Yesterday, my friend, Dave Bodner who is a financial planner with Seymour & Associates, Mass Mutual here in Toledo, OH, introduced me to a new member of the Seymour team. Brian wanted to find out more about the networking education that Certified Networker course might provide.
During the conversation, Brian gave the classic example of how in his own estimation, he's not doing so well with his networking. His very best friend, who he spends a
lot of time with, said to Brian just recently, "What do you really do anyway? I know that you are a financial planner, but what does that mean? I know that you work only with people with a lot of money, so I know you can't help me, but who do you work with????"Brian said those questions were the wake-up call. Here was a BEST FRIEND who probably wanted to help but didn't know how to.
I'm guessing that Brian will jump into one of the Certified Networker classes fairly soon so that he can learn how to educate his best friend and others who also might want to help. That lesson is a cornerstone of having successful referral relationships.
If you asked your best friend (or your mom) to describe to you what you actually do, could they do it beyond just a general description?
1 comment:
It's ironic that you mention this group of people ... friends & family. This exact topic is discussed in detail in my upcoming book ... It's NetWORK.
Most of us, like the financial advisor, make big assumptions about what we think people know about our business. Family especially are often our biggest fans, yet when we gather with family, we rarely talk about business. Myself, included ... it's time to talk to my family! You never know who your baby brother knows now that he's an adult!
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