The following are tools, solutions, tips, tricks, secrets, and best practices for financial professionals. Be sure to share this page with your colleagues so they can benefit from the information as well.

Financial Web Resources

The Influence of Graphics in Financial Services
People think using pictures. Before we can talk, we learn through seeing and responding to our surroundings. Dr. Lynell Burmark, Ph.D. Associate at the Thornburg Center for Professional Development and author of several books and papers on visual literacy, asserted that ideas and concepts not associated with an image are harder to process by our long-term memory. In short, words are processed by short-term memory, and images are immediately tucked away in our long-term memory. If this assertion is correct (and many other researchers have proven so), then using visuals in financial service materials will help your audience better retain information. Consider the following:

• 83% of what we learn is through our eyes according to a study by the United States Armed Forces
• According to Dale Carnegie's Training, graphics allow the audience to follow at their own speed because visuals accommodate all learning styles.
• 200% improved learning when visuals were used (University of Wisconsin study)
• Took 40% less time to explain complex ideas (Wharton School study)
• 38% improved retention with graphics (Harvard University study)

This does not mean that graphic communication is better than text. However, the combination of graphics and words has a communicative power that neither singularly possesses. J.R. Levin said it best in A Transfer of Appropriate Process Perspective of Pictures in Prose: "Pictures interact with text to produce levels of comprehension and memory that can exceed what is produced by text alone."

Making Financial Graphics
When creating presentation slides and graphics (or any graphic for your company), ask yourself the following:

• What is the most important idea or concept this graphic/slide should relate?
• Who is your audience? Would they understand technical terms or prefer an overview?
• How do you want to say it? What form of chart (area chart, illustration, timeline, etc.) will best reach your audience and help them to understand the idea/concept

Seven Rules for Making Financial Graphics

1. All graphics should play a specific role and have a reason for being chosen and incorporated.
2. Stay consistent.
3. Show or say it correctly. Don't try to be original.
4. Keep it clean and simple. Too much visual clutter can be overwhelming and lose the primary objective of your message.
5. Label elements directly to avoid confusion. This rule is especially true if you are selling a new product or want to highlight its benefits and discriminators.
6. Use recognizable imagery. Hearing a familiar voice or seeing a familiar face evokes trustworthiness in your audience. This is one reason celebrities are used in advertisements.
7. Focus on your audience. Show your target demographic using your product/service and benefiting from it. Allow your audience to see themselves in your marketing materials and they will identify with your company.

Use a Template and Database of Graphics
Consistency throughout your communication materials is the main reason to create a template for your financial presentations. You don't want your audience wondering why certain slides in a presentation are colored differently (if there's no reason) or why different illustrations are used to explain the same concept. These differences will distract from your message.

To create a template for presentations in PowerPoint, use the following as a guide designating one file as your template to include this information:

• Title slide template
• Background templates (be sure to include all versions for different sections or larger titles)
• Colors
• Primary color
• Secondary color
• Tertiary color
• Color palette of boxes tinted with your chosen colors
• Font and text styles
• Font style
• Font size (For graphics, use at least 12 pt. for best visibility when projected on a screen)
• Font color
• Bullet styles
• Labeling styles
• Box styles (different boxes for org charts, flow charts, benefits boxes, etc.)
• Arrow styles
• Line style (width and color)
• Logos for your company/hospital/medical practice and any association members
• Samples of graphic icons/photos used in other graphics (e.g., blue cylinder equals main database)
• Samples of graphic styles (area charts, bar charts, etc. used within presentation)

Financial Graphic Solutions
You need effective financial materials. Unfortunately, you have very little time, money, and resources. You have complex information to share and you need your audience to understand and remember that you hold the best solution. You know you need need high-quality, powerful graphics. What do you do? Great news, you have a choice:

1. Do-it-yourself compelling graphics guide
2. Ready-to-go graphics on DVD
3. PowerPoint templates
4. Financial graphic how-to training
5. Fast Class seminars (1 hour quick classes)
6. Business graphic library (graphics to inspire your creativity)

Financial professionals use Billion Dollar Graphics solutions to conceptualize clear, communicative, compelling visuals that, according to independent research, increase their success rates up to 43%.

Don’t waste anymore of your energy, money, and time making financial presentations and materials that don't work. Help your audience better absorb your solutions, concepts, data, processes, and ideas. Influence and motivate your audience to take action. Use the book and learn to quickly communicate your ideas effectively. (Learn more about the book.)

"Your books are brilliant and I have recommended them to a great many of my clients."—Andy Bounds, Executive Coach

Get Do-It-Yourself Billion Dollar Graphics: 3 Fast and Easy Steps to Turn Your Text and Ideas Into Graphics That Sell for your company (includes a Virtual CD with templates and graphics to get you and your team started) and succeed where others fail. Financial services professionals use the easy-to-learn processes to turn their ideas and words into clear, communicative, compelling:

• Explanatory graphics (information graphics)
  • Pie charts
  • Point charts
  • Bar charts
  • Area charts
  • Candlestick charts
  • Gantt charts
• Presentation graphics
• Brochure graphics
• Any visual solution needed

"Billion Dollar Business Graphics illustrates the path of the future, combining the visual with the verbal... It is this combination that paves the way to success in communicating your ideas."—Stacia Kelly, Sun Microsystems

You also have PowerPoint templates at your disposal with Billion Dollar Graphics' Spectacular PowerPoint templates. You get 125 (plus hundreds of color variations) unique, high-quality professional PowerPoint templates for only $39.95 on the new Billion Dollar Graphics Spectacular PowerPoint Template DVD. Make an impression with new, high-end, unique PowerPoint templates. Your next presentation will leave a positive impact because you tailored your template to your audience and your subject matter. (Learn more about the PowerPoint templates DVD.)

Kick start or add to your existing graphics library. The Billion Dollar Graphics Master Collection DVD contains 111 editable graphics (+ free Book + Virtual CD + 41 bonus graphics + more) for Illustrator and Photoshop CS2 or better for Mac and PC.

"I have already used some of the ideas and graphics [from the DVD] in a couple of presentations I am doing for a current customer. You have a unique service."—Mike Kester, Program Manager, Lockheed Martin

All graphics are professionally conceptualized and rendered at print resolution. (Learn more about the DVD.)

Our graphics training/workshops will show you how to use visual communication to achieve your goals. The training is applicable to anyone who needs to communicate information to educate, motivate, or influence. Visual communication training will help you and your company succeed. The same process that makes a successful sales graphic also makes a powerful financial graphic. Why? Because the solution we share is tailored to your audience's needs. We show you how to use basic psychological factors to up absorption and retention rates. The same need is required for all visuals with a goal. (Learn more about the Training and Workshops.)

"The class was a real eye-opener."—Adam Bramm

Custom Solutions for Financial Professionals
Your challenges are unique. Perhaps your goal is to increase the quality of your visuals or analyze your existing process and develop a better system for generating clear, communicative, compelling graphics. Allow Billion Dollar Graphics to be of service. We are available for consultation. (Learn more about custom solutions.)

Design Services with 24 Hour Company
Billion Dollar Graphics and 24 Hour Company work together to provide:

• Information graphic production (conceptualization and rendering)
• Desktop publishing and layout
• Editing

(Learn more about 24 Hour Company.)

Click on the solutions below to purchase...

Billion Dollar Business Graphics Book + Free Virtual CD ($49.95) More Information

Get More. Save BIG! Save money, get more books, and hit your goals faster. Put a copy on everyone's desk and watch your success rate grow exponentially. (All books include the FREE Virtual CD.)

BDG Master Collection ($549) FREE Book + 111 ready-to-use, editable business graphics + 41 bonus graphics + FREE tools and resources on DVD. Only $4.95 per graphic. More Information

Is the BDG Master Collection for your company or organization? Choose the best option for you: Single License = source art installed on one computer $549 Limited Site License = source art installed on up to 5 computers (per site) $749 Unlimited Site License = source art installed on unlimited computers (per site) $949

BDG Spectacular PowerPoint Templates DVD ($39.95) More Information

Conceptualization Training and Workshops

Graphic Conceptualization Online Training (coming soon)

Custom Solutions for Financial Services Professionals

Design Services (through 24 Hour Company)

Fast Class Seminars