I started my day last Thursday with a phone call from Riverside School District that “despite the events in the area, schools were in session.” I dropped my 7th grader off at junior high. Then, when I dropping off my 4th grader, the Principle was outside the school personally letting everyone know the campus will be closed – no one except children allowed.
I came home, turned on the news to find out that 2 police officers were ambushed 15 miles from my home and a manhunt was taking place after a series of events beginning the day before. All day long the police activity was endless. Helicopters in the sky, five police cars at a time zooming down the streets and highways with sirens on, 20 officers with guns drawn at the local gas station. It was nerve racking and I went to sleep that night with a heavy heart for the victims and police officer families out there in the thick of it, feeling thankful and blessed that I was safe in my home with my husband and three boys sleeping under one roof.
There was a manhunt right in my backyard and I didn't let my kids out of the house from the time they got home from school that day until they had to go to school the next day.
It's times like these that you realize the little things that are important. I was upset with my oldest that morning for not doing his best in school the week before and it affecting his grades. What was important to me now, was to keep him safe.
My neighborhood will be completely shut down Wednesday from 9-2 to support the funeral for the fallen police officer. The services will be at our local church and the procession will pass in front of my house with an expected 10 thousand supporters, high security, his wife and two kids – ages 10 and 4.
Of all the things that go through your mind when something like this hits close to home, one that pops up for me is how relieved I am that my estate planning is in order. I know that if something happens to me, my children are taken care of. It take some of the worry away knowing I have appointed guardians and have specific instructions on how I want them cared for and influenced – complete with dangling carrots to encourage good decisions, good grades, their faith, college, etc, as they grow.
This is something you do for your clients everyday. Your selling peace of mind and that is powerful! And this story is one that I can use to get people to see the value of estate planning. One of the best ways you can get a point across is by storytelling. Stories have stickiness. Your clients know you've got the legal technical knowledge to accomplish their goals, but they also want to know your going to help them in a way that they relate. When they listen through stories, it's easer to convert, and maybe they'll tell their friends.
Marketing should touch people in a way they aren't expecting for it to really stick. And then those touches that you make should continue over and over again until they convert. That can be difficult today because there is so much going on with tv, magazines, social media, the internet, emails, etc., so yes, you've got to get their attention! But once you've got it, you've got to do something to make it stick! It's not always about interrupting people with big full page ads, its also what you do after you get their attention and the stories you share in your workshops that bring them back to you. Stories can be remarkable because people listen and connect, and they may even tell some friends – and that's what will make your marketing sticky.
Roslyn Drotar
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