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Meet Brooks Lindblad from Greenville, North Carolina. Like many advisors, Brooks didn’t start out with his own business in mind. After a stint at a national bank, he ventured into life insurance sales, specializing in mortgage protection. But when COVID hit, his entire setup shifted. Brooks knew he needed a fresh approach to prospecting—one that could work in a virtual world.
That’s when he found Planswell. But let’s be real: success didn’t come overnight. Brooks started with high hopes, but as he went through his first few months, results felt disappointing. He even thought about throwing in the towel. Instead, he decided to lean into the process, eventually transforming his whole approach. It was a game changer.
At first, Brooks’s experience with Planswell wasn’t smooth. He expected things to take off quickly, but his hands-off strategy wasn’t cutting it. Frustrated, he reached out to Jack, his Planswell contact, looking for insight. Jack listened, asked about Brooks’s approach, and offered some new ways to connect with his prospects.
Taking Jack’s advice, Brooks began focusing on finding out what his leads really wanted, rather than trying to push a quick solution. This shift took patience and persistence, but over time, it helped him turn the corner.
The real magic started happening when Brooks began joining Plancraft, Planswell’s weekly advisor sessions. These meet-ups gave Brooks a front-row seat to fresh strategies, advice from seasoned advisors, and plenty of encouragement. He realized he wasn’t alone in his struggles, and learning from others became the boost he needed to stay motivated and keep improving.
A major takeaway for Brooks was the power of asking the right questions. He learned that understanding a prospect’s real concerns allowed him to connect more deeply with them. Plancraft became his go-to resource, where he could ask questions, share wins and losses, and pick up tactics he could apply directly to his business.
By May, Brooks’s hard work started to pay off. He closed a big annuity deal, marking his biggest win with Planswell so far. But it wasn’t just the dollar amount that mattered. This success showed Brooks that his new approach was working—and it motivated him to dive in even deeper.
From that point on, he committed to Plancraft even more, setting a goal to join at least two sessions each week. He also took up a suggestion from other advisors to start a regular email newsletter, which helped him stay top-of-mind for prospects he hadn’t heard from in a while.
Since starting with Planswell, Brooks has generated over $130,000 in commissions—and he’s just getting started. What’s remarkable is how he’s built momentum by sticking with his process and learning from each interaction. Now, he’s on track to grow his practice into a multi-million dollar business by focusing on the daily actions that matter.
Stick with It: Success doesn’t happen overnight. Brooks learned that trusting the process and being patient with himself (and his leads) was essential.
Tap into the Community: Plancraft was a turning point for Brooks. Being part of a group of advisors who shared insights and supported each other kept him motivated and gave him fresh ideas.
Listen First, Solve Second: Brooks discovered that prospects respond much better when you focus on understanding their problems before jumping to a solution. It sounds simple, but it’s easy to overlook.
Stay Consistent: Brooks set up a regular follow-up system for his leads, ensuring that no one slipped through the cracks. Consistency, he found, was the secret to staying in front of prospects and eventually closing deals.
Brooks’s journey from uncertain beginnings to consistent wins shows that success in financial advising is about more than just getting leads. It’s about building connections, asking the right questions, and staying committed to the daily grind. For advisors looking to grow their business, Brooks’s story is proof that a little patience and persistence go a long way.