Listening: The Most Underrated Superpower

When you’ve put in the work to become an expert in your field, it can be hard to sit back and listen to someone else — especially if you already know what they need.

But the truth is that listening can launch your business to new heights.

Tandy Ervin already had a pretty successful business before she mastered the art of listening. She’s been a CPA for 30 years and already had $10 million in AUM when I met her.

What she didn’t have was growth. She wanted another $10 million within one year, but she had gotten so comfortable with running her business on autopilot that she just wasn’t getting there.

I’ve been working with Tandy for just over a year now, and while interviewing her for Growing Your Financial Business: The Woman’s Way , Tandy celebrated reaching her goal for the first time ever!! (after having the goal for over a decade!)

And what did she say was her number one key to success? You guessed it: listening.

Being Coachable Can Take You a Long Way

Getting someone’s help to stay on track to hit your big business goals is essential to actually hitting them. Not only is it nice to have someone in your court, cheering you on toward your dreams, but having a coach gives you the systems and shortcuts to get faster results.?

But the key to success is being coachable. You have to be willing to listen, adapt and most of all, TAKE ACTION (imperfect action, in fact!).?

This is exactly what made Tandy so successful during The Appointment Generator (TAG) Challenge, a free 5-day event I created that guarantees 5 qualified appointments in 5 days. With the social media strategies Tandy learned during the event, she was able to automate a lot of her messaging, outsource that work to an assistant, and save her own time for the real money-making activities.

That’s amazing! Because Tandy was willing to listen, stretch outside her comfort zone and put what she learned into practice, she found a whole new way to structure her business and set herself up for that transformational growth.

But once you have the systems in place, there’s someone else you have to listen to.

Your Client Knows What They Want

Sort of. They might not fully understand what you can help them accomplish, but when prompted they’ll begin to get clarity on there two important questions:

What is it that you really want but don’t have? And what’s holding you back from getting there?

I can almost guarantee that your prospective client isn’t answering these questions in terms of their 401k or asset allocation. No, they’re thinking of sending their kids to college or retiring early, and those are the results they may end up wanting from you, a financial advisor who listens!

In the interview , Tandy told me about the first client who she met cold on LinkedIn. Tandy had a beautiful investment strategy all planned out, and she couldn’t wait to let her client know all about it! It was going to be great!

But the client kept changing the topic before Tandy could finish explaining.

Tandy realized all her client wanted to hear was the results. Her client didn’t need to know the investment strategy — that’s why she hired a wealth manager! What she needed to know was that Tandy had solutions to her problems, and that she could deliver real results.

Listening to her client, Tandy changed her messaging, ran it through compliance, and started talking about investing on her clients’ terms, not overwhelming them with industry jargon.

Now, that client raves about Tandy all the time — and she still hasn’t heard the full investment strategy.

Once you know how to make those deep, understanding connections with prospects and clients, you can truly focus on building the business you’ve always wanted.

The Secret Weapon: Community

It can be lonely as a woman in the financial industry, especially if you don’t know anyone else with your struggles. That’s why I hope every woman in this industry can find a community where you thrive.

And beyond the companionship, it’s a mastermind of women with brilliant ideas who also want you to succeed.

Take this for example. Heather Venenga, Tandy’s accountability partner who was on the podcast two weeks ago, asked some ladies in my FEMM (Female Empowered Money-Makers) Program if they wanted to jump on a call on New Year’s Day. No agenda — just to chat.

But even when you’re “chatting” with incredible women dedicated to growing their businesses, big things can happen. Tandy walked away from that call with answers to questions she hadn’t even known to ask, discovering tools to make her life even easier.

Of course, Tandy also contributes her unique talents to these conversations, but she gains so much from listening to her peers’ experiences.

She’s always open to listening and learning, which is why this year, she finally hit that goal of another $10 million under management. How can you not be impressed by that!

And There’s So! Much! More!

Of course, Tandy didn’t just listen to get to where she is now. On the podcast , you can hear all about her favorite social media strategies and how she tailors her messaging to reach even larger audiences.

Exercise your listening skills and check out more from Tandy here !

When have you taken a moment to listen and learn something new? Let me know in the comments!