Do you remember a time when you accomplished something really great? Something you thought might not be possible, but you were able to pull it off. For me it was when we bought our house. It was a stretch goal for us, but we loved the house the moment we saw it. We put an offer in the day the realtor showed it to us.
The call came just as we realized the house we were in wasn’t the right one for us. We weren’t expecting things to move so quickly. So, when we put an offer in, we immediately had to go to work on the financing. That is when our mortgage broker Dan stepped in to put us on the path to close escrow quickly. We wanted to give notice on the place we were renting so we could move in over the Labor Day weekend.
I am going to assert that nothing truly great can be done alone. Even if you are free soloing El Capitan, there is a team of people making it happen.
One of the most satisfying parts of my job is referring out other top professionals and collaborating with them to improve my client’s finances. Whether you need an attorney, CPA, realtor or other professional having a strong team and strong relationship improves the results. My objective is to help my clients form a team of best-of-breed professionals working together like a top sports team or professional athlete achieve their best.
I recently asked my friend, Charlie, who works in agri-finance to refer a banker for my client in Northern California who needed financing for a farm. Charlie got back to me within the hour with the name of a banker, who also contacted me immediately. It turns out the banker already knew the family and the farm needing the loan and was happy to work with them!
It is gratifying to be able to connect clients with the perfect person so quickly and easily! For over 20+ years I have been focused on developing strong relationships with a deep bench of highly-referrable specialists. Those relationships are like gold to me. Some of the most significant wins that shape my clients’ financial successes come from other professionals I refer.
Maybe you need Vanessa, our brilliant estate planner whom everyone loves, or Dan, our mortgage broker. He has gone above and beyond in over two dozen re-finances for our clients. Charlie, the baller in Agri-finance, Cynthia, our realtor who is the hardest working realtor I know, we can refer you – not just to anyone you need, but possibly the BEST!
When was the last time you felt the satisfaction of connecting someone you love to someone they need? I ask because my experience with Charlie made me think about our “refer-ability”.
I know what the qualities are that make someone a good referral for me. The people I love to recommend are those who:
- Are exceptional at what they do
- Are very responsive
- Have empathy
- People like working with them
- Do what they say they’re going to do, even going above and beyond
When I refer someone, I do so without reservations. I believe that they will take great care of you. We hope you think we’re referrable too. I trust you’ve already experienced the growth in your wealth and the peace of mind that you’re secure. We believe in helping people find what they need and exceeding people’s expectations. I hope you’ve found me to be attentive to you, responsive to your personal needs, reliable, trustworthy – even impressive!
When you hear from someone you care about, share
“I’m not sure what to do with my company stock options.”
“I haven’t heard from my financial advisor since the 90s.”
“I’m not sure if I have enough.”
“I’m anticipating a divorce and need an advocate for the financial transition.”
“A death in my family shifted my assets, and I don’t know what to do.”
“I don’t know when the most advantageous time for me to take Social Security is” [link to the video on that]
“I don’t know my rate of return on my investments.”
“I’ve come into money and want to be smart with it.”
“My business is growing rapidly, and I need someone to give me a bird’s eye view of how to manage the growth.” or
“I don’t know how I’m going to send my kids to college.”
I ask that you share my information with her or him and a word about how I can help. I have no reservations; I will take great care of them. As financial advocates, we listen and come up with solutions that are in your best interest. We don’t just sell you a product.
If there is someone you’re thinking of now, please forward this email to them and cc me on it david@hicokfinancial.com I will send you a copy of The Soul of Money one of my favorite non-finance books about money. Better yet, I will send them a copy as well.
When friends mention these problems in the future, I hope you will share my website. We’ve recently updated it with a checklist to find the ideal financial advocate. 7 Must-Ask Questions for Choosing an FA can be downloaded straight from the site. Even if I’m not a fit for them, I want them to have a blueprint for finding the right person.
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