Does your doctor make house calls? What about your attorney or CPA?
This is part of what motivated Jeff Gurman, CFP, an 11-year MDRT member from Manhattan Beach, California, to stop traveling to see clients whenever and wherever they wanted.
“High-net-worth clients are used to going to professionals’ offices. If someone came to my home, I would not think as highly of them as if I had to go see them,” he said.
Another reason, of course, is the widely recognized Los Angeles-area traffic that Gurman calls “carmageddon,” which took up a large portion of his time. In his second year in business, he stopped driving and started inviting all of his clients in. Since he had been working in a cubicle, he asked his firm to cut the conference room in half, and they built him a private office.
“I started inviting clients in, and they came,” he said. “If they did not show up, I did not waste any time driving.” Working 99 percent by referral and introductions, Gurman has clients drive up to two hours in LA traffic to visit him. He also meets clients via Skype for those even farther away in the area or across the country.
For the last 25 years, Gurman has seen nearly all of his clients in his office during business hours, and these clients, mostly business owners and high-net-worth clients, understand the value of meeting him at his office. “Honestly, there are reasons I would stop by and see a client at their home or work, but it wouldn’t be for a sales presentation.
“I would rather spend my evenings and weekends with my family and friends,” Gurman said, “and all clients who can afford to take off time during business hours also feel the same way.”
