The Secret to Growing My Business

Georgetown.

There's a scene in Mad Men where Peggy Olson watches a focus group of women trying on lipstick.

There are dozens of shades sitting on the table.

Why?

Because every woman wants to find her color.

I think about that scene a lot when I think about why my business has grown.

Big companies need models.

They need systems.

They need to create models that clients fit into because that's how you scale.

But people don't want to be put into boxes.

They want to feel understood.

They don't want to be just another number.

I know that's not how I would want to feel.

So I started thinking about how I would want to be treated if I were the client.

1. I would want to be heard.

Being heard sounds simple. But it requires actually listening.

My job as an advisor isn't to convince someone to fit my model.

It's to understand theirs.

Some of my clients want me to make investment decisions for them without bothering them.

Others want me to call before I change anything.

Can you imagine a large financial institution calling a client before making a change in the model?

Of course not.

But I can make that call.

2. I would want my advisor to be competent.

You have to know what you're doing. It takes years to build the skills and street smarts to navigate financial markets.

Competence is the price of admission.

3. I would want my advisor to be human.

I make mistakes. I've made plenty of them.

And I've learned that admitting them doesn't necessarily diminish trust. Sometimes it builds it.

People realize I'm not a robot. I'm a person trying to get things right,

just like they are.

And I've realized this doesn't just apply to my business.

The same model applies to my friendships, my marriage and raising my kids.

Listen. Be competent. Be human.

Because whether we're choosing a financial advisor, a lipstick—or a person to trust with something important—we all want essentially the same thing:

To feel like we're not just another shade on the shelf.

(Photo taken at Georgetown in front of the house where they filmed the movie Transformers;-)

If you feel like you are not being heard, it's a good idea to re-evaluate.

Tiffany Kent

Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide

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