5 top selling tips from Vicki Gunvalson

It’s always about having enough prospects to keep the business going. We have a lot of overhead — 12 employees, payroll taxes, federal and state taxes. It’s definitely a lot of pressure. But I can handle it. It’s about continuing to do the right thing for the client. I get referrals, so that helps. But really, I’m consistent with my seminars. Every single month I book 2 to 4 seminars. That’s my staple business. From there, we have the branches: LinkedIn, social media, referrals.

4. Plan regular client appreciation events.

We actually do two a year. One of them is a cruise. I take all my clients out on a yacht out of Newport Beach. It’s about nothing more than thanking them and educating them on where we’re going with the economy. Beyond that, it’s just dancing and nice food. They look forward to it. We did a holiday party last year with a shredding truck. We rolled out a red carpet with a little Santa, and the elves unloaded documents from their trunks and shredded them. We had beautiful music and catered food. It was like an open house — really lovely.

5. Persevere.

To new advisors I would say, if this is your true passion, you’re going to go through some bad times. This is not an easy career. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. You’ve got to have a strong team behind you. And I believe in mentorship. So find somebody who is successful in your area and latch on to them. Learn from them. I didn’t have that. I did it all myself. I knew what I had to produce every single month in order to make my bills, and I never ever stopped until I made those goals. So on my board in my office, I have a goal sheet and I hit those goals every month. That way I never fall behind.