Where do you hunt elephants? Where they congregate (but please don’t hunt elephants… what did they ever do to you)?
Where do you hunt the affluent and COI’s? Where they congregate (again, please do not hunt these people. They need to be alive in order for you to bring them on as clients)! The affluent are almost always involved in some charitable activity in your community. Use that to not only help your community… but set yourself up to help the affluent as well.
Here’s a 5-Step plan to get in front of the affluent philanthropic leaders in your community:
- Get familiar with all of the charities in your community. Two great resources to help you do that are Guidestar and The Foundation Center. These two resources will help you compare organizations in a transparent, easy way.
- Pick one or two organizations to join. You will be able to identify and work beside the board members and their supporters. This will do double duty because you will also be able to meet and get to know their families and friends as well. This will further expand your reach.
- Now show what you can do! This is a great place to actually showcase your expertise and skills. There is no better advertisement than for people to actually see you in action!
- Think outside the box… volunteer your office as a drop off place for various drives… or your parking lot for an event… what do you have that the charity would find handy?
- Donate your services… NOT to the affluent but to the people the charity serves. What would it say about you if you were willing to set up a table at a food shelf to answer the financial questions people who are struggling financially have? Does anybody serve them in this manner? Why would you do such a thing? Because you are a quality human being that can be trusted… and that’s who the affluent want to manage their money.
Is this a long game? Absolutely. Is it a game that could make you “king of advisors” in your town? Absolutely.
