Be a Connector

connector

I’m sure you’ve heard it said before that your network is your net worth. Today we’re going to talk about why you need to focus on being a connector as a producer.

Becoming A Connector

Understanding the importance of your network is paramount as a producer, and if there’s one thing I feel I’ve done good over the course of my career, it’s that I’ve focused on being a connector. I have taken great pride in solving problems for peers, company people, and even employees and team members in my agency. I typically know who can solve their problem if I don’t have the solution myself.

Money In the Relational bank

Think about this for a second. If you can introduce your client, who has a payroll problem, to an outstanding payroll rep in your network, what have you just done? You’ve solved the problem for your client, which immediately gives you credibility and better standing with them, but you’ve also helped somebody make money because they sold a deal to somebody in need. By connecting those two, I didn’t necessarily make money right then and there, but what I did do is I made a big deposit in the relational bank account that I have with my client and the person to whom I referred the business.

An Abundance Mindset

Though think about how to build your network, think big. The problem is that too many people do what we do have a scarcity mindset. They want to keep everything close to the vest, and the problem is that they can’t grow that way. With an abundance mindset, you’re willing to talk to peers who do the same thing. You can talk to service providers who are servicing the same types of clients that you have. You’re able to introduce your peers to carriers who may be able to solve their problems or, in some cases, wholesalers.

And listen, even if it never comes back to mean money for you, you’re going to sleep well at night knowing that you took the time out of your day to take a relationship that you’ve harvested. You’ve nurtured it over the years and introduced that relationship into someone else’s professional life. And that, I can tell you, is equally as satisfying as any dollar you’re ever going to make.

 

 

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