HEART CENTERED PLANNING

Leading With Your Heart

What Does It Mean To Lead From Your Heart? There are so many words and feelings that come to mind when we think of the heart. Love, of course, is probably what we think of first. That mysterious four-letter word (not the one that begins with “F”) that has inspired countless love songs and heartbreaks.

In last month’s guide, we talked about nourishing your personal power and the value of communicating on a personal level to your clients. In this fourth installment of our Heart-Centered Planning series, we’re taking this idea to the next level as we dive into the complex beautiful place in the center of your chest called the heart.

So, what does it mean to lead with your heart?

Leading with love means putting others’ needs and feelings above your own. Giving without expectations. Love means compassion, hope, harmony, and empathy. Love does not expect anything in return. It is not rude, self-seeking, or prideful. On the contrary, love is selfless, it doesn’t keep score, and it’s way more patient than a conversation on a dating app.

When it comes to your business, you have to be fully in love with yourself first and foremost. Yet, as the saying goes, in order to give love, you have to first love yourself. And that self-love—or lack thereof—spills over into your business and the way you interact with clients. For example, if you haven’t healed from a past trauma to your heart, you might be subconsciously spreading that broken-hearted feeling to others without even being aware it’s happening, and that feels gross to everyone involved.

Why Incorporate Your Heart Into Your Business? So, what does leading with your heart have to do with your business?

When your clients, staff, and associates feel you love and respect them, your business will thrive. Whoever said business isn’t personal is full of the stuff that comes out of a horse’s butt. Business is 100% personal as you are giving your energy, which is the purest and most valuable thing you have to offer anyone.

There are many ways to express love to your clients and let them know you care for them. Once you do so, they will begin to see you not only as an advisor helping them with their finances, but also as a friend, confidant, and someone who genuinely cares for them and has their best interest in mind. You don’t have to start a knitting circle, but being someone who listens and pays attention to how your clients feel gets their attention.

It’s a surefire way to gain client loyalty.

You’d be surprised what will start to happen when you show your clients your heart.

When it comes to your business, you have to be fully in love with yourself first and foremost in order to lead with your heart. This goes back to guide 2 when we talked about radical self-acceptance.

To recap, self-acceptance isn’t always easy, but only when you fully accept yourself as you are (flaws and all) are you able to be your authentic self. And once you embrace your authentic self and step into your personal power, you’ll be able to lead with your heart.

As you have probably realized by now, these guides are building on each other. This is all interconnected.

How To Incorporate It Into Your Business Leading with your heart should be infused in everything you say and do. The way you talk, the way you craft your marketing pieces, website content, and what you post on social media. This is not only about who you are, but it’s also about what you do. When those two are in alignment, you’re on the path to success.

When your clients, staff, and associates feel you love and respect them, your business will thrive. Here are 5 practical ways you can lead with your heart in your everyday interactions:

1. Value your connections: Value the connections you have with others. You never know when you may cross paths with someone in the future. In business, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of seeing peoples as leads, clicks, impressions, and potential dollars, but try to see people as individuals with unique cares and concerns. Go the extra mile by sending an email asking how they are doing. Remember their birthday. Send a holiday card. These are small gestures, but they go a long way.

2. Be impeccable with your word: It sounds simple, but it can be more challenging to implement in real life. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Simply put, do what you say you’re going to do. If you say you’ll call on Wednesday, call right on time. If you promise to get back to someone with the answer to a question, do it. If you casually mention you’ll help a client’s son with some financial advice for college, actually follow through and do it. If you can’t guarantee something, be honest and upfront about it. People enjoy lip service even less than they like to see performers lip syncing. It’s always best to err on the side of authenticity. This authenticity then builds trust—one of the keys to not only attracting clients, but also retaining clients.

3. Don’t take things personally: If possible, try not to take things personally. We all have experiences and circumstances that influence us whether we realize it. You never know what kind of day someone else is having or what triggers they may have. In business, some potential clients just won’t work out. Some may choose to switch advisors. Someone may take out their frustration on you because they’re stressed about being unemployed with 2 kids at home and nothing new to binge watch. Most often, it’s not about you. Don’t dwell on it and simply move forward.

4. Don’t make assumptions: You know how the saying goes, “assuming” makes an “ass out of you and me.” Truth is, it really does. When we assume, we’re going off mere guesses that are likely not accurate. When we assume, we don’t have the courage to ask questions. Communicate with clients as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, drama, or confusion, and use your curiosity to gain clarity.

5. Strive to always do your best: Lastly, always strive to do your best in everything you do. This doesn’t mean you need to be perfect. No one is perfect, and we all have bad days, failures, and “off” moments. Whatever your circumstance is on any given day, whether you’re tired, energized, or trying to run out the door at 5 p.m. on a Friday (when bars and restaurants are actually open again) right as the phone rings, do the best you can to be the best version of yourself. Be the best you can be. Your clients will notice.

How Is Your Heart? So, how’s your heart? Let’s do a little check in.

Signs you’re leading with your heart: You have the ability to openly give and receive love and compassion

Signs your heart may be out of balance: You have a hard time loving yourself and others, have difficulty letting others in, and may struggle with depression, grief, selfishness, isolation, and jealousy.

However your heart is doing today, simply taking the time to check in is a step in the right direction. Once you practice infusing love into your business, it will begin to flow naturally like second nature.

Wait and see the difference it makes when you lead with love.

Why Work With Us? We are The Annuity Consultants Team (TACT). We don’t sell products; we teach and guide you. Knowledge is the most important tool to have when it comes to planning for the future. We take pride in our deep knowledge, extensive experience, and heart-centered planning mindset, and we put that into practice in every interaction.

Also, we offer more than annuities. We offer multiple carriers for life, DI, LTC, and asset-based LTC. We aren’t a one-stop shop, but if you need something we don’t have, we can certainly point you in the right direction.

The more you know about which products and features are selling best, which sales and marketing messages are resonating most, and what’s happening on the product-development front, the bigger edge you’ll have in finding solutions for clients and, in the process, grow your business.

We aren’t like most FMOs. We also offer marketing, so we can assist you in building a custom marketing plan to give you the best opportunity at generating leads and closing sales.

So, no matter whether you’re looking for the perfect solution for your client or the best way to bring in new business, The Annuity Consultants team is here to help everyone succeed.

Helpful Links & Resources Click on the links below to be taken directly to any of these resources.

Book: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz 

Book: True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh

Article: 6 Science-Backed Ways Being Kind Is Good For Your Health

Documentary: Heal on Netflix

Meditation: InsightTimer 10-day course: Living Life from the Heart

Meditation: InsightTimer: Expanding Love Guided Meditation

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