| Who knows of good networking events in the Midwest region? |
Bump–simply because I don’t want to start a new thread on the exact same thing.
Anybody have a book called “Networking for Total Idiots”? I could use one.
I’ve never been the real social type. I don’t hate people or crowds, but I also don’t like all the pretense. I never joined a fraternity. I don’t go to the “Tux and Tennies” ball, or the Halloween Masquerade. I’m not involved in local politics, and I think those that are have their heads up their collective derrieres.
Anybody know how to actually go about networking? Keep in mind–I’m not looking for a job. I’m looking for clients. Preferably business owners or wealthy peeps. Ones that will entrust both their taxes and their investments to me.
Lunch and Learns kid. Don’t you remember Ameriprize?
just be yourself - you never know when someone is going to come out of the woodwork and ask to be a client when that happens - remember your ABCs always be closing
@Greenman-How about starting a blog or website teaching these guys basics of what you know,as you know two people learn when one teaches the other.
On the plus side you could do a local SEO and stuff like that to increase your customers from there.
Gabe - greenman doesnt want to teach the people, he just wants new client money for ‘taxes and investments’ nothing wrong with that
i used to intern for a hot shot broker when i was in high school. the guy wasnt the smartest tool in the shed but he knew how to sell and bring in clients.
basically he would buy a mail list of clients he was looking for (assets over 250k, age > 45, etc) and send out letters to these folks (mass mail). He would invite them to a free lunch seminar.
EVERYONE LOVES FREE LUNCH - just dont do it at some cheap buffett, pick a decent restaruant with a decently sized private room.
This guy did the same presentation over and over again - none of the slides changed in over 6 months. and none of the stuff was too technical it was a mix of some facts about the market (10 return since inception, better than bonds, blah blah) and funny slides/jokes (quoted from famous ppl about future than never panned out)
basically it was a scare tactic aobut needing financial planning and what can go wrong if you dont have anyone helping you.
i dont remember the client rate but this guy did really well, he is making over a mil now and most of his clients are now referrals. i remember sitting through these power point presentations and i had all the slides memorized.
it will take some time for you to develop your pitch, and if you have more than 1 make sure you customize them for whoever you are trying to land.
Ayo, hook Greenie up with the slides as an example.
Greenie, for clients, I’d hustle the chamber of commerce, CPA/CFA/CFP circles, and inf’ormation sessions like igor said. Heck, if you really want, lead a educational seminar via community education.
Back when I lived in some shanty town, I’d get this thing in the mail that would have community courses in it. They had courses in astronomy, fossil hunting, ghost stories, dancing, and so forth. There was also a big section on financial lessons which was always something I passed over since I’m an all mighty and powerful CFA MBA.
But I’m sure you could find some muppets who’d pay to hear your thoughts on tax shelters, Roth vs. Traditional IRA, rollining over a 401k, ETF vs Mutual Funds, and so forth. While you get paid for putting on a presentation improving your public speaking skills in a low risk environment, you also stand the chance to establish rapport with individuals interested in growing their net worth.
I remember liking the book “Million Dollar Networking.” Probably worth a read. You can get a used copy off of amazon for a couple of bucks. There might be a kindle version if you need instant gratification.
http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Networking-Business-Capital/dp/1933102055
I think there’s another book called Networking for introverts, although I might be remembering a presentation title. Obviously I haven’t read that one, but it sounds like it was written for people with your perspective on it.
(seems like it’s not a book, but there is lots of stuff on that topic when you do a web search)
I’ve said it before but the only thing that I’ve seen that really works are charities. Join a couple that have members you’d like to get to know better (either to gain as clients or because you’d like to work for them). You kill several birds with one stone: You do something that’s hopefully rewarding on a personal level; get known in the community; connect with powerful people in your community on a personal level by showing you have similar interests; puts you in a position to easily introduce yourself and make conversation.
I’ve seen so many “how to network” breakout sessions at industry conferences and nearly all of them have the same problem. Going to a “networking lunch” really only puts you in touch with other people also looking for something. The real decision makers don’t go to those things. (CFA events are the exception. I’ve found those to be good networking events but that’s pretty specific.) Charities are the only easy way, that I’ve seen anyway, that puts you in the same room with people you want to be in front of and makes conversation with them much more natural than meeting them at some random event.