Q: Can you share a little about your background before you became a Financial Representative?
A: I did not come from nor is my educational background in financial services. I was a retail man for my entire career through big box retailers. I started off, wanting to follow a boyhood goal of being a police officer and while I was going to college for criminal justice I took a retail investigations position, which eventually progressed to a 15 year career in retail loss prevention and assets protection, which is kind of ironic. Over time I had a desire then to switch over to leadership roles into management and the operational side of things. I ran a big box retailer for about 5 years as store manager and really enjoyed that, I got to learn a lot about how business operations ran.
All the while I was really interested in the financial side, mainly investing money, including stock markets and asset management which led to a lot of self learning. As a store manager I had the opportunity to work with and coach some folks on their 401K plan, mainly if they were investing and taking advantage of the matching. Furthermore, if they understood all the different tools that were available to them to make the right decisions and choices that they have. I really enjoyed that and I got a lot of good positive feedback, looking back I have some real good success stories with folks just starting out in life and setting money aside to seeing that money grow.
As I started to think about my next move, being a business owner was always something that I was interested in doing. I had the opportunity for a transition, and anybody that has been in the retail life for 20 years knows its grind and at some point everybody gets to where it is time to move on. I had a chance encounter with a friend who was a Financial Advisor with Thrivent, through casual conversations and specifically what to do with my money that I have accumulated through my 401K as I transition out of the retail environment, he shared with me what he did and on a larger scale it seemed like it was the ideal situation for me. That’s the long and the short of my journey to financial services at least into Thrivent.
Q: Do you get a little bit more weekend time with your family now that you’re out of retail?
A: Yeah, absolutely. I set my own schedule and I have the opportunity to do that and certainly at this stage in my career and business, I don’t have as much control because I am just starting out overall it’s a matter of when I can see people and as often as I can see people but for the most part it’s a situation where I can control it better, which is a huge plus.
Q: You said that you are new to the business, how new are you?
A: About this time last year is when I started to go through the licensing phase. I started on my own in October of last year, so I am very new.
Q: Have you had any surprises so far related to your expectations as far as what it takes to be successful as a Financial Representative?
A: I would say about a couple times per day! At this point I am a sponge to anything and everything that I see, hear or observe while weighing it against how it might work within my own model, either a short, intermediate, or long term goal stand point. Something’s I like and something’s I don’t feel would fit within my model, but it is always good to see how other folks run their practice. The one really satisfying thing that I experienced is all the level of support that the veterans have offered to me.
Q: Have you made an ideal client profile?
A: Currently I am still in the gathering process. What I stared off thinking my ideal client would be has changed based on the experiences I have had and what I have seen in terms of veterans Financial Representatives have as ideal client’s, which has been an evolution for me. At this point in time I am still finding my way when it comes to that.
Q: The area that you are working in, is it more rural or urban? What’s your typical client like?
A: Right now my typical client is mid-to-late 40’s, still working. I work in the Harrisburg area and I have expanded my area to a 30 mile radius around Harrisburg. It’s rural but there are bits and pieces where I get out into the farmland but for the most part it is a populated area.
Q: How did you feel when you were invited to attend the CAPS™ workshop?
A: I was nervous to see what it was like, but welcomed it, given the fact that I have had no formalized training or background. I came in with a team of peers which included a lot of veterans and very successful veterans. I was able to not only learn from the CAPS™ program, but also the folks that have been doing this job a long time, those who have their own ways of which to do it and see them shift their styles into what the CAPS™ workshop was presenting.
Q: What was your impression of the course work itself?
A: It was intense but in a good way. I think the use of the language, the way the information was presented through videos and then how we were filling in the blanks after the video. It really kept you on your toes and kept my mind engaged into applying the material that I just learned to different scenarios that were being talked about at that certain time.
Q: When the workshop concluded, did you leave the workshop with any particular concerns at all?
A: Concerns, no, but I was excited and eager to put some of the skills into play. I knew that, for me building trust with individuals and establishing that trust is really important, it is about getting to know those individuals through good probing questions, which was the one thing that I took out and wanted to put into play right away.
Q: Great, which leads into my next question, after you went through the workshop and had a chance to practice the skills and some of the role plays, what’s been happening once you’ve been implementing the skills in conversations with your prospects and clients?
A: I’ve had a lot of success with connecting with individuals. One of the main points that we discussed as a sales individuals or for someone like me who has never really been in the field before, was overcoming Objective, which was one of my biggest concern. One of the points that was made very clearly during the workshop, if you follow the prospect, listening to the signs and following through with the correct steps, Objections don’t really come into play. If they do it’s easy to go back and find out where the gap is and be able to fill in the holes to then bring you back to the proper closing.
Q: I’m curious did you have a joint work partner with you during the workshop?
A: Yes, Michael Smith.
Q: Did CAPS™ change the dynamics of joint appointments that you had after the workshop in any way?
A: I don’t know if changed the dynamics, but in a sense I understood better how Michael was interacting with clients through the communication process. I believe Mike does a pretty good job of following this process; he’s a veteran and very successful.
Q: Overall, what was your opinion of the CAPS™ workshop and what would you say if someone asked you about attending a workshop paired with the follow up coaching that we perform?
A: Over all, it was a beneficial training. It is a course designed not just for those that are new to the sale process but is even something a very successful veteran can benefit from, which was evident from the veteran peers that attended the course with me. Overall, well worth the time.
The ways in which the course work was presented, I think really honed in on the skills that you need and help define where those opportunities are for improvement. The follow-up coaching calls that we had were nice to be able to check in and see exactly how we were able to work out some of those opportunities that we identified while going through the course.
Q: What do you at this point consider the most important outcome or result that you are experiencing as a result of attending the workshop?
A: One of the biggest outcomes for me is competence. Weather I am calling someone for an appointment, cold calling or sitting down with somebody for the very first time and going through a sales presentation with them I feel much more competent in the process, which really translates into my own confidence. I know that has shown thought the individual either on the phone or someone still across from me.
Q: Do you find yourself using the CAPS™ skills in the community or with your family members?
A: Probing, absolutely! If you’re curious about something or need to check for understanding, you are going to probe. I think it annoys my kids more than anything.
Q: Looking forward to the rest of the year, what are your goals and aspirations?
A: I was able to make conference my first year, the Peak Performer Conference and that is really my goal to get back there next year and continue to grow my business. Coming up on October, I will cycle through my first year and start matching up to what I did last year.
Q: At the end of the day, what does it mean for you to have a career that allows you to share your beliefs and help others financially?
A: The feeling I got when I wasn’t in the career and to be able to help folks make decisions with their finances was incredibly fulfilling. Looking back it was a very basic approach, now it’s the same but on a much higher level because I have the ability to really make an impact and to connect with individuals in much more complex ways. Being able to walk them through the very first stages of their financial security eventually all the way through, as well as helping widows and orphans go through the challenges of a spouse or parent dying and answering the question, “What do we do next?” To be able to develop a good plan and how they are going to execute that plan, it’s a heavy weight and a heavy responsibility but one that is incredibly fulfilling
Q: Final question, if someone was considering a career as a Financial Representative with Thrivent Financial, what would you say to them?
A: I would say, absolutely! I have been very happy with my on boarding, the freedoms to really run my business, also the guidance that I have from peers, veterans, from folks in my same situation, to the management and the leaders within the organization. It’s a great foundation but more importantly it’s a great organization for what we stand for, helping people be smart with their money to increase their generosity to impact communities. We put our hands and feet to work to impact Gods community and God’s Kingdom.
