Distraction-Proof® Advisor Ideas

You encourage your clients to do sound financial planning, the question is, are you planning to ensure success for your business?

It’s that time of year where we read and hear a lot about planning for next year, and it can be like, “Oh, really? We’ve got to sit down and do planning again for next year?” You’ve got immediate things that are pressing: you’ve got meetings coming up, you’ve got reviews to write, and it’s tough to think about actually putting pen to paper to plan for next year.

But what’s so important in taking that step is doing just that: putting pen to paper. Once you do that, it really makes the whole process a lot more relatable and it takes on a whole new perspective.

I’m going to give you some tools to do that. But first, here’s why it’s so important. Once you put something in writing, it takes on a life of its own. We know as advisors the importance and value of having those documents signed by clients. It doesn’t mean until there is a sign-off, in writing, done and set. It’s the same with you as an advisor when you’re considering your goals.

I started swimming when I was eight and by the time I was nine when I saw the 1976 Montreal Olympics, I had my goal written down.

One of the athletes in those 1976 Olympics was Wendy Boglioli, a lady I’m getting to know more and becoming great friends with. She is also a speaker within the financial services industry, speaking specifically about long-term care and the benefits and merits and importance of having that. She is an Olympic gold and bronze medalist and a phenomenal lady. She wrote a great article recently, posted on LinkedIn, about the parallels between pursuing an Olympic medal and making sure that the key components are taken care of with long-term care. Her fourth point was critical: it’s got to be written down.

It’s important to write it down to be able to step back and look at it and be able to say, “That’s exactly where I need to be. That’s exactly what I want to achieve.”

So click on the link and download two documents I’ve included in this post this week. One is the TARGET Goal sheet, and it allows you to put down a timeline and very specifically address what it is you want to achieve. Number two download is then a spreadsheet that will transcribe that TARGET Goal and then alongside have you list the benefits of achieving that goal. How are you going to feel when you get there? What is it going to feel like to have fifteen percent more A clients? How’s it going to feel to have that revenue coming in? What will be it like to take your family on that extra vacation? How will it feel to grow your staff by 20% to take on this extra work?

You can see it black and white and get excited about it. When you have those challenging moments, as we all do as we pursue our goals, you can review these sheets and recognize, “That’s what I wanted.”

• Download those two sheets that I mentioned and the explanations on how to fill them out.
• Timeblock some time to do that. Think about what it is you want to achieve next year. Take some time to then record it and leave it. Go back and look at it a couple of days later and ask yourself, “Is that what I really want?”
• Detail the steps you’re going to take to get those objectives, to reach that goal. Remembering exactly how you’re going to feel this time next year upon achieving it.

You can do this by writing those objectives down and having them clearly in front of you. They’ll provide the guide rails to pursue your objectives and achieve them. It won’t come as a surprise to you – it’s just a step-by-step process.

I look forward to bringing you another Distraction-Proof Advisor Idea next week.