Josie Charlton

Who is Sean Gerety, you ask? Josie had no idea. She had to use technology to look it up. But in all seriousness, Sean is a technology expert who perfectly verbalized the concept Josie has been working on for decades. She has a passion for Client Relationship Management (CRM) implementation, and its ability coordinate people, processes and technology to optimize the experience for both clients and staff.

Josie graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 2005 with a degree in Sociology. Her dad about lost his mind when he heard that she had chosen that degree. He said she’d never get a good paying job! Interestingly, Josie was the first her friends to obtain lucrative employment in the business world after graduation. (Largely due to her technology skills, no doubt.) Her dad was thrilled! But when Josie chose sociology, she had an ulterior motive. She always knew she wanted to work in business, so the idea of studying social relationships and the consequences of human behavior was perfectly applicable to career opportunities in the business world. (Plus, less math needed for that degree.)

Josie’s practical experience began at an early age working at her parents’ personal lines insurance agency. That’s where she honed her talents in the small business arena. It’s also where she first saw an agency management software system and got to “play around” with what it could do. She will always have a soft place in her heart for small businesses and their hardworking owners.

She advanced her technological skills after her college graduation when she segued from personal lines insurance into the financial services world. She went to work for a multidisciplinary practice that specialized in financial planning, group benefits, and premium financing. She began as a case manager helping underwrite high net worth individuals for premium finance cases, but once she got this first taste of working with their CRM she never looked back. She progressed in her career as she gained more and more experience and was quickly promoted to the firm’s database administrator.

In 2010 she transitioned to work at Financial Productivity Group, where she managed full scale CRM implementations and database consulting for financial services firms across the country. After the owner of FPG decided to sell his business, Josie was hired by Ebix, CRM, as a lead consultant and software trainer. After a few maternity leaves, Josie decided to embrace her creativity and seek the overarching goal of the perfect work / life balance. Isn’t that everyone’s mission in life? With that objective in mind, she launched her own CRM consulting firm, JC3 Solutions, LLC. She had many connections with clients and companies that she had previously assisted. It seemed that so many advisors needed someone to help them with the complicated process of introducing and training employees on new or underutilized CRM systems, so she was just as busy as she wanted to be. The biggest bonus for her was that she could design workflows that helped busy offices tailor existing CRM programs to meet their own individual needs. Designing is fun. Most offices are busy. They don’t have time to sit around mulling over how to set up their management systems. Yet they are paying a bundle for a CRM software to make their lives easier. If only they knew how to use it. Josie can hop right in, assess their needs and design a custom implementation plan based on the parameters of each office’s unique needs. Her contribution allows business owners and their employees to focus on what they need to do…. Make money, maximize profit, get organized, and most importantly enhance the client experience.

After working with many Financial Advisors at Waddell & Reed, Josie became a practice development partner, and the perfect (second) marriage was born. That relationship matured and now Josie is partnering with the “What’s Next” team to offer CRM services as an integral part of their comprehensive coaching practice. This is one of the most exciting times in her life. This new chapter in her life promises to be the best. Nothing is more uplifting than knowing you played a part in helping others achieve their goals. (Except maybe achieving your own goals!!)

When Josie isn’t busy building dynamic CRM systems, she’s is trying to harmonize her household. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband Jason, 4 adorable children, an uninhibited dog and an ancient little cat. She’s no stranger to multi-tasking and occasionally even finds time for herself. She enjoys baseball, football, outdoor activity, and reading extraordinary “off the grid” material. If you’re wondering if Josie, herself, ever achieved that perfect work / life balance that she sought to attain so many years ago… well, the answer is simply, that day is “What’s Next”!!