Equipment Financing and Business Networking – Both Go Hand in Hand

To work in the finance services industry, whether its financial or estate planning or business financing, requires an individual to establish a great deal of trust with their client. The type of trust which necessitates a person to disclose all their worldly possessions to someone else, follow their advice and allow them to make key personal and business changes for them. Not only is personal and business information disclosed but decisions are made which can affect each area on a long term basis, and in some cases, for a lifetime.

Successful financial professionals traditionally have been required to invest years and years in establishing themselves and building their brand and trust factor. In the past, you didn’t get into the industry unless you were prepared to devote a good portion of your life. After time, people simply figured if you were around for twenty years then you must be doing something right.

So how does this relate to business networking with regards to services like equipment financing? To become highly successful in financial services it requires that you learn, understand and follow the core values of networking. Every business can truly benefit from building a strong network but since trust is so keenly vital to financial services, I feel it’s most relevant in this case.

Professional networking organizations like Business Networking International (BNI) base their foundation on the concept of “givers gain”; I give you business and you will reciprocate. But at the heart of that belief is the fact that it is primarily built on trust. Each person must trust the other to do the right thing, both with their intentions and capabilities. Business networking can accelerate the development of trust amongst our peers and networks because by following a system like BNI, you will learn to develop targeted skills in this pursuit. Skills which guide you in how to act, dress, what to say and to do the key things which will elevate the trust factor and your reputation much more quickly than if you waited for it to happen on its own.

A financial planner told me once he didn’t need to network because he had regular business referred to him by his old friends. I asked him how long did it take to develop his business and contacts and he replied, “30 years.” Who has that much time? Why not build the same devoted network on a much faster pace with highly predictable results.

A finance specialist or broker or any person inthe financial industry can build their name and reputation with a consistent dedicated effort in few short years as opposed to the decades it use to take. This is a key consideration for any profession which requires a high trust factor to be successful. Build a diversified network, develop trust amongst them, follow-up with them on a regular basis and you can establish a foundation for long term success. Business networking and equipment financing are indeed on the same side of success.