- 118
I am a fully licensed financial planner that gets most of my leads from seminars and referrals. I have great clients, but I feel that something is going against me when dealing with some interested prospects.
I work from home. I have a home office that looks VERY much like a humming office inside, with its own separate door, ramp, walkway, railing, etc. leading to the entryway. However, it is part of a wing of my house. I have seen a few clients in the home office before and it was okay, but I have a little problem with some of my prospects.
Some of my prospects from seminars are medium to high net worth folks who currently have a financial advisor with a wirehouse. Though they would like to make a change from their advisor for a variety of reasons, I feel embarrassed that I work out of a home office while the wirehousers work in supertowers plated in mahogany. I have an itching feeling that being a solo practitioner with a part time secretary from home hurts my credibility.....
I have thought about leasing my own office, but I don't want to since my practice is fairly new and the expense to lease is insane (in my area). I love the flexibility, convenience, and afforadability of a home office environment, but nonetheless feel kind of embarrassed to invite prospects to my home to talk about retirement planning!
For those of you in my position, did you just bite the bullet and get an office, or did you somehow make the home office thing work while not looking like a small-time amateur to your prospects?
***PS: So far, I have been meeting my prospects at local banks whom I have relationships with, coffee shops, their homes (most common), etc, but I get asked MANY MANY times where my "office" is.....and I get tonguetied.
I work from home. I have a home office that looks VERY much like a humming office inside, with its own separate door, ramp, walkway, railing, etc. leading to the entryway. However, it is part of a wing of my house. I have seen a few clients in the home office before and it was okay, but I have a little problem with some of my prospects.
Some of my prospects from seminars are medium to high net worth folks who currently have a financial advisor with a wirehouse. Though they would like to make a change from their advisor for a variety of reasons, I feel embarrassed that I work out of a home office while the wirehousers work in supertowers plated in mahogany. I have an itching feeling that being a solo practitioner with a part time secretary from home hurts my credibility.....
I have thought about leasing my own office, but I don't want to since my practice is fairly new and the expense to lease is insane (in my area). I love the flexibility, convenience, and afforadability of a home office environment, but nonetheless feel kind of embarrassed to invite prospects to my home to talk about retirement planning!
For those of you in my position, did you just bite the bullet and get an office, or did you somehow make the home office thing work while not looking like a small-time amateur to your prospects?
***PS: So far, I have been meeting my prospects at local banks whom I have relationships with, coffee shops, their homes (most common), etc, but I get asked MANY MANY times where my "office" is.....and I get tonguetied.