being a financial planner
a 30 year journey...
When I should have been listening
I talked a lot...
Because “they need to be sold”
I was trained to sell products...
Knowing they didn’t understand
I closed the sale...
But was influenced by others who weren’t
I told them I was “Independent”...
But was incentivised to do something else
I told them I had their best interests...
And “Master of none”
I was “Jack of all trades”...
When simpler was better
I used complex language...
When it was not to be dumb
I thought my job was to be clever...
And it usually escaped
I chased the money...
And then I discoveredfinancial planning...
And that’s when......All the problems started!
People weren’t interested
I told them about the software...
They didn’t like paying
I told them I was fee-based...
They didn’t want a report
I sold them a financial plan...
Which should have been standard
I sold them my values...(You know, trust, honesty, integrity)
That wasn’t different
I told them I was fully qualified...
They didn’t know what it was
I sold them financial planning...
And they stared at me blankly
I told them we could achieve their lifetime goals...
how to get the life they really wanted... without ever running out of money... or dying with too much...
So, I asked if I could SHOW them...
They wanted to know...They were happy to talk...They were happy to pay me!
And all of a sudden...
And I realised...It isn’t about financial products...
It isn’t about ‘clever’ investments...
It isn’t about financial planning...It isn’t even really about the
money...
What are the conversations that you have with clients?
www.brianfoster.co.za