New year, new me

Laplayaplanning wrote: Newbie here. A little backstory about myself: I started in the auto industry, so I'm not new to sales, but due to family reasons I went into insurance with a captive company in 2018. It was extremely difficult to be a hammer looking for nails. So I branched out and landed in an admin role under a small retirement planning team with MassMutual before the pandemic. I just completed my 7 & 66, with the Financial Planner designation under my firm to continue to work with this book of business and start to build my own. I am wrapping up my B.S. so I can start the CFP process, but before then I need to get the ball rolling. I want to find my niche clientele as I move forward and have a few ideas so I thought I'd jump on here to pick peoples brains on occasion and maybe avoid some pitfalls and future heartaches cheers!

johnalden wrote: Please ignore the sarcasm you will find here.

SometimesNowhere wrote: Laplayaplanning wrote: Newbie here. A little backstory about myself: I started in the auto industry, so I'm not new to sales, but due to family reasons I went into insurance with a captive company in 2018. It was extremely difficult to be a hammer looking for nails. So I branched out and landed in an admin role under a small retirement planning team with MassMutual before the pandemic. I just completed my 7 & 66, with the Financial Planner designation under my firm to continue to work with this book of business and start to build my own. I am wrapping up my B.S. so I can start the CFP process, but before then I need to get the ball rolling. I want to find my niche clientele as I move forward and have a few ideas so I thought I'd jump on here to pick peoples brains on occasion and maybe avoid some pitfalls and future heartaches cheers!  Unfortunately, you're likely to fail.

RichMexican_ wrote: Instead of wasting your time getting designations why don't you go prospect?

freebird wrote: And he’s right too

luvindy wrote: RichMexican_ wrote: Instead of wasting your time getting designations why don't you go prospect? RichSpic resurrects with a swing out of the corner!

Using the knowledge to gain and keep clients is 95% of the value.  

TylerKnown wrote: Are designations even worth it? I'm all for continued education but I've talked with quite a few advisors that have no desire to ever get them. For the people here with designations: did the knowledge from them really help your reputation/strategies?

In the unlikely event someone ever reads your ADV 2B and finds out you haven't graduated, sure, a designation might help to overcome any concern there. You can get the ChFC before you graduate if you really want to, then sit for the CFP when you do. The ChFC is all the same coursework plus a little more, so getting it isn't double the work/cost, aside from the examination itself.

Thanks all for the warm welcome!  After being in and around the industry these past few years I’ve seen so many fail - yes even CFPs so I’m not phased by those odds. To me it’s just the knowledge and credibility I owe to my prospective clients while I don’t have the 30 years of experience some people look for.  It also isn’t an “either or” scenario. I have one class left for my bachelors and will likely not start the next steps until 2025, but in the meantime, I’m spending my days meeting with my target markets and cold calling from my senior advisors essentially orphaned clients. I am a mom with a preteen and stepkids in their teens *surprise surprise* and yes previously, I worked in sales for an auto dealership, so there’s really nothing thats going to hurt my feelings 😝A lot of advisors in our firm are new to sales and new to the industry, so I’m looking for a more seasoned crowd to chat with now and then.