The traditional training, strategies and ideas do not feel right for many of the advisors I coach, especially for female advisors.
When I became a financial advisor at Smith Barney I went through three weeks of the traditional training in Hartford, CT. As a former athlete, I know when things feel uncomfortable I can push through because the successes at the end will be worth it. So even with my athletic mentality there were many things taught during the training that just didn’t feel right. The traditional model didn’t feel comfortable. I remember a speaker named Ira talking about referrals. His strategy was, “Ask for referrals.” ask this way, ask that way, ask anyway you can! Being a very coachable I accepted this method and gave it my all.
My results: I had zero success even though I was at the top of my class.
How did I get to the top of my class and fail at asking for referrals?
I didn’t get referrals the way they taught me instead I was inspiring referrals naturally. The traditional business building method didn’t connect in my brain but I was so passionate about helping women like my mother, high-end wealthy women in Newport Beach who struggled to really understand their money. So, I shared this passion with everybody I met.
And what happened? To be perfectly honest with you my greatest referral sources were men! When I would win over a man, he would refer every woman he knew to me. This worked because I was empowering my purpose, empowering something that was passionate to me, it grew my profits and revenue naturally.
But I can’t say I always felt successful because nothing I did was the traditional way, nothing I did. So I’m looking at my activities and saying, “something is wrong here. I must be doing something wrong. I need to learn how to master these traditional skills and strategies.”
Today I can tell you, NO! The secret to success, I believe is to find your passion and you will find success. Now your message will stem from a real purpose and passion for helping clients. When you empower your passion you will grow your profits and create an extraordinary business with less effort than ever before.
