Where It All Began
It’s not hard for me to trace my career path and connect the dots from my past confusion to my present fulfillment. The turning point came in a conversation with my mentor, Rich, on that first afternoon in the FPA Residency Program. I had tried desperately to put the pieces together on my own, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure I even had my hands on the right pieces of the puzzle. Something in my career was missing—I was sure of that—but I didn’t know what it was. I longed to be more than a salesman. That’s the reason I became a CFP® and attended the Residency Program. This, I was convinced, was my last and best hope to find an answer.
That afternoon, Rich explained his business philosophy of focusing on his clients’ dreams instead of his own. His paradigm was, in many ways, the polar opposite of the approach I had been using. Clients aren’t targets or sources of commissions, he patiently explained. They are people with hopes and fears, dreams and dreads. Our role is to tap into their hearts so we can serve them effectively and authentically. He summarized his perspective when he told us, “When clients share their most heartfelt dreams with me, I consider that a sacred trust.”
I quote Rich in the introduction to each of my books because his words are a powerful reminder to all of us about the role we can play in the lives of men and women we are privileged to serve every day. Rich’s comment focused on the role of CFPs® with clients, but it applies to each and every advisor who provides insurance and financial services to clients.
“The great thing is the start — to see an opportunity for service, and to start doing it, even though in the beginning you serve but a single customer — and him for nothing.”
—Robert Collier, author, proponent of personal excellence and success