Cheryl Learfield and Trina Gardner, Co-founders Paragon Planners
By Stephanie Palazzo
This virtual remote world that many are experiencing for the first time has been Paragon Planners’ comfort zone over the last 18 years. I took some time to get to know Cheryl Learfield and Trina Gardner, co-founders, to learn the Paragon Planners story.
How did you come up with the idea for Paragon Planners? How did you even know this was a thing?
“We realized there was no ceiling and we could make this into anything we wanted. We still feel this way as we continually rebrand Paragon Planners.”
Cheryl: I had a friend who left a Merrill Lynch office to organize, schedule and work with two wholesalers who regularly came through her office. They found great success working together. Other wholesalers came forward to work with her and her plate was full, so she found other “schedulers” to work alongside with her. In 2002, my sister in law, Trina Gardner, and I began both working for wholesalers and we loved this new world we were introduced to. We realized there was no ceiling and we could make this into anything we wanted. We still feel this way as we continually rebrand Paragon Planners.
Trina: “The clients we were scheduling for became top performers in their company, so we kept getting referrals. We began hiring friends of friends who wanted to work from home to match with new clients. It was time to amp it up and figure it out. We could see what we were doing to be successful, so we knew we could help others do the same thing. We were up for the challenge.“
What were the game changers in your earlier years?
Cheryl: “In 2005, we drew from our scheduling experience and took it to the next level. We realized that scheduling wasn’t just smiling and dialing through a list. We used data to ensure the best calendar possible, based off of rankings, rep count, opportunity and mapping. From there our Territory Analysis, coupled with a rotation based on numbers, became the foundation for our scheduling success. To this day, we have clients come to us when they have a territory change, specifically for a Territory Analysis and Rotation. We made our mark in this industry when we nailed down this piece, because we figured out how to help our clients see the right people at the right time with less windshield time.”
Trina: “Around this same time, our incredible clients led us into expanding and offering services beyond scheduling. We found that by adding marketing, event management, admin support and expense processing, our scheduling results improved, along with our clients’ sales. It was a natural progression, working with our resourceful, talented, and driven clients. Our focus has always been, ‘How can we be better?’”
“We made our mark in this industry when we nailed down this piece, because we figured out how to help our clients see the right people at the right time with less windshield time.”
Our focus has always been, “How can we be better?”
“I would go into my office every day, literally I would light a candle, have a cup of tea, and think to myself ‘I’m going to figure this out.’”
Cheryl: “I would go into my office everyday, literally I would light a candle, have a cup of tea, and think to myself, ‘I’m going to figure this out.’ I had no one to ask back then. That’s why I’m so passionate about training. There’s no reason anyone should have to figure this all out on their own. We can’t train people to love the phones and bring their smile into the call, however, we can take those with the right experience and confidence and train them how to schedule. We have a detailed training program like no other, which our schedulers actually graduate from. The training doesn’t stop there. We know to stay ahead of the curve in this industry we must all participate in professional growth opportunities. We all have more to learn every day.
“We found that by adding marketing, event management, admin support and expense processing, our scheduling results improved, along with our clients’ sales.”
Trina: “I think the biggest game changer has been our people. In the beginning, there was never enough time, and Cheryl and I were doing it all ourselves. We had a joke between us, “May the scheduling gods be with you,” because we had so much to do. We were so passionate about building this business and giving other people the same opportunity to be successful, it was all worth it. Once we could no longer do it on our own, we started turning the reins over to others and our world truly opened up. We learned to work elbow to elbow and bring out the best in each other. We have an amazing team of driven people who make me want to come to work every day, even in the midst of a pandemic.”
Speaking of pandemic, how has Paragon Planners created a Pandemic Advantage?
Trina: “Figuring it out is what we do best. That’s how we got started and that’s what has carried us through today. Look, we are a ‘scheduling company’ and suddenly our clients could no longer meet face to face. We knew we had to figure out how to keep business moving forward, one way or another. Honestly, everything opened up for us and our clients. We partnered with our employees on a much deeper level. We brought everyone in and set up focused groups working together intimately so we could utilize everyone’s input and ideas. These ideas are cutting edge and have not only allowed us to adapt, they have propelled our clients during this time.”
“These ideas are cutting edge and have not only allowed us to adapt, they have propelled our clients during this time.”
Cheryl: “Through the pandemic we have kept everyone who wanted to work, working. We increased employee engagement with more resources, training and collaboration. There has been a slight shift, with a few clients pausing and new clients onboarding, keeping our total number of clients is back to what it was in January. We have long term relationships with our clients who rely on us for insight, and we have collaborated with them to find great solutions. We quickly adapted and our team is succeeding.
Trina: “Different clients and firms reacted in different ways, and we’ve been there to meet their needs. We have learned we are a relationship building company. Flexibility and adaptability carry each day. Whether we are setting up meetings (virtual, phone or face to face), sending cards or gifts, placing follow up calls, driving attendance at events, it is all in the pursuit of building relationships. Our goal during this time is to be the best “neighbor” we can be and to reach out and support people and lift them up, however they need it. Whatever it is, we’re here to do it. “
“We have learned we are a relationship building company. Flexibility and adaptability carry each day. Whether we are setting up meetings (virtual, phone or face to face), sending cards or gifts, placing follow up calls, driving attendance at events, it is all in the pursuit of building relationships.”
I enjoyed hearing the story from Cheryl and Trina, I could feel their passion for their business, employees, and clients. This is why Paragon Planners continues to stand above the rest in the financial wholesaling and financial advisor industry. Success comes through teamwork, by putting people first. If you can’t hear it in their words above, when you get a chance to meet them, be prepared to be pulled into their team of success.
We invite you to be a part of our never-ending story. Jump into this chapter with us, it is full of challenge, adventure, and success. Come along!
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West Linn, OR
97068
(877) 635-6049
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