How your story can build trust with potential clients

One of the most common and crucial mistakes we make as we navigate life is separating our work and personal life when it comes to telling our story.?

When we segment the two, we don’t realize that the experiences encountered in our personal life can be a huge testimonial when pitching business to potential clients, bosses, interviewers etc.?

A perfect example of this is from a friend I’ve known for over 20 years who works as a financial planner. His intention was to build better trust between he and his client.?

We started diving in and he revealed that during his time in the US Navy he saved a man’s life from another ship while on the Indian Ocean. Can’t believe after 20 years I was just finding this out…which just shows you really don’t know someone until you know their full story!?

Anyway, the operation it took to save the person’s life was something out of Mission Impossible. They had to take a helicopter from their battle ship and get it right over the commercial boat which is not something a standard training manual teaches you in the Navy.?

This scene was a perfect example of a collaboration moment and to any potential client listening to this story, a clear indication of someone who’s able to navigate risk and remain calm in high pressure situations. This combo of traits is perfect for someone working in finance and managing assets especially in times of market volatility.?

So my exercise for you is to make sure when you’re identifying your blue dots you’re not separating them by work moments and life moments. Just list them out and as you start picking your three you should be able to connect them. See below for the full PeakStory of the financial planner in this story and if you have any questions DM me!?

"So all this came from not being afraid to travel down from Albany on the train to meet my dad in New York, where he worked, when I was just fourteen [hero story].?

When Dad left his job to start his own company in the stock market, I would have never thought that I would run his business one day. I joined the US Navy, becoming an officer. One time, I was on a US Navy ship in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and I helped save the life of someone on another ship. If you've never seen two ships meeting in the middle of the ocean, it's like transferring someone out the window of the twentieth story of one high-rise to the high-rise next door. We had to fly a helicopter from our ship to the other to rescue the ailing person. And we were a military ship helping a commercial ship, so there was more risk than a training manual could ever show. But we saved the person's life [collaboration story].

When I left the US Navy, I went to work with my dad and I was successful. The business grew so much that we merged it with another practice. I love helping people create stability through the language of finance [virtuous story!"]

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