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It is mid-February, which means Valentine’s Day is behind us. Here’s the Agenda
Retirement TipsI reserve this section for thoughts, tips, and videos specifically connected to what I hope will help you with the four pillars of retirement we have dedicated our lives toward here at The Retirement Nerds:
I’m a Medicare nerd. Most of you know who Zacc Call is from the channel, and he put together a program called “Your Best Financial Year” (YBFY). I can’t think of a better thing to share around the topic of retirement advice than what he’s created… and to get the big, looming question out of the way from the get-go – it does not cost you anything. Every week, he sends out an email with a video that will guide you through a financial task to complete that week. Some of you may do this already. Others don’t. But, he’s built this in a way to hopefully make it less intimidating for everyone. Now, there are a few ways you can access this. Option 1 You’ll have a pdf version of each week and the tasks. Option 2 All you will receive is the weekly email with the task and accompanying video. I personally signed up for the weekly email. I bring this up because this program touches on several important areas for people of all ages. If this is something that interests you, here is the website for that program: This is not reliant on you being signed up as of January 1st, so you don’t have to worry about jumping in during mid-to-late February 🙂 Also, here is the video Zacc and I recorded on the topic: |
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The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle In a previous newsletter, I mentioned that I am helping coach our local high school basketball team. But, I also found it packed with nuggets that have helped me in much more 1-on-1, personal relationship with my wife, my kids, my neighbors, and my friends. So… I recognize the demographic of my newsletter is more those getting closer to retirement and maybe not looking to build a sales team right now, but know going in that this has great stories and information around our interactions with other individuals in all aspect of life. This was one of my favorite reads of 2025. Words of Wisdom – The Time I Almost Got FiredThe first “real job” that I actually loved was being a part of a startup company. We were called K12 Fundraising and I was hired on to be part of sales and marketing. We had a small, scrappy team and the business concept was helping high school clubs and teams fundraise in an easier way than selling cookie dough or pizza cards to family and neighbors. It was new and exciting. I was finishing up my college degree with a plan to go to medical school, so to have a flexible job helping athletes and clubs… as a former athlete and member of clubs myself… this was heaven. Maybe you can tell this from my current life, but I hate sales and I hate marketing pitches. Some of my colleagues would take a high-pressure sales approach to try and persuade organizations to use us – and it drove me crazy. The tactics I saw happening were what drove me to want to be in sales and marketing to show these “experts” that you didn’t have to stoop to these levels of persuasion to help people. When I had a meeting with a potential client, it was usually just a solo mission, with me going to meet with a coach, principal, or booster club parent, but there were times when two of us “sales guys” would go together. Bill was the Vice President of Sales. After talking with the coach about their program and what they did for fundraising, I said some words that made Bill’s jaw hit the floor. I told the coach, “You know… I don’t think we’re a good fit. Your current fundraising efforts are crushing it. You’re raising everything you need any more and I feel like this would just be one more task on your mountain of things you are already doing, and this program won’t raise any more than what your top channels are already doing.” The coach thanked me for the honesty, and we left. My Boss’ Reaction “What do you think you’re doing?!” “I think you blew this one. I like you, kid, but K12 might not be the place for you if you pull crap (he didn’t say crap) like that again.” Self Worth I wish I could sit here and write that I was self-assured and confident in myself at that time, and that I put Bill in his place with an expertly-crafted rebuttal that left him wanting to make me salesman of the year with my leadership style. That didn’t happen. I was, and in many ways still am, a people pleaser. When was the last time you felt that burning heat of embarrassment and fear, especially believing that you were in trouble. That’s basically the feeling I had on that car ride, bracing for the conversation I knew was coming with the CEO. Having said that, I was firm enough in my beliefs about sales, marketing, and how people should be treated, that I wasn’t going to change my approach to these conversations. Luckily, the CEO took the time to hear my side of the story, and what followed helped me maintain my… what we’ll call sales ethics… on into the rest of my life. Fast Forward 6 Months Later My oh my… what a difference just 6 months will make… I’m now the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at K12 Fundraising. The number of total clients, fundraisers completed, dollars per campaign, and total dollars raised through my campaigns are not only more than Bill’s… they are more than the entire sales team… combined. Why? Is it because I adopted Bill’s sales tactics? Nope. In fact, it was quite the opposite. That One Coach Well, he was super close with the athletic director for his high school. I got introduced to the athletic director with the request that, “Could you come alone? We don’t want Bill there this time.” Side Note Back to the Story He set up a meeting with the school’s principal and other vice principals. I gave them my honest thoughts, crossing off some teams that were larger teams, but already had good options in place. This school was a huge contract for us. And, as is the case with many organizations in our world… guess who this athletic director knew really well? Guess who the principal and other vice principals knew really well? I didn’t know it at the time, but by telling the high school coach that we weren’t a good fit for him and his team, it led to incredible growth for our company and for me personally. What happened to Bill? We are still at that 6-month timeframe and, you may have caught the title I have is the same as the title he had… He was gone. He wasn’t hitting numbers. He went from being my boss and part owner of the company, to being out of the company with no ownership. The Company Sells At this same time, I graduated college, we had our 2nd child, and I moved on to a different professional adventure. The group who acquired us, from what I heard, took the same approach of our friend Bill, and the company ended up going out of business 2 years later. What Did I Learn From This? I learned a few things. First Lesson People want to be understood, and if you understand someone, you start to care for them. I’ve always hated the words “client” or “lead” or “prospect” or “sales opportunity.” People who are nervous, scared, and worried that what they are trying to accomplish may not work out. If I can help them make it to whatever they are searching for, I’ll do it, even if that means I lose out on a sale. Second Lesson Bill changed his behavior when the dream of money became his focus. This happens to people. Good people. However, the CEO didn’t have the same reaction to the same incentives. Doing things the right way pays off more than doing things the wrong way. Third Lesson I treated one coach in a way he appreciated. How we treat each and every individual we come in contact with… matters. My Business Now But… Being able to build The Retirement Nerds how I want, treating people the way I feel they should be treated, has been life changing. I can’t help everyone. But if I can treat the person who reaches out well, even if that ends up meaning I get nothing financially, what I have found is that THAT person knows somebody, who knows somebody, who knows several somebodies. And all of these somebodies want to be treated with respect and honesty, and… they respect the opinions of their closest friends. What I Hope You Take Away I have a very important basketball game tonight with my team. Them vs Us is a big deal. Referees, student sections, opposing coaches… all probably have very good reasons for me to treat them in a less-than-ideal way, but in the end, I believe that wouldn’t help me, it wouldn’t help the man or woman doing their best to help their own team or officiate the game the best they can, and it wouldn’t help the players… the young kids who are trying to figure out life through some small lessons they learn while trying to put a leather ball through a metal ring. Some of my most bitter rivals when I played in high school, are currently some of my closest friends. I hope that over the course of this next month, we are all a bit more aware of how we treat people. I dunno. Maybe you’re reading this with thoughts like Bill, going, “Erik, the world doesn’t work like that. You won’t make it long here with those ideas.” Maybe you’re right. Thank You I appreciate you taking the time to read these and deal with my crazy thoughts. Erik |
