Archive for January, 2011

What is it with us women, especially female financial advisors? We can be so tough on ourselves even to the point of preventing our own success.  This past week during my 2nd coaching call with a young female financial advisor I recognized once again the self defeating behaviors that are so common in women.  While after each of my coaching calls my clients will have homework or action items to complete. While it is important that my client attempt to complete the work it is not mandatory nor essential that everything get’s done,  I realize life happens and sometimes something has to give.

While my real passion is helping female financial advisors better leverage their strengths to accelerate the growth of their business, I get such a kick out of the men I coach.  Perhaps it’s just the kind of male financial advisors that I attract to my business but even they enjoy the bold yet touchy-feely coaching style.  While we assume that its just women that feel smothered and restrained within the confines of the industry protocol, its not.  Even men feel frustrated with the system, bored with the same old process’s causing them to search for something new, something more.

This past month I started working with a very successful team of advisors. The team consists of 3 male advisors and just 1 woman.  I’m not sure how she convinced them that they should work with me but I’m glad she did.  In just 3 calls they have already defined their target market and developed their compelling script using real vocabulary which inspires interest.

At the end of each call I ask the group what was the best part of the call for them.  They love the focus, they realize they really didn’t have a tribal/target market.  They are embracing the new vocabulary, they realize it is more interesting, compelling, intriguing.  They love the fact that they are saying more with 75% fewer words.

While these advisors were uncertain about what they were going to experience working with a coach they are now certain that they are moving their business to a better place, a more productive place while having fun in the process.

One of my favorite shows on TV is “What not to Wear”. I love watching women who have been stuck in the same old fashion rut foryears totally transform the way they look dress and feel. What is amazing is how resistant they are until they are bribed with $5000 to change; even then they are not totally on board.  Every step of the way they fight the process until all of a sudden they start to see how beautiful they really are and then the light goes on.

What has happened to female financial advisors is not that much different; their business has been the same for years, oh sure they may add a new idea, strategy or process to their business from time to time but nothing that makes any substantial change.  It’s not until they are totally frustrated that they come to me ready for a marketing makeover.  Just talking with them for the first time on the phone I get excited about what is going to happen.  I’ve seen it happen a million times and the transformation is amazing.

Most often when a female financial advisor finds me she is not sure she needs or wants coaching but she knows something has to change.  Her tone of voice is flat; she often defends what she has built in her business justifying a lack of change and growth.  And then she asks about my coaching, it’s at this point that the transformation begins.

By the end of just the introductory call I can feel the energy rise in this female advisor. You can hear the hope in her voice that perhaps this time her investment of time and energy may actually make a difference.  The bolder I am on the call, the more direct I am as to what we will do and how my style is totally different the more interested they become.  While they hold their enthusiasm in check they can’t help but sound excited about the possibilities.

I think this is what I love the most about my coaching, it’s that initial surprise that there is a different more feminine approach to building a financial advisory business that is fun, exciting and totally unique to the industry.

Have you ever created a vision board? It’s not too late.  Every year I would hold some kind of event for my girls to  focus on the new year. Two years ago I had them watch The Secret on video and then we spent the next hour in our dining room creating our Vision Boards.  While this was a fun exercise with lots of laughter and teasing  it was more than just fun.

A vision board is a visual reflection of what you want your life to be like. If you are a visual person like myself a vision board is more than just pictures.  It represents where I want to be, how I want to live my life,  what I would like my life to be like.  It represents a feeling, an atmosphere, relationships and even mood.

I still have my vision board as do my daughters. I’m sure after a few years they will brush the dust off their vision board, remind them of their crazy mother and soon recognize that they are actually living the life that they only once envisioned.

As a woman, as a female financial advisor take some time over the next few weeks to join your daughters and even sons in creating their vision board.  All it takes is a poster board, scissors, glue and lots of magazines.  It’s amazing how such a simple project can have such a tremendous impact on your life.