You said you wanted to get Capone. Do you really want to get him? You see what I’m saying is, what are you prepared to do? And then what are you prepared to do? If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way. Because they’re not going to give up the fight, until one of you is dead. You want to know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital; you send one of his to the morgue! That’s the Chicago way! And that’s how you get Capone. Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that? Remember these lines from…
Continue Reading “Readiness”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business, Networking, Referrals. Leave a Comment
I recently attended a Saturday morning business meeting. I went to the meeting (did I mention it was a Saturday morning?) for the sole purpose of supporting the speaker whom I met at a past conference. Seemed harmless enough! The presentation started off in a very dynamic way by asking questions of the audience and creating interest in the topic. Extensive time was spent discussing clients the speaker has helped and the value delivered. Clients of the speaker were brought to the event to help promote the speaker’s coaching program. The last 20 minutes of the presentation were spent handing out an application for the coaching program and explaining how to fill it out. How much value did I get from the program? None. I…
Continue Reading “How to Annoy Your Audience”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business, Networking. Leave a Comment
Bert Sugar, the iconic boxing writer and sports historian best known for his trademark fedora and ever-present cigar, passed away on Sunday. I had the pleasure of meeting Bert at the Boxing Hall of Fame this past November (he was inducted himself in 2005). Along with the hat and cigar, Bert was donning a yellow shirt and green pants with little lobsters on them. You couldn’t miss him! I bought his latest book (he wrote over 80), he signed it, and we posed for a picture together. Bert pointed straight into the camera as he always did. Even if you don’t follow boxing, you’re almost sure to recognize Bert Sugar if you saw him. He’s been in movies (playing Bert Sugar of course), on sports shows,…
Continue Reading “How to Become an Absolute Legend”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Boxing, Business, Networking, Networking Questions, Referrals. Leave a Comment
And even if you’re not! Top producers ask me many of the same questions about networking that the rookies ask me. The only difference is the top producers and conference qualifiers tend to have more market (as in their book of business) than time as opposed to having more time than market. Obviously, the established financial advisor has a lot more leverage given they have their book of business with whom to leverage, learn from, and generate more business. Here’s a quick process to help the rookies hit the ground running and prevent the grizzled vets from getting, well, more grizzled. Meet the pros. Make a list of all the aspects you need to learn to become a successful advisor. Scheduling sales appointments,…
Continue Reading “Networking: How to Get Started if you are a New Advisor”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business, Networking, Uncategorized. Leave a Comment
Maybe you’re “selling” your potential referral sources and not networking with them. In a networking scenario, it’s inappropriate to look at people as prospects rather than potential referral sources. I was part of a networking group years ago. Scott was the president of the group and he had a number of people on his board. I joined the group and wanted to meet one by one with the board members. In the spirit of networking, I thought this would be the best way to learn about the group and their respective businesses and to see if, over time, I could help them in any way. I scheduled a one-on-one meeting with Scott and clearly outlined that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss how…
Continue Reading “Why Isn’t Your Networking Working?”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business, Networking, Referrals. Leave a Comment
Where the heck did Jeremy Lin come from? Yes, Harvard, but who knew that? For those of you caught between cold calling and fact finding, Jeremy Lin is a guard for the NY Knicks who spent a lot of time on the bench. With injuries to two of the Knicks big forwards, Lin came out of nowhere and carried the team on his back for a 6 game winning streak. In fact, through his first 10 games as an NBA phenom, Lin averaged 24.6 points and 9.2 assists, bringing their offensive scheme into focus. Linsanity, baby! Lin has been a regular on the back (and front) pages of newspapers and magazines worldwide. The rise of Linsanity has helped preserve the job of the head coach,…
Continue Reading “Game Change”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business, Networking. Leave a Comment
A friend of mine booked me to speak at his networking group. In doing so, he was nice enough to introduce me to his counterpart who runs the group (there are many of them) based local to me. Hey, it was the networking thing to do! An introductory email was sent to all parties and the wheels were in motion. All I needed to do was respond and set up some time to speak with this new connection. Well, he beat me to the punch! My new connection sent a follow up email offering several options as to when we could meet. At the time, I was in the midst of business travel and upon my return needed to take a five hour drive for…
Continue Reading “What is Your Networking Attitude?”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business, Networking, Networking Questions, Referrals. Leave a Comment
So I’m at the gym, just another day at 5AM. I have a set routine where every Monday I work chest, Tuesday it’s legs, and so forth. But here I am second guessing my routine because of the volume of people that are here. Did I mention it’s 5AM? Where did all of these people come from? Welcome to early January in any fitness center! My gym added more than 60 memberships in December. All those New Year’s resolutions, fitness goals, and promises to lose a pound, gain a pound, lift a pound. I guess all of these new comers have the intention of hitting the gym every day at 5AM. Good luck! Don’t get me wrong, this is good news. I admire people that…
Continue Reading “Be True to Your Goals”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business. Leave a Comment
Holiday parties are great! Whether it’s your company party, your client’s party, or a party with family and friends, it’s a chance to have fun and get into the spirit of things. Of course, there are also some great networking opportunities to be had. Especially if you’re a financial planner or advisor looking to help people get a fresh start for next year. Networking at holiday shin-digs may be a bit different from the usual chamber meeting or networking event so here are some quick tips on how to “work the room” while socializing and celebrating. Cheers! Keep it light! Yes, it should be light fare. Probably not the best time to get into heavy conversations about mergers, long term care, annuities, the economy, or…
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Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business, Networking. Leave a Comment
Delivering a killer seminar – hands down! Can you think of a better way to showcase your skills, value, smarts, and market your business? Seminars work even better if you have an audience! People that actually want to listen to you, learn from you, work with you, refer you, and even invite others to your next seminar. Does it get any better than that? Heck, it can even be fun! I have an absolute blast when I deliver presentations as part of agency kickoffs, corporate initiatives, new hire trainings, top producer roundtables, recruiting focus groups, or sales meetings. I’m telling you, if I were a financial advisor, insurance agent, broker, producer, rep, manager, or whomever; I would be delivering presentations to audiences on a regular…
Continue Reading “What is the Best Way to Grow Your Business?”
Posted by Michael Goldberg in Business, Networking, Referrals. Leave a Comment
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