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“Whenever I get distracted, I always think of that guy who looked at you.”
Aimee was in a group of financial advisors I spoke to several months ago and emailed me to discuss coaching. She remembered the short video clip I had shown to illustrate the high cost of seemingly small distractions. (It’s a clip of when I won an Olympic medal in the pool by a mere 4/100ths of a second because the swimmer in line for third place turned to look at me with only three strokes left in the race, costing him a medal.) The image stuck in her mind.
Are you creating pictures people can easily remember you by?
Because I provide an image when I talk about distractions, people recall my message more readily during their daily experiences. Every time they hear a sports announcer say, “Can you believe how close that was?” they remember my presentation about distractions and recall their need to stay focused on what matters most so they can succeed sooner.
A picture is worth way more than a thousand words. When you link an idea, issue, or threat to a relevant familiar image, people remember you and your point much more easily than they would relying words alone.
Dave McHugh, a friend and a successful advisor with Edward Jones, used to meet with me when I first started as an advisor at Morgan Stanley. Dave was working with New York Life back in 2001. The door to my office had two vertical columns of four small window panes. One day Dave described a product that helped with diversification. He glanced at my door, then proceeded to describe how diversification worked by illustrating his point with my door.
He explained that that if one small pane in my door got damaged, only that one piece of glass would need fixing; the whole window would not be ruined like it would be if it were a single, large pane of glass. I used Dave’s illustration with my clients. After 15 years, I and many of my clients still remember that image. (Thanks Dave!)
How do you make sure you remain top of mind for clients and prospects?
Here are some more pictures you can paint for those you advise:
Turbulence: “Experiencing turbulence during a flight is never fun, and neither is market turbulence. However, just like when you’re in a plane, sometimes the only way to arrive at your final destination is to continue flying through the unpleasant bumps. The ride may be a little rougher for a while, but know that it will pass.”Traffic lights: “There will be specific times we’ll make decisions together to move forward – just like with a green light. There will also be times where we need to do absolutely nothing, to ensure we don’t move…like at a red light.
“What I never want you to experience again regarding finances and your financial well being is a yellow-light experience."
“Think about what happens at yellow lights.”
The client usually responds, “I either speed up or slow down,” (or you can answer your own prompt).
“Yes, and right before that, you experience a split-second, frantic thought process, trying to decide what to do.
“We make that frenzied decision while speeding along in a heavy moving object, possibly accompanied by people we love, and we make potentially life-changing decisions on the fly.
“When we work together, you will never have yellow-light experiences when it comes to your finances.”
Give people a memorable image, and they’ll keep thinking about you and what you said.