Recently, I’ve started to get back in the field – hosting two seminars last week on Retirement Readiness. As my Dad often reminds us, there is no substitute for having “your hands in the soil.”  Here is a take-away lesson I want to provide to each of you!

While you may be independent, you are NOT ALONE!  Or in the words of John Donne:  “No Man Is an Island!”

Let me explain. In my workshop (at which we had 48 people in attendance, by the way), I talked about Social Security and specifically, using it as the first pillar of a retirement income plan. I got several questions right there on the spot – some of which I could answer and some of which were more detailed than my knowledge base. After the meeting, I emailed Don Deans and Tyler Schmidt and had detailed, complete and accurate answers within 4 hours. I then was able to provide those answers to my prospects and several of them have set appointments with me to develop  their own guaranteed retirement income plan.

The point is this: no one can succeed in this business alone and none of us has all of the answers. While I know you relish the autonomy you have as an independent producer, please leverage our team here at Tarkenton Financial. Too few people call or email Don and Tyler to address Social Security questions (or for that matter, Jay on marketing, Rachel on websites, or Brendan, Jenn, Rebecca and Tyler on life insurance or annuity support).

Also, don’t let the fact that you don’t know the answer to every possible question you could be asked at a workshop prevent you from taking action. If you wait until you know everything to host a workshop or start that conversation with a prospect, you will be waiting forever, and you will never write the case.

I highly encourage you to email or call Don or Tyler with a Social Security question. Don can be reached at ddeans@deansconsulting.net or 704-575-7937 or Tyler at tschmidt@tarkentonfinancial.com or 404-504-3109.

My Dad didn’t take the field by himself with the Minnesota Vikings – he had a talented group of players around him. Sam Walton, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos didn’t build their companies by themselves. They had partners who brought relevant expertise to help them build their business.  So, remember, you are NOT ALONE. Use your partners to help you fill in the gaps, where you may not have the full knowledge or may need help.