The GIVE:  In prior posts, I’ve noted I’m a member of NAIFA-Tampa, a financial advisors professional association. They recently asked for my help at their recent charity golf event for Epilepsy (see picture). I’ve also pinch-hitted as a speaker and moderator for them a couple of times. Not big investments of my time, and a nice way to personally connect with my target market.

The GAIN: In casual conversation with one of the group’s leaders, he suggested linking my free online advisor assessment to their website as a member benefit. But there’s more: here is what he wrote to me after his meeting with the board of directors :

“Your reputation and hard work with the association made it so easy to get approval.  Those who know you simply said this is good and let’s vote.” 

The purpose of my sharing this is not to toot my own horn, but rather, to share an insight that could help you. Here’s the insight” my ”hard work” has been anything but – I’ve enjoyed every minute and see it as “playtime” away from the office! And, talk about free advertising right to my ideal market! It doesn’t get any better than that.

And,here is an excerpt of the intro letter written by the association president-elect – again, you can’t get a better endorsement ”from the horse’s mouth” like this:  

“..  In short,  the “Advisor Blind Spot Assessment”  throws light on some areas of our business we might otherwise want to ignore. Take a few minutes to ….. take the assessment.  The time you devote to this survey and implementing the recommendations will be rewarded by increased effectiveness. ”

The best part for me was that these “gains”  were unexpected and easy, and simply grew out of my willingness to show up and give alittle of my time. I know you will agree that this way of “selling” is much more fun and effective - than the pushy, hard-sell tactics we all hate.

By the way, if you want to shed light on your advisor practice…just click on the link at right for your own, free custom Advisor Blind Spot Assessment. You’ll receive instant results online and via email.

How about you? – What examples can you share of your own” Giver’s Gain” experiences? We all learn from each other’s lessons. Oh, and feel free to pass along this article to your friends to inspire their creative giving!

As a member of the Tampa chapter of NAIFA, I recently moderated a panel of advisors who were honored by their peers. You can read about it here:  http://bit.ly/byYdT1

Which groups do you participate in and support with your time and contributions? How do you benefit from them?

Please share your comments here in the interest of professional development.

Thanks!