Here is a little timely imagination to stir into your coffee.
Just so you know, this has been a difficult year for me. My dad lives in a nursing home and he more or less became my grandfather. We don’t speak very often, and when we do I certainly miss my dad. He was my hero, and in my own way I do my own Gerald Moseley-Williams impersonation every day around my house.
This is how we honor our dads – we try to be like them or the very best version of them that we can imagine.
My father-in-law died a few days ago, even when you are expecting it, it’s always a terrible surprise.
June 19th is father’s day this year in Canada, the USA and the UK and it is a fantastic opportunity to make a statement about your personal commitment to your clients while conveniently reinforcing the long term nature of your relationship, health, and investments.
Why we host events …
When clients like you, they trust you and when they trust you they will more likely refer additional business to you. Hosting events for your clients will help you build more meaningful relationships quickly, and you will have some laughs along the way.
A series of events throughout the year that are topical and can be leveraged for financial education are most effective for keeping clients connected and engaged with you.
When clients feel fully engaged with you they invest more assets, remain loyal and agreeable during difficult times and are more likely to talk about you to friends and associates. Events are a great way to generate some buzz, and keep your clients thinking about you.
Father’s Day Event June 19th
Likely most of your male clients are fathers, and in many cases they may still have a father who is living.
Father’s Day is a great opportunity to host a breakfast or lunch meeting in a nice restaurant or a golf club with some of your top clients who have kids. This can be a good meeting with a slightly heavy topic – how about … will and estate planning? No joke, I have an advisor that I know who hosts a will and estate planning event every father’s day – she claims that getting people to laugh is the first step in many cases to bridging a difficult subject.
You could partner up with a legal professional or a tax specialist. You could present a tidy list of things that every father should be thinking about – insurance, savings, education and emergency planning.
You can’t invite everyone …
All of your father’s deserve some kind of recognition – a very affordable idea is to go to Esquire Magazine’s site and type “Fatherhood” into the search bar, this will result in 27 suggested articles including this one that is incredible.
Some of the quotes are just fantastic – like this one:
“Don’t worry, your dad didn’t know what he was doing either.”
Why not mail your entire list of father’s a page of great quotes on fatherhood by various thinkers, politicians, or celebrities? It may not seem like much, but it’s better than a tie or a coffee mug. Challenge your father’s to reflect on what this day means to them, and why being a good father is so important.
Invite your top clients, and assorted centers of influence to your event – keep the numbers small, and try to add some entertainment to the education. I love the idea of a nutritionist, I would attend that.
The bottom line is this – no other professional alive is going to send your client anything to do with father’s day – stand out. Engage your clients on an emotional level.
You want people to talk about you? Do the unexpected – care.
