Sometimes I am reminded of the best way to gain new clients.  In coaching, it's called the "Jane Smart Letter".  I first learned about the concept from a coaching school.   I'm never surprised of the results the Jane Smart letter brings.  (Thomas Leonard, the author of the Jane Smart Letter, in case you don't know, is the father of coaching and a former financial planner.) No matter how long you've been in business, it's never too late to mail a Jane Smart letter, as in with a stamp.   It's especially important if you haven't formally told your friends, relatives, and former colleagues what you're in business. You’re doing them and your business a disservice.  Plus, you're

You may think your clients are hiring you because of your investment expertise, credentials, the types of planning you offer, or the products you provide. And while those items are important to your business, and will benefit your clients, they're not why they hire you. If you believe those are the reasons someone hires you, as most of us business owners do at some point, your business is probably running your life, or you're very busy running around in circles. You're not being as productive or as profitable as you know you could be. So why does a stranger talk to you and then become a client? People hire you because they are experiencing financial pain

Follow-up is not rocket science. You follow up with people you want to know better. Maybe you can use their services. Maybe they can use your services. Maybe they'll be good strategic partners. Maybe your clients could use their services or products. Maybe you want to conduct a teleseminar with them. Most important is that you feel that knowing them will add value to your life. Next, make the call or send the email then follow up with a call. Be honest. "I'd like to meet with you because I think we have similar clients and I'd like to get to know you better". OR "I'd like to meet with you because your "product/service" really sounded

As business owners, we're tempted to attend a myriad of networking events. Take part in all the events you find, and you’ll be very busy. Attend the wrong events, and you’ll be busy AND broke. Early in my firm’s history, I looked at my calendar and started laughing. I was very busy . . . going to networking events. I wondered what my old bosses would think about my expense account. What would they say to me? They wouldn’t be laughing, that’s for sure! An interesting thing happens to business owners when they network. They’re so glad to be around prospects that they forget events cost money--more money than they think. In addition to the event

What’s in a Name Tag? Imagine attending a networking event.  Someone sees the image of your name tag from a few feet away, recognizes you, and knows what you do for a living.  This really happened to me -- and I was 3,000 miles from home!  (They were a long time newsletter subscriber.)   Another reason to have name tags designed for your company that are consistent with your company’s brand is that everything will be spelled correctly!  At a minimum include your logo and company colors as well as your first name and last name.  If there is room include who you work with -- or your 3-7 word tagline.  You can design your name