Sales strategies
Inspiring your clients to reach for the stars
Lessons from the remarkable journey of Jose Hernandez
In your role as a financial professional, you often serve as a guide, coach, and counselor to your clients. You hold a profound responsibility to shape their financial destinies. While you diligently work to help secure their financial well-being, another dimension to your service should not be overlooked – the power to inspire your clients to reach their most ambitious goals.
To illustrate this, we introduce you to the remarkable story of Jose Hernandez, a migrant farmworker who defied incredible odds to become the first Hispanic astronaut to journey into space. Jose’s story, as chronicled in his book, Reaching For the Stars, and memorialized in film in Amazon Prime’s new movie, A Million Miles Away, is a testament to the impact you can have on inspiring clients to pursue their most audacious dreams.
When Jose was just a child, his father imparted five pivotal steps that guided him toward achieving his lofty goal of becoming an astronaut. These steps hold a treasure trove of wisdom that can be applied to the world of financial retirement planning:
Determine your purpose
Help your clients uncover their true financial goals. Encourage them to envision the retirement lifestyle they aspire to and ask them to reflect on what truly matters to them. Understanding their purpose is the first step to forging a roadmap to their dream retirement.
Recognize how far you are from that goal
Just as Jose acknowledged the vast gap between his migrant farmworker beginnings and the cosmos, your clients must comprehend the financial disparity between their current situation and retirement vision. Realistic self-assessment is crucial.
Draw yourself a roadmap
Collaborate with your clients to chart a financial roadmap and plan for investments, savings, and income sources. Establish milestones and adjust the plan as needed. As you know, a well-structured plan is the compass that will guide them toward their financial goals, and this is the heartbeat of what you do for your clients.
Prepare yourself according to the challenge you picked
Jose Hernandez overcame numerous challenges, such as learning to speak Russian and obtaining a pilot’s license. Similarly, clients may need to expand their financial education. Offer them the knowledge and resources they need to succeed.
Develop a work ethic second to none
Instill the importance of discipline, dedication, and hard work. In financial terms, this means consistent saving, disciplined spending, and making informed decisions about risk management and investment strategies.
Now armed with a basic understanding of Jose and his father’s 5-step path to achievement, let’s explore his incredible journey and discover how Jose’s actions resonate with the financial journey you’re guiding your clients on.
Overcoming challenges
Jose’s path to space was anything but straightforward. As a child of Mexican migrant farmworkers, he faced economic hardships, discrimination, and language barriers. Despite these obstacles, he remained unwavering in his dream of becoming an astronaut. Similarly, your clients may encounter various financial disappointments and doubts, from debt and market volatility to uncertainty about retirement. By helping your clients remain focused on the purpose in retirement they have defined, you help them overcome short-term anxieties that all clients encounter.
Jose’s dedication to learning and self-improvement can serve as a source of inspiration for your clients. Just as he had to expand his skills to meet the requirements of the space program, your clients may need to acquire new financial knowledge. Encourage them to educate themselves and become well-versed in the investment strategies and retirement plans you have created with them. This enhances your communication with clients and the frequency with which they may engage.
Furthermore, Jose’s journey included passing NASA’s rigorous astronaut candidate training program, which includes successfully completing the International Space Station systems training, extravehicular activity skills training, robotics skills training, Russian language training, and aircraft flight readiness training. Similarly, your clients may become fatigued along their journey as they encounter a range of changing life events and unexpected detours. Help them remain focused on their plan and remind them you have been helping clients successfully navigate similar journeys for decades.
The space shuttle discovery
Perhaps it’s poetic justice that Jose Hernandez realized his dream when he was selected to fly as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle “Discovery.” Not only is the shuttle’s name a perfect representation of Jose’s journey to space, but it also fits your mission and the role you serve for your clients.
Much like how the Space Shuttle Discovery was meticulously designed and prepared for its missions, your client’s financial plans are equally well-structured and managed. The discovery phase for your clients involves recognizing their financial aspirations, assessing their current status, and setting achievable goals.
As all astronauts know, they are likely to encounter certain unknowns or unforeseen events on the missions, which they must address and overcome. Your clients must be prepared to adapt to changing circumstances as well. Market dynamics, economic fluctuations, and personal life changes can alter their financial plans. Helping them remain agile and adjust when necessary is simply another way you can help them reach their goals.
Wrap-up
In closing, the incredible story of Jose Hernandez is a testament to the power of inspiration. As a financial professional, you have the unique opportunity to inspire your clients to aim for the stars and achieve their most ambitious dreams. By helping them determine their purpose, recognize their current status, create a roadmap, prepare for financial challenges, and develop an unwavering commitment to their plan, you fulfill a vital role essential to their happiness and success.
