Remember the last time you were in an airport and the plane was
late or worse yet, cancelled? It might have even been the last
flight of the day, and not only did passengers have to
reschedule their flight, they faced the possibility of having to
find and fight for hotel rooms. Think back to how the passengers
argued and screamed at the gate agents.
Guess what? It wasn’t the gate agents’ fault! They didn’t
break the plane, or cause the weather to be bad, but two hundred
people were in line waiting to take their turn at dumping on
this poor soul who was only trying to help them.
In this market, advisors face great stress as clients call with
worry, or are some cases, panic in their voices. However,
unlike the airline gate agent you only have to face them one at
a time, and they usually behave better than airline passengers.
No doubt investors suffer greater personal loss than a missed
business meeting or late departure for vacation, and their
concerns are real.
Let’s get some perspective; Don Connelly, an icon in the investment
business once said, “You aren’t General Manager of the
Universe.” In other words, you don’t control the markets. Our
recommendations must be sound – we must be technically competent
– but in spite of our best efforts, we owe it to our clients to
call them and hold their hands, and get them through this
crisis, for this to shall pass. If you aggressively reach out
to clients, stand your ground, and help them stay sane when they
need you the most, you will be rewarded in the long run. In
addition, if you summon the courage to continue prospecting in
these markets, you will get more business, for many of your
competitors ARE NOT calling THEIR clients – your best prospects.
So stand strong in your convictions, take the heat, and grow
your business. Be glad they don’t line up all at the same time,
and that you have an opportunity that exceeds the gate agents’
ten-fold, and be humbled that your clients need you to save them
from themselves.
Good selling!
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