Would you discourage referrals from people who are out of area (not within driving distance)?

Article ID: 303

Last updated: 20 Nov, 2019

Yes. How will they come to your office for the Financial Road Map Interview™, the Implementation Meeting™, and Progress Meetings 3x / year?

If they are willing to get to you for the Financial Road Map Interview™, the Implementation Meeting, and 3x / year for Progress Meetings you can work with them. However, this does not sound simple for them if they are out of the area, depending on how far that is.

My advice is to locate your office in an area that is convenient for people who meet you Ideal Client Profile to easily get there.

Your Ideal Client Profile defines your parameters for the type of Clients you want to serve in your Values-Based Financial Planning™ practice. These parameters are entirely up to you. I do recommend that you consider geographic and demographic parameters in your Ideal Client Profile. Reflect on how these parameters will help you serve your Clients better and contribute to your future success.

Review how to Create Your Ideal Client Profile: Mastery Series 1-Module 3-Pgs. 61-66

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I recently had a conversation with a (self-referred) successful business owner who had talked with me a couple years earlier (before I was in the program) about investing, insurance, and financial planning in general. He expressed an interest in having me take a look at his finances. According to the process, I sent him a book and conducted a Phone Consultation, which went well, and he seemed very interested in having me complete their Financial Road Map®. I scheduled a tentative appointment for when he thought his wife might be available, and asked him to let me know if the time wasn't going to work for her. I also sent him the list of documents to bring when they come. A few days later, I got the following email: "I am not sure this is going to work out. My wife cannot meet at the time we proposed. She is leaving for DC that day. I am leaving the next day. It is going to be hard to get her down to your neck of the woods [45 minutes away] and I am not wanting to go down there either. I understand that you want us both to be there for the financial planning but she is not involved in the finances in our family and that is partially by design. I understand the values based investing part of what you do but I would like to know more about your strategy in investing and what your track record is. I have been working with a company to do some financial planning mostly insurance and things of that sort. (They always come to my office to meet otherwise I don’t think we would be doing any business) Let’s keep in touch and see where it goes." He apparently views me as a wealth manager, but is currently unaware of what we really do (fully-comprehensive financial services). How would you respond?

Would it be wise to send a cover letter with the Values-Based Quality of Life™ Newsletter as an introduction and informing the referred party that they will be receiving eight copies of the Values-Based Quality of Life™ Newsletter. If so, do you have a template or possible thoughts on what you would include in such a Values-Based Quality of Life™ Newsletter cover letter?

I have a relationship [developed last year - "pre-BAI"] with a senior person at the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association that needs to be followed-up on. In fact, he owes me a call that I would like to preempt by calling him. I believe the Financial Road Map® experience, and the three meeting process, etc., could offer solutions to many of the problems voiced to me by not just Major League Baseball, but by others in professional sports [some of whom I may have access through people I know]. I need the words to use for my centers of influence [these with direct access to sports personalities] to get them to give me access to their constituents. This is not a situation for me to run a Road Map [they are not physically close] but one where I would like to get their interest to possibly invite me to meet with their Board and/or refer me directly. I need a script!

It has happened a few times now that after a successful Phone Consultation™ (done according to the book) a Financial Road Map® meeting was scheduled, after which the referral cancelled. The reason (or excuse) given was, ‘I have an advisor / investments already’. When this comes up in the Phone Consultation™ I know how to respond. Since I got these responses afterwards per e-mail or voice mail I would like to know what to do. - Should try to preempt this next time and bring it up myself in the Phone Consultation? - Should I contact the referral, respond to their concern and try to reschedule?

Having met a group of professionals only 1 time at a small group meeting - what would you suggest I do to try and get these individuals as Financial Road Map® Clients? What is the 1st step?

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