, uncertainty and volatile political situations seeming to surround us. As financial advisors, we wonder what we can do and how we can help. Perhaps in these times of economic uncertainty and "capital controls" we can show how "thought control," or how you think, impacts your outcome.