One of seven children born to Depression-era parents, Brian Adair has seen first-hand the importance of planning for the future. In fact, his personal history motivates his selling strategy. "My parents … put all seven of us through college, helped us all buy our first homes, and to see that all be put into jeopardy as they became ill — and frankly, didn't really have a plan put together — was devastating," he says. "It's a very typical scenario and I would use that as motivation for myself to try to get to as many families as I can to say to them, 'Hey, don't let this happen to you.' "
With just seven years in the industry, Adair brought in $29 million in production in 2011. Here, he offers five tips for maximizing the sales opportunities that already exist within your community.
See also: Brian Adair on Building Referrals
1. Build the right relationships.
Brian Adair understands the secret to his success — it's building relationships with other financial and legal professionals. In fact, his entire business has been built on the shoulders of relationships he has with other industry experts, something he realizes is a rarity in this business.
"Almost all of our work comes to us from referrals from CPAs and law firms," Adair says. "We don't do any seminars at all. Our families are coming into us referred in a very warm fashion … [and] they're already basically on board with us, even at our first meeting."
2. Establish your niche market.
Adair began his career by working for his family's health care agency, helping seniors who were in the midst of a health care crisis. When he made the decision to switch to financial services 20 years in, it made sense to stay with a market he knew how to serve well. His market is the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania, which is the second oldest county in the U.S., according to Adair. "We have a big pool of clients here who need help." Today, seniors make up 85 percent of Adair's clientele.
