12 hacks for scheduling your mornings, editing email and asking for referrals

Where the fish are

Just like fishermen, you must go to where the fish are. You can’t wait for the fish to come to you. Some years back, I picked up the game of golf. It has been a rewarding sport that helped open doors when I want to network with professionals and business owners. I also joined the Rotary Club and made some important contacts and clients. Ask yourself what hobbies or interests you enjoy or would like to pick up that can take you where the fish are. Even if you don’t manage to get any business or leads, you’ll still enjoy the activity. Trust that you will enjoy yourself and make friends, and the business will come eventually.

—Chin Soon Gan, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 18-year MDRT member

Scheduling energy

I think you can’t manage time, but you can manage energy, so I tend to be more selective of what I do during different hours. If I’m doing anything that is purely administrative, I do that first thing in the morning. I get up at 5 a.m. and start working at 6 a.m. From then to 8 a.m. is really when the administrative and strategic time is, because by the time I get into office, there are a lot of conversations, discussions and meetings, and very little time for thinking or planning. 

—Chee Hong Gan, ChFC, CLU, Singapore, 13-year MDRT member

Editing hack

I use Grammarly to edit my emails and written communication. It is inexpensive software that corrects spelling and punctuation. Most importantly, it recommends words or phrases to change your wording and make your writing more straightforward or effective. Finally, it can judge the tone of your written communication. I tend to be brief in emails, and Grammarly is another set of eyes that checks to see if the tone in my emails is sending a different message than what I intended. 

—Brian F. Keane, LUTCF, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, 10-year MDRT member

Point the finger at the process

Too often small-business owners go right to blaming a person when an error is made. That’s what I used to do, and it’s a big mistake. It’s bad for morale. I think your instinct should always go to the process first because human error happens, but more often than not, the error has something to do with the process. Either there isn’t a process in place — shame on me as the business owner because we never identified one — or the process is missing a level of detail or steps, or there isn’t a requirement or a checklist to follow. I would say almost nine times out of 10, it’s a process issue, not a people issue.

—Jason L. Smith, Westlake, Ohio, USA, 17-year MDRT member

Better impression

When asking for referrals, if we just say, “Are there any friends you could refer me to?” clients can just answer, “Let me think about it and tell you later” or simply reject your request. Instead, when I ask for a referral, I say, “So after our discussion, what do you think is different from your first impression of me?” Then, I ask them to tell me two or three clear differences and to share those with their friends or family. Consequently, the referral target will know a little about me, which makes them more approachable before the first meeting. 

—Ta-hung Kuan, Taipei, Taiwan Area, nine-year MDRT member

Personalize like Starbucks

The coffeehouse chain allows customers to personalize the entire product menu. At any global Starbucks, you walk in and order any drink the way you want it. Your choices are specifically personalized and endless. Starbucks took hyper-personalization even further with a real-time app that sends individualized offers to their customers. These offers are based on previous behavior and app preferences. This data allows Starbucks to understand each customer’s needs and habits, and with this knowledge sends customers personalized emails with deals and updates, relevant to them, including a coupon for a free drink or snack on their birthday. Your strategy for improving the client experience must include personalized products, tailored advice, recommendations, tactical communications and servicing strategies. Clients choose, and stick with, the financial professional they trust the most.

—Nicole Parmar, digital marketing consultant

Small steps

A key to reaching your goals is to measure your achievements. The shorter these measurements are, the easier it will be to track your productivity and, in turn, the easier it will be to correct what is not turning out as you had planned. Before he became a professional basketball player, Michael Jordan had to learn to dribble a ball. Before becoming a successful financier, Warren Buffett had to learn how to add and subtract. The common denominator for these people is what they wanted to be was clear, so they proceeded step by step toward fulfilling small goals without stopping to focus on their ultimate goal.

—Herman Colin, LUTCF, CLI, Estado de Mexico, Mexico, 15-year MDRT member

Feel-good file

One way to build a prosperous mindset is by establishing what I call the “feel-good file.” This is an actual physical file and/or a computer file where you keep all correspondence from people who have acknowledged your good work. Periodically reviewing the file is a reminder of the positive impact you make.

—Ellen Rogin, author of “Prosperity on Purpose” and 2022 MDRT Global Conference speaker

Integrating behavioral finance

A large factor in determining financial success for clients is their behavior. There are five steps to introducing behavioral advice to clients:

• Build rapport — Rapport is defined as a relationship of mutual trust or emotional affinity. It is necessary to establish a connection with clients to get them to discuss their behaviors.
• Set the stage — Have a conversation with clients about behavioral finance. 
• Assess financial beliefs and behaviors — Explore your client’s underlying assumptions or beliefs about money. 
• Values exercise — Through a values-based discussion, determine what is important to them. 
• Put it in writing — Keep values in your client file and what the plan will be in anticipation of future situations. Outline the behaviors that the client is likely to experience in writing. 

—Pamela J. Sams, CRPC, Herndon, Virginia, USA, three-year MDRT member

Themed calendars

The main purpose of giving gifts is so you will be remembered and valued by the recipient. I send my clients table calendars, which they are likely to place in their living room for up to a year. One year I used photos of aurora borealis in Alaska as a table calendar theme. In 2022, I chose to represent rebirth with photos of buds that were born in the aftermath of forest fires, in the hope that clients would remain hopeful for the future after the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the design, spirit and meaning of a table calendar, you can strengthen your clients’ impression of you and remain top of mind by being in a place they can easily see.

—Lancia Liu, CFP, Taipei, Taiwan Area, 24-year MDRT member

The right formula 

At my financial services firm, we offer this specific equation for success: 

Right mindset + right strategy = a better investor 

This equation is used for clients and for empowering employees internally. To have the right mindset, one must understand their personal purpose, be aligned with the organization’s mission, be open-minded, approach work with curiosity and be grounded in their values. To have the right strategy, they must thoughtfully plan for their career, dedicate themselves to learning and improvement, and understand the value of a team. It is only with the right mindset and the right strategy that your people will invest in themselves, thereby adding value to your business and for your clients.

—Stacey McKinnon, wealth advisor, COO and CMO at Morton Wealth

CPA care package

I always ask my clients who is on their professional team of advisors and if they would recommend them. In addition to setting up a meeting, I send a CPA survival care package to my clients’ CPAs during tax return preparation season in April. Some of the things I’ve included are coffee, tea, chocolate, hand sanitizer, nuts, protein bars, and Advil with a letter and some tips they may not be aware of, or information regarding an upcoming continuing education credit course. It’s usually welcomed and helps me stand out.

—Gina C. Stormont, ChFC, Brooklyn, New York, USA, 10-year MDRT member