I had a client who actually gave me 4 names but we ran out of time to write notes so I sent her home with the sticky notes to write on and mail back to me. She didn't follow through and at our Implementation Meeting she gave the sticky notes back to me and said she was too nervous and petrified to write the notes and tell her friends the book would be coming. I was caught completely off guard and stumbled through a response to her and left it at that. This lady was nearly in tears when I originally asked about the benefits of working together and when she initially thought of the 4 names. I know she appreciates the work we're doing but she says that she doesn't like to talk about this kind of stuff with others. She felt it is harder than bringing up religion.

Article ID: 425

Last updated: 20 Nov, 2019

BB: The fundamental problem is that your question refers to "clients" and not "Ideal Clients."

Ideal Clients LOVE you, they LOVE Values-Based Financial Planning™, and they LOVE to introduce you to others, right?

Focus on Ideal Clients and building your Ideal Business by referral from Ideal Clients.

My following comments are to help you build your Ideal Business by referral from Ideal Clients.

As a member of Committed Advisor Program you have access to many tools and resources to help you with this.
- I spoke about this on today's Committed Advisor Study Group webinar. - The archive of Committed Advisor Study Group "Cracking the Referral Code" webinars - Academy 2 Recordings, Jan and July 2011 - Rick Barrera's ‘How to Talk to a Human’ sessions at the 2011 Academy 2, January and July.

Use clarifying and expanding questions, "What do you mean by 'stuff'?" "Tell me more about that." You are not asking your client to talk her friends about money. She is making a referral and introduction to a process and a person she believes in. That's it. If she believes in the process and believes in the person (you), there is nothing to be nervous or "petrified" about. You even have a process for all this to follow. If she were truly an Ideal Client she would follow it, comfortable or not.

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Referral Conversation™ -> Ideal Clients Reluctant Giving Referrals

Referral Conversation™ -> Referral Conversation™ Misc.

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I have been feeling and expressing more conviction in my Referral Conversations™ with those who have provided referrals in the past, and either less conviction or sometimes skipping the conversation altogether with those who have not. Other than "perfect the conversation, and do the conversation the same way, every time, similar to the analogy of great athletes perfecting their swings and repeating it the same way every time", do you have any other suggestions?

For some clients the Referral Conversation™ at the end of the Implementation Meeting has been a long time ago and/or not executed well at that time. The result is that they have not heard or do not remember why providing referrals are a great win-win-win opportunity. Since the following referral conversations builds on the first one, is it OK to repeat (once) part of this initial conversation after a Progress Meeting to help the client ‘get it’?

At last Progress Meeting I asked for introductions and this was the response. "We have approached our friends and everybody is in the frame of mind they have their things in order, they have their ducks in a row and don't want to talk about it?" I responded - this is about sharing the positive experience that you have had with Values-Based Financial Planning™( security, peace of mind) and allowing others to have a Financial Road Map® to guide their decisions. Bill how would you have responded?

I had a client who completed an implementation meeting but was not very effusive about the benefits of our work together so far. She is an elderly lady who is very passive and doesn't seem to have many friends she hangs out with. She sticks with mostly family who are all broke.

I was just hired this week to work with a former professional (European, not NBA) basketball player. He does not have a lot of money, however he referred me to 3 current NBA players and a current college basketball coach of a major NCAA school. All 4 would qualify as Ideal Clients. All of them make between $1-6M / year income. One of the players is a veteran and has earned about $100M over the course of his career. My client is willing to help me meet these people. I spoke with my Accountability Coach about how best to pursue these referrals, and he suggested that I submit this question to you. Any recommendations?

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