One thing my father always said to me when I was presented with a particular challenge or opportunity was to “take it a day at a time”. That’s very true of the business of being a financial representative – you need to take it a day at a time and not become overwhelmed with what you have to do, where you have to go, who you have to see, how you’re going to meet new people, how you’re going to follow-up on that case etc… etc…
Building a financial services practice does take a lot of hard work and you have to be organized. There is a lot of rope and you don’t want to hang yourself with it. The beauty is that it is within your control – after the initial period of two years or so of learning the basics – you make all the decisions as to how you handle each and every day. Each and every opportunity. Each and every challenge.
One of the initial challenges in the business is finding sufficient people to talk to. At FaithLife Financial we have a number of partners that help with that. In partnership with other leading ministries, World Vision, Promise Keepers, and Women Alive – we are able to talk to Christians who are connected with these ministries and tell them our story. As well, we train on a referral model – adding the extra value that gives you the confidence to ask for introductions to people to further tell our story to friends, family and acquaintances of members.
And if you take it a day at a time – you’ll find success. Recently, I listened to a presentation by Guy Baker, MSFS, CFP, MBA. Guy was named by Worth Magazine in 2009 as one of the Nation’s top 250 planners in the United States. He was a founding Board member of the National Association of Family Wealth Counselors and of The Stewardship Alliance - a group of professionals dedicated to providing legacy and wealth planning to high net worth donors to Christian ministries. He is an Elder at Grace Church also having served as Chairman of the Deacon Board. He is also the a Founding Trustee for Grace Classical Academy, a k-8 private school for families seeking a classical education. His strategy for success is 2 a days. Adding in two people each and every day that have a willingness to meet with you. Simple. 2 a days, one day at a time.