Ask for the Order
My first career out of college was working as a financial advisor. A fundamental part of helping people with their investing and retirement planning was having clients to serve. There was a cliche that financial advisors would talk about as follows. You can be the best financial advisor in the world, but if you don’t have any clients, then you are out of business. Knowing how to get more clients was vital to continue my work as a financial advisor.
As I got into my financial advising career, the technical part of financial planning and working with existing clients came naturally to me. Learning how to find clients was much more challenging, as it is for many people in business. Sometimes I wished I could just work as a financial advisor and already have clients.
After a few years into my career, my boss told me just to “ask for the order.” He was a seasoned financial planner who had over three decades of experience. He explained to me how to get more clients when I met people who I might be able to serve:
“Some people might want to work with you, but they are just waiting for you to ask them. Just ask for the order.”
Due to this conversation with my boss and a few other factors, my business began to change. I took these words to heart and became more comfortable finding clients. Once I met a person who was a good potential client, I began to more consistently ask for the order. I learned more that sales does not have to be something I need to feel awkward or bad about. And, this can be a way to serve more people to help them reach their financial goals. I began to find more clients I could serve in helping manage their money.
Similarly, this idea of asking for the order applies not only to business, but many other areas of life. There are a myriad of situations where you can ask for the order such as a possible career promotion. Also, asking the person you may want to marry or the lower price you want to negotiate on a car are other examples. Life is full of scenarios that might include a change for the better if you are just willing to ask.
So, the only thing keeping you from what you want might be having the courage to ask for what you want.
July 8, 2024