“When you have a vision that’s worthy of your life, you’ve won the game.”
-Garrett Gunderson
The First Sip
Hey Sunday Brewers!
Today’s value-packed edition of ‘The Brew’ has it all, including:
👉 How to master the art of small talk in meetings…
👉 Brand new financial data on Gen Z & Millennial prospects…
👉 And an unlikely story of a “sibling” mixup…
A couple of weeks ago, I relayed the story about Melanie, who was 18 when she gave birth to her son.
She bravely chose to give him up for adoption and then finally had the opportunity to connect with him 33 years later.
I keep thinking about what her (now grown) son recently said…
“Life has a funny way of giving you what you need and not necessarily what you want.”
Well, THIS story that I’m about to tell you certainly falls into that category.
It’s a stranger-than-fiction story about two babies who were SWAPPED at birth due to a hospital error.
The mix up wasn’t discovered until the toddlers were 3 years old, though.
And by that point, the biological parents were already so connected to the little girls they were raising.
They faced a conundrum: Force the girls to part with the only families they’d ever known, OR go on knowing that your birth daughter is living with someone else.
Well, guess what…
They didn’t choose either of those options.
Instead, the two Sicilian moms, Caterina and Melissa, decided to raise them together under one roof.
And that’s exactly what they’ve done.
The two girls, who are now 22, are inseparable.
“The girls effectively grew up with 4 parents and 8 grandparents, and the experiment worked,” says Mauro Caporiccio, who wrote a book about their lives.
“Today they are more like twins than sisters and there is a kind of love which binds the two families.”
When asked if they’re frustrated with anything that’s happened, the two girls say absolutely not.
Except for the whole name thing.
In their words, trying to get their legal names sorted out has been a “huge pain.”
I can imagine! 😆
1 Caffeinated Neurohack
Have you ever met someone who is really good at small talk?
You know…
The kind of person who can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere and immediately establish rapport?
Now imagine if you could learn that skill as an advisor…
How much better would your 15-minute chats and meetings be if you could nail the first couple of minutes with engaging, trust-building small talk?
Listen…I’m in dozens of meetings per week…
And I always find that the most successful ones are the ones where we build quick rapport at the start.
So I want to give you a few of my favorite ‘small talk hacks’:
📣 If it’s a Zoom meeting, comment on their background. Is there an award? Family photo? Piece of art?
📣 Keep questions open-ended. If you ask someone where they’re from, follow it up by asking something like: Were you born and raised there? What’s your favorite place you’ve ever lived? Etc.
📣 Give detailed answers. If someone asks you how you’re doing, don’t just say, “Fine!” Say, “Great! I actually just finished up lunch with my wife and we went to this really great pizza place…”
☕ TL;DR: Good pre-meeting small talk is an acquired skill – use these tips.
Marketing Psychology Quick Hit
In an interesting new study of 2,000 Gen Z and Millennial Americans (those born between 1981 – 2003)…
📊 69% are back to spending and investing money (after hitting pause during the height of COVID).
📊 58% have created new savings goals because spending habits changed.
📊 60% are more confident in their finances now than they were pre-pandemic.
📊 1-in-4 have spoken with a financial advisor over the past year.
I find those data points pretty interesting.
Not only does it indicate that young adults are taking their finances more seriously than ever…
But it also shows a willingness to get help.
There’s never been a better time to connect with Gen Z and Millennials.
They might not have the same assets that Boomers have yet, but remember that we’re in the middle of the largest generational shift of wealth in human history.
Tailoring your marketing and content strategy to help young adults gain control over spending and investing could pay massive long-term dividends.
☕ TL;DR: Gen Z and Millennials are ready to take their finances seriously. Meet them where they are.
SHIFT Nation Conversations
Here’s EXACTLY how my buddy Benjamin has the #2 most recommended Retirement Podcast on iTunes 🤯
Ever wondered how to create your own unique calendar URL? Watch Chris’ step-by-step breakdown
Advisorist Insights
Over 50% of advisors are NOT using LinkedIn to meet prospects, despite it being one of THE most effective places to do so.
Weekly Industry Catch-Up
Here’s some of what happened in the financial markets over the past week…
🔷 U.S. household wealth reached a record high of $141.7 trillion (fueled by massive increases in real estate values and stocks)
🔷 The Fed holds interest rates steady, but tapering of bond buying is likely coming ‘soon’
🔷 Mortgage rates tick up every so slightly (3.251% for a 30-year fixed-rate)
(Oh yeah…and if you’ve ever purchased chicken over the past decade, you could be entitled to a piece of a $181 million settlement…🍗)
In your corner,
Jeremiah D. Desmarais
CEO, Advisorist
#1 in ROI-Driven Training for Advisors
