I am in a number of organizations; Rotary, Chamber, other service-type clubs. I have conducted a number of Financial Road Map® Phone Consultations and some in-person meetings with the people in these groups. However, there are a number of chamber members I have never met. There are some other service club members with whom I have never had a meaningful, important, significant and compelling conversation. Prior to the last academy I had scheduled time on my calendar to call all the chamber members and self-refer. My coach suggested I need to be calling people whom I have met in person and with whom I have had a meaningful conversation and I agree. He also suggested that I go get involved in things I am passionate about where people have money. Our community is mostly a retirement community and they play dominos, bridge, and golf, and attend social clubs and service clubs. I am not passionate about most of these things and a number of the clubs are age restricted to those of senior age. My coach also suggested that I look into Facebook & LinkedIn, but most of our base is retired, and a number of them don't even have a Facebook page. Some barely do email and some don't even own a computer. I want and am willing to GO GET CLIENTS, but I am really struggling with who, where, when to go to self-refer and get clients.

Article ID: 445

Last updated: 20 Nov, 2019

Listen to the recordings from the January 2011 Academy 2 and review the corresponding slides about Self-Referral. We covered this in GREAT detail and everything you need to develop an effective self-referral process is there.

You can call virtually anyone you know and strike up a conversation that could lead to a self-referral.

My experience is that if you are "wimpy" with your existing clients in referral conversations that you will be wimpy implementing the self-referral process. Your goal should be to improve your expectations and your confidence in having Referral and Self-Referral Conversations with anyone, anytime, anywhere.

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Before Financial Road Map™ -> Initial Contact with Prospective Clients

Before Financial Road Map™ -> Phone Consultation™

Referral Conversation™ -> Compelling Referral Conversation™ Help

« I could really use your help with how I can go get clients...

I have an Ideal Client who has given me referrals but has not... »

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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?

Throughout the year, as I meet with my survival/non Ideal Clients, should I be telling them about my Ideal Client Community, and how they are not in it or should I be silent for the time being? I have done a number of road maps with these clients, but have not explained they are not Ideal Clients. What would I tell them, if anything?

I completed a self-referral with my client, Laura, gave her the book, and scheduled a Phone Consultation with her on March 25th. Here is the note I put on the book with the M.I.S.C I gathered from her. “I appreciated you sharing with me some of your interests in travelling like your upcoming trip in August to Camino Spain. As well as, maintaining a balanced life and enjoying the outdoors going downhill skiing, snowshoeing and mountain biking. I am looking forward to speaking with you on March 25th at 11:30 AM about how some of the concepts in the book can be of value to you in enhancing your quality of life.” She called back to reschedule the Phone Consultation and sent the following email below suggesting to now do the phone consultation with her husband instead as he handles the investments and financial planning. She is thinking she should not be involved as she does not handle the investments and financial planning. What would you say to get her back on track as to the PURPOSE of the phone consultation and her involvement in it as well? Email - Hi there, Thank you for your email. I took a quick look at the book and passed it over to my husband Rodger as he handles our investments and financial planning. He wants to read it. He’s away on business this week and won’t be able to get to it. I’ll let him know the time slots and see if you can set something up with him when he gets back. Kind regards, Laura

How long should we keep sending the Values Based Quality of Life™ Newsletter to referrals that either: don't respond to our calls, don't want to do the phone appointment., don't come in for a Financial Road Map® , or don't become clients?

Is there a script for people introducing me at a cocktail party, etc...Even if they are not an Ideal Client themselves?

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