How to stand out from other advisors

Every advisor wants to show clients that they care and mean what they say. Justin J. Deges, FICF, LUTCF, a 10-year MDRT member from Hill City, Kansas, recommends attending the funerals or end-of-life services for clients you have served.

“Often, I will notice that several friends and family of the deceased who are in attendance at the funeral are the same people I have told, ‘I will be there for you and your loved ones.’ How crazy is that? I just proved to them how much I care,” he said. “But what about the people at the funeral whom you have never seen before and whom you think you will never see again? Guess what? They have never seen you before either, but now you are an agent who stands out from all the rest. These strangers ask their friends and family, ‘Who is that guy?’ Now the deceased’s family just made a referral for you to someone who may choose to call you because they may not have the same trust or confidence in their own financial advisor to be there when they need advice the most.”

‘You might as well just throw your seeds into the river’

“To ensure your chances that this particular seed sprouts, do not just attend the funeral service and leave right afterward. You might as well just throw your seeds into the river. I would strongly suggest that you also go to the graveside service or whatever end-of-life events are customary where you live. If the family has a funeral dinner or a social gathering, do your best to attend that as well. Yes, you will have a lot of paperwork back at the office you should be doing. Yes, you probably have racked up 15 to 20 emails and another five to 10 phone calls waiting for your return. Yes, it is so much easier not to go to the funeral and graveside service and funeral dinner, but for anyone who has never tried this before, here is what you get: making sales easier and opening a door for people to feel comfortable coming to you to do business.”

Hear other ways Deges stands out and plants seeds with clients in his presentation “Building Your Book of Business by Reaping What You Sow.”