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Expand your centers of influence — simple moves to implement now

So you want to expand your centers of influence, but you’re not sure where to start? Here’s a simple idea that works. And best of all, it is easy to implement.

Have someone on your team ask each current client relationship for the name of your clients’ accountant, attorney, and banking relationship. Why? Because those are your clients’ trusted advisers and that is how you want to be perceived. You want to align yourself with that client’s other trusted advisers to leverage their relationships and elevate their perception of you. You don’t see those trusted advisers having their services evaluated on a spreadsheet or them being replaced every few years based on price, right?

Have the data arrayed on a spread sheet to make it easy to analyze. You may find that you have four or five clients in common with one or more of the other advisers. Won’t that be an easy call to set up lunch next week to explain what you have learned and to talk about strategies to enable both firms to make that 15 or 20 shared clients? Offer to establish an educational seminar series that you will jointly present. Topics like creating a benefits strategic plan as a means for managing change resulting from ACA compliance requirements are terrific because you are educating your audience and differentiating yourself from 99% of all the other benefits brokers in your area.

Think creatively about other informative, timely topics. And then reach out to your clients’ other trusted advisers to expand your centers of influence and multiply your list of prospective clients.

Kwicien is managing partner at Baltimore-based consulting and advisory services firm Daymark Advisors and a monthly columnist for EBA. Reach him at jkwicien@daymarkadvisors.com.

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