There's a great scene in the movie, “Johnson Family Vacation” that features Cousin Bodie, who approaches the lead character at a family reunion. Bodie reminds his cousin how he encouraged him to enter the insurance business and is very proud of his success. Then he adds, “Let me hold some…”
My boys didn't get it. I found that ironic. “He's asking,” I explained, “for money.”
We all have friends or relatives who only come around when they need something. And we all have learned to avoid them at family functions.
But here's the $64,000 question: Are you Cousin Bodie to your clients? Sure, you'd argue that you offer products/services when you show up so that's different. Besides, we get paid to sell. Isn't that the point; we show up when we need to make a sale? Everybody knows that's how it works, right? But we're all about affirming the truth here, so seriously consider this. Are you guilty—like the rest of us—of showing up only when you need something?
I recently had a conversation with a broker who was worried about the diminution of his role with clients in light of PPACA. “Once they figure out they can buy it without me,” he opined, “I'm toast.”
It occurred to me I was talking to Cousin Bodie.
Here was a guy who likely showed up only when he needed to “hold some,” so of course his clients would dump him if they figured out they could buy something cheaper or easier through an exchange. He's just a means to an end, a necessary evil. There's no trust –no bond—between them.
The great thing about trust in business is that anyone can build it. The hard part is the patience it takes for it to happen. If you're serious about influencing your clients, though, you'll have to invest the time and effort to show up when you don't want to “hold some.”
I believe the public needs us today more than ever. PPACA will continue to create more unanswered questions, and people need a professional they trust and with whom they feel comfortable. But you can't trust Cousin Bodie.
Your clients deserve better than Bodie. Do them a favor and show up from time to time just to say, “I'm thinking about you,” with no agenda. It builds trust and creates the bond that will keep them with you despite industry changes.
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