How do you want to be remembered? We would like to think amongst other things that for most advisors the true meaning of leaving a successful legacy is about changing the lives of your clients for the better.
If you think about it in these terms, imagine the passion that you could infuse into your practice each day. Knowing you are making a difference in people’s lives in a very important way is definitely something we should all aspire to.
As any good gardener knows you must take meticulous care when planting and nurturing seedlings and harvest when the time is most appropriate. Planting the seeds of significance and sowing them when the time is right in a business setting is no different.
- Plant Your Garden—prospecting with the mindset that you want to truly help others is the first step in spreading your seeds of significance. You need to be confident and honest with your intentions. There are more people that need your help then those who do not. All you have to do is help them understand how your solutions and expertise could change their lives. Be sure to know your target market’s common challenges, know what the solutions are for them and know how to ask the right types of questions so that they come to the conclusion that you will bring value to them. When they understand that you are not trying to sell to them but instead are offering real world and relevant advice the seeds are planted in what will hopefully take root and become a long-term relationship.
- Nurture Your Garden—once you have a client base you must nurture them with your knowledge, expertise and integrity. Your business is truly like a garden. If you choose to neglect it, it will not bear any fruit; the roots of your client relationships will wither and your clients will simply find another advisor. However, if you are sincere with your communications and dialogue about wanting to make a positive impact in their lives they will sense your genuine interest and continue to grow with you.
- Harvest Your Garden —although you may never be privy to the full extent of how your advice and solutions impact your client’s lives (or maybe the lives of their children or grandchildren) you will know that you have played an integral role in sowing the seeds of significant financial security for your clients (and maybe even future generations).
Taking the time to plant, nurture and harvest your business takes dedication, commitment and an unfailing motivation to continually repeat the process. For those in our industry who do just that, they will find themselves with a bountiful garden.