Meet Mary Glynn Fisher

Speaker 1 (00:06):

Welcome to the Alliance Group Podcast. We have a very, very special guest here today, uh, Ms. Mary Fisher, executive Vice President from Five Rings Financial, and we're so excited that you're here in Atlanta with us.

Speaker 2 (00:17):

Thanks, Lee. I love being with you guys here in Atlanta. It's a beautiful day.

Speaker 1 (00:20):

Yes, yes. And, uh, here in the Stratton Studios, and this is, this is Mary's first time actually seeing it after we did all the renovation and everything. So, um, you know, it's, uh, it's pretty awesome to have you here. Welcome.

Speaker 2 (00:33):

Thank

Speaker 1 (00:33):

You. So, uh, first off, really silly question to kind of get us started. Who's your favorite person in Alliance Group?

Speaker 2 (00:39):

Group? <laugh>. Well, I guess I'm looking at him. All right. Fair,

Speaker 1 (00:43):

Right. <laugh>? Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:45):

Who's your favorite person? <laugh>. Well, listen, I have seen Lee from, you know, the early days really grow into this incredible leader that he is today, that you are today. And, uh, really, really proud of you. Proud to be in business with you. Great

Speaker 1 (01:00):

Job. Absolutely. It's, uh, it's wonderful being in business with people like yourself. So why don't, why don't we go there and actually talk about, uh, you know, first time we met and kind of whenever you got introduced to Alliance Group Five Rings financial, and kind of going back to the, to that magical day in 2011, right?

Speaker 2 (01:18):

Yes. 2011, January 11th, 2011. Uh, I was a person who was never gonna be in the financial services industry, but I was invited by someone who had become my client in my other business to this workshop called How Money Works, money 1 0 1, and I couldn't say no. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and I was in the habit of being my word. I think that's a good habit to be in. And I showed up and what I experienced blew my mind. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:48):

So what, what, what in that, uh, what did talk a little bit more of that, what, what, what blew your mind about that?

Speaker 2 (01:54):

Well, I went to a modest restaurant. There were 40 people there. Nobody had a sticky name tag on. That was cool. Uh, nobody was standing with a, you know, a checkboard at the entranceway asking me for a credit card or something. So that was cool. And this man gave this incredible workshop about, about 60, 70 minutes on how money works in America and maybe kind of how money doesn't work. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> for a lot of people. And I was captivated because I had, I've been, I've been a great student of, um, all things related to money. And when I heard that lecture, I thought, no one has ever told me that before about those things. In that way, with that respectful tone, there was so much value. I didn't know what I had stumbled upon, but I knew it was something really

Speaker 1 (02:38):

Special. That's awesome. And it's amazing what, how, how long we go through school, how, how we, you know, go through high school and maybe even a secondary school, a college, and, um, that we don't learn some of those basics about money. And I think that's one of the, the biggest things that we, we have as far as an opportunity in this business, is to educate people about money and how, how money works.

Speaker 2 (03:01):

We go to school for 12 to 16 years, and most people dunno much about money. And I think the other piece to that is people are sort of pretending they're okay because they think they're the only one. I mean, that was me at the situation, at the, the time that I met Mike Wilke. Um, and I was introduced to this industry in a whole different, from a whole different perspective. And that was that I had made a lot of money in my life. I'd been well paid, great job, all those things, and then it fell apart. But I didn't feel safe to tell anybody that, and I thought it was only me.

Speaker 1 (03:32):

Well, it's kind of one of those weird things that, uh, you know, we can talk about a lot of things with our friends. We can talk about a lot of things, you know, over, over a bourbon or this, that, and the other. But, uh, money's just one of those things that we, we don't talk a lot about. We don't talk about debt and, you know, how bad it is and, and the things that you can do to get out of it, the things that you can do to make more money and save more money, uh, just kind of, it's almost like, you know, we don't wanna leave that, let's leave that outta the conversation.

Speaker 2 (03:58):

Yeah. I think when things are going well, it's easy to talk about it. And when things aren't, you know, you just kind of isolate. But fortunately, I was introduced to the paradigm of becoming a business owner and entrepreneurship, and actually realizing that your money could work for you. So I was really ready when I was, when I heard this workshop, I didn't know this is what I was getting myself into, but I just thought if this information said the way it said could get to more people, we could really change a lot of lives here. And I, you know, came to find out already hundreds of thousands of lives had already been changed, and, uh, there were many, many more to go.

Speaker 1 (04:31):

So why don't, why don't we, uh, piggyback off of that. Let's describe, you know, kind of what you think is the opportunity within this industry. I mean, we're piggybacking off of people just don't talk a lot about money. They don't, they don't have that discussion. So what's the, what's the opportunity that you see in this industry both from, uh, you know, client recruiting all up another line?

Speaker 2 (04:52):

Oh, gosh. Well, let's just start with people getting their financial households squared away. Um, you know, if you can create a safe space where people can learn about money, and they can have those aha moments. I mean, they could be making a lot of money, but they're spending all of it. This is not, you know, the, um, the assumption isn't that people are not doing well in life. They're doing well in life. They just don't have a lot of traction necessarily with saving, investing, et cetera. And that you have to be special to win the money game. Like really something, some genius, you have to be special. But no. So I think the opportunity is really to invite everybody to the dance. I mean, that I think is, um, where this has come relatively naturally to me, because I feel like everybody deserves a chance, whatever it is, you know, their health and their relationships and their life.

(05:37)
Um, but when it comes to money, everybody deserves a chance. Not everybody is gonna be open to learning about it, but we have more people in America today who are worried about their finances than ever before. You know, we have giant corporations that have, you know, put these job offers out and then rescinded the job offers. We have people who, uh, thought that their job, you know, 40 years in a pension would take 'em across the finish line, and then that company absorbed, or the pension disappeared. So there's a lot of uncertainty in the world, and I think our opportunity in this business is to give people certainty, to create a platform where they can actually pursue what they want in life, their hopes and dreams, um, and a chance to really dream again, you know, and the suffering when it comes to money.

Speaker 1 (06:21):

Right. And, and I think that speaking of suffering, that they, you know, kind of that opportunity. I, I was at a conference last week and one of the, the, the stats that, that was talked about from Lera, one of the agencies that does research for this industry is that there's 60 million American households that have little to no life insurance out there, 60 million American households. Um, so, you know, massive opportunity whenever it comes to the people out there that you can protect just from the risk, uh, standpoint. And then also with, with your business, you're also talking to them about retirement planning and saving money and, and, and building as well.

Speaker 2 (06:58):

Yeah, the life insurance piece, I mean, that is, life insurance is a miracle. It really is. It is such a genius financial product, but unfortunately, most middle Americans have been educated in, it's a death only product. Right. And it's specifically for when you die to bury you. And it, there's just so much more to it. And if people understood the power of that, you know, invest just a little bit of money and you can leave a legacy, most people probably would want to do that. They just have never been invited to that dance. So, um, and that's just the tip of the tip of the iceberg for sure.

Speaker 1 (07:33):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yep. And then you bring in living benefits. Oh my gosh. And, and just, uh, not just selling death insurance, but actually involving and talking about the things that can happen to you before you die, and the risk associated with that, especially from a family or a business. And, and then we got, we have so many things to talk about,

Speaker 2 (07:51):

So many things. And I think it's very easy to be in our industry if you truly care about other people and you have a genuine interest in others, because you, just a few questions away. Anybody is just a few questions away from understanding how we might be able to help you. Um, in, in my life, my mother was in and out of the hospital my whole life, many, many, many surgeries, operations, emergencies. And as a kid, I didn't really understand so much what was going on, but I now understand as a little bit of financial insecurity, you know, first is mom gonna be okay? And by the way, give a shout out to my mom. She's 80 and going strong. Nice. Right? So that's pretty awesome. But lots of medical things. So my parents both had good incomes. They raised six kids. I don't know how they pulled it off, but a good income isn't enough when you have some of those catastrophic, uh, accidents.

(08:37)
So when I heard you actually present, uh, this is so cool. The first time Mike brought me down to Alliance, and you were actually the guy presenting living benefits, and you were doing the calculations, solve for this, solve for that, solve for that. I was struck, I was struck by solve, if you change those letters around his loves. Yep. And I'm like, we're here to love one another. I believe in that mission. And oh my gosh, I sat in the back of the room, you know, with tears in my eyes thinking like, we're up to something. So the opportunity in the industry is really, if you want to do something that you can be proud of, yes, sales are involved, which means a transaction, but ethical sales is something to be so proud

Speaker 1 (09:13):

Of. It is. It really is. And, and help, and like you said, helping people helping and, uh, just, just, just being there for 'em and being that, uh, advocate for, uh, not only them whenever it comes to living benefits, but their family, their business that, uh, may be left behind if they were to be gone tomorrow. And, um, yeah. So, uh, so speaking of love, Virginia is for lovers, right? Yes,

Speaker 2 (09:34):

It is.

Speaker 1 (09:35):

<laugh>. Uh, we've, we've talked some about this, uh, business. What, what do you love the most about your, what I, I started to say job, but I don't know if the job's the right word. Your, your career, your, your entrepreneurial, uh, self on a day-to-day basis. What do you love the most about it?

Speaker 2 (09:51):

Thanks. I love the flexibility. I am so proud of what we do. I mean, I feel incredibly proud to represent what we do in the world. I think it's the greatest opportunity that exists in America, uh, in business today. Uh, I love that sometimes the underdog ends up being the greatest success story here. Uh, and I love that. I love the ability to, you know, schedule my hour. So I see my son, I mean, he's growing so fast. He's 15, 15

Speaker 1 (10:22):

Years old. That's crazy. You say that earlier.

Speaker 2 (10:25):

Wow. Yeah. And, um, and to do something I'm really proud of. Um, I think a lot of people take a job because they have to, and I get it. I do. But somehow all the roads that I ever had in my life led me here. And, uh, and all of that experience, all the mentorship, all of the wonderful contributions I've had put me in a place where I'm just absolutely proud every single day. I, I, I feel like it's a little bit of a treasure hunt, you know? Like, sorry, I'm beating this up here. <laugh>, you know, like who, uh, who's next? Right? You know, who wants to hear about this? Whose life are we gonna change? You know, who, just a very small little conversation about what it was like before and what it's like now for me could change their life. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And I do believe, uh, loving one another is what we're here for, but also healing. There's a lot of people in pain. And when you're in financial pain, uh, and you don't have a quick fix, that's a really tricky situation. So I love being able to show people that they can build a business that they can be super proud of, serve people so well, and pretty much solve almost any problem that comes their way financially. That's something to be proud of.

Speaker 1 (11:32):

Yeah, it is. And it's is one of the things that I love the most about what I do is, uh, is seeing and helping the agents that, that, you know, they, they, they weren't the, the best salesperson coming in, but then changing over time and, and then seeing their success and then seeing their success and over and over again and just, uh, you know, just changing and it, and seeing their kids change as well. You know? Uh, I remember meeting Matthew when, what, he was probably seven, eight years old, something like that. No, I

Speaker 2 (12:00):

Think four. I think we were whi together in Hawaii. Yeah. Yeah. Isn't that crazy? <laugh>?

Speaker 1 (12:04):

That is crazy. Kids are growing up. Lillian turns nine in a few days,

Speaker 2 (12:08):

Which is, oh, she was our

Speaker 1 (12:09):

Baby. I know. Yeah. She's still my baby. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (12:12):

She'll always be your baby.

Speaker 1 (12:14):

Oh, yeah. So flexibility is key. And uh, you know, one of the things that I, uh, I, I think you do extremely well, uh, as far as recruiting and, and, and bringing on, uh, new agents in the industry is working with women. So we talked about the, uh, opportunity in the industry as a whole, but what's the, what's the big opportunity with women in this industry? Oh

Speaker 2 (12:35):

My gosh, it's tremendous. I mean, this, this again goes back to Mike Wilke giving me a chance because he saw, he understood the power of women in this industry, similar to how women took over the real estate industry, you know, some years ago, um, I shouldn't say took over, just dominated and, uh, right. And saw this, right. And he saw that in me. And where, when I met Mike, I was not at the top of my game. I was really struggling. But that did not deter him, cuz he saw the leader that was in me and the person that was committed to victory. And I think that's something about women that, um, based on what generation we're from, we all think a little differently. I mean, there's five generations in the workforce right now. Wow. Wow. Which is amazing. And, you know, if you tap into that, that's a whole different conversation.

(13:22)
But, um, when it comes to women, we're generally the primary caregiver for children and our aging parents. We want to be well paid. I think a lot of times people have a misconception that paying women well isn't important. I know that that doesn't exist here, because people would've said to me before, you know, a man's identity is tied to his paycheck. I'm like, what, what about the women? I was certainly feeling much better about myself when I had higher paychecks versus lower paychecks. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so empowering a workforce of people, um, of women who have these unique skills. Incredible. The other piece, Marianas talks about this a lot, is we're like a life coach, you know? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and you, uh, you really, uh, show that you, you're, uh, an example of that all the time. We truly care about people. And when you're listening to people and you listen to what they're up to, what their goals are, what their desires are, what their needs are, what their worries are, uh, then this, what we offer in our industry fits into a greater strategy.

(14:23)
And women are great strategists. Uh, we take longer generally. Um, you know, my husband the other day, I could tell we were having this great conversation. He looked like too many words. He didn't say it right. He would not, he's face his face said, said it, though. Yeah. His face said it. And I thought, you know, that's an incredible thing. But in our industry, women want to ask the questions they want to ask. They'd like the option to ask it of another woman if they had that option. You know, somebody who is at least as capable as their male counterpart, and to feel safe and not rushed. And that's one of the things that I've had to really learn is to embrace that side of me that's patient and listening and has a little bit longer view. And I think women are great at all of those things. We love our guys too, just so you know. Right.

Speaker 1 (15:06):

Absolutely. Um, so I think my, my experience with working with, with female clients and female agents is they, like you said, they don't wanna be sold. They wanna be educated. You know, I, I'm, I'm capable of making my own decision. Just give me the information so I can make my decision. Yes. And so, I, I think the, the five rings model and, and, and what you guys are doing is, it really plays into that because you lead from an education standpoint, and I think that's, that's, that's critical in your success that you're having

Speaker 2 (15:35):

No question about it.

Speaker 1 (15:37):

So, let's see. All right. So we're in Stratton Studios, right? Yes. And so you had a great relationship with Jerry just like I did. Um, so Jerry Stratton is, uh, was my mentor in this business, and I know worked a lot with you. Uh, so my question for you, as we're here in Stratton Studios, uh, tell us your favorite Jerry story and maybe one of your most, your best memories.

Speaker 2 (16:01):

Uh, okay. I didn't wanna cry. <laugh>. There's no tissues. Um, so I, I miss Jerry so much, and, um, and I know that he's so proud of what you and your team have created here. Uh, Jerry, when I first met Jerry, I thought he was just kind of a little old guy, right. You know, when I looked at him and then my first conversation with the guy, I thought, wow, what a treasure. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And the fact that he even would spend any time with me. Amazing. Um, I think in the early days, Jerry calling me kiddo. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, right? That's, uh, that's who he was. Hey, kiddo, how's it going? How are you? Gold? Tell me about your three year plan, your five year plan. Tell me how it's going. You know, how's your, how are your numbers? And, and he would actually ask me about my projections, and I would tell him, and he would say, I think you're right on the money.

(16:46)
Or he'd say, no, I think you could do better than that. Or he would say what he thought. And I just loved his, uh, his candor and his clarity. Um, and it validated me as a leader, you know, as my own business owner, that Jerry would take that time. Then later, as the team started to grow, and we had all of these people of different ages, backgrounds, uh, especially the young people, I loved parading them in front of Jerry, you know, oh, so-and-so you've gotta meet so-and-so and, and have these people. And Jerry would just light up. And it was like, you know, being able to, um, to sit with this wise, this sage, you know, and ask him any question. And, and I loved how much Jerry loved that. Like, I aspire, uh, I'll never retire and I'm, you know, 50 something right now, and I'll probably be 50 something for the rest of my life, but Right.

(17:35)
But, but when I'm in my eighties, I'd love to be that person saying, Hey, come tell me how it's going out there. Did you drive your new BMW hovercraft over here? You know, I don't know what, I don't know what it's gonna look like, but he was an incredible example. Very strategic and very warm and super generous. And, uh, finally how he believed in you, uh, and how he invested in you and then trusted you to hire your team, and then invested and trusted this incredible team and how you guys have grown. Um, Jerry definitely broke a lot of barriers in terms of, because of where he came from, his age group, his old school expectation. Mm-hmm. Jerry was one of the most modern, exciting people in business. And certainly, um, I'm grateful for his connection with Mike Wilke because before anybody else saw what Mike was doing with Five Rings Financial, Jerry said, tell me more. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and Jerry was number one, I think, to buy into Mike and I, I know that we're all so grateful for, for Jerry Stratton.

Speaker 1 (18:36):

He, he always loved, uh, having the conversation with a new agent and learning about their business, and then how, um, how he could help and, and whatever way, you know, what it might be, putting in contact with somebody else or something along those lines, but how he could help that person. And, and that's, uh, one of the biggest things that I think I learned from Jerry is to, to how to lead with that servant heart. And, uh, just to truly leave a conversation or leave a meeting or, and, and, and try to be finding a way that you could help that person mm-hmm. <affirmative> and the, if you can do that and, and help them accomplish their goals, you will accomplish your goals. Right? Yes. And so, uh, speaking of, uh, in, in true fashion, right after that question, since I know Jerry would've asked you this question, oh, dear. Um, so what, what are your, what are your goals? Yeah. And you can break it however you want. Is it a one year, three year, five year? What, uh, what are your goals now? Who's

Speaker 2 (19:29):

Gonna hear this number? Everybody. Okay. Everybody, everybody. Yeah. We're

Speaker 1 (19:32):

Putting, we're putting it in recording. Okay, good. We're recording it so we can hold you to it. Right.

Speaker 2 (19:36):

Good. Well, let, let me, let me be super clear then. Uh, number one, I, I feel like a great way to describe how businesses worked out for me, uh, is from the Robert Kiyosaki Cashflow Quadrant. I have, because of the blessings and the work and the forethought and all of it of, of a lot of people, I'm now in a position to be an investor. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So for some of the people in our organization, I literally just get to invest in what they're up to. I get to be interested. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I get to show up, I get to witness and participate on some level, and that is unbelievable. Like, they need nothing from me,

Speaker 1 (20:17):

But, but you can help in fueling that fire,

Speaker 2 (20:20):

Right? I I sure do. Yeah, exactly. I sure do. Whatever it takes. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I mean, it's what you said about Jerry, like, how can I help? And that's, uh, you know, we have a great story and I was, you know, I'm always, um, very humbled when it's brought up about meeting Gustavo Coto on an airplane and what, what took place as a part of that

Speaker 1 (20:35):

Story. Gustavo told us that story on this podcast in, in Full, which is like, I learned things about that story that I didn't know before that were just like, whoa. What? Really?

Speaker 2 (20:45):

Yeah. It's a, it's a remarkable story on so many levels. Um, but I remember Gustavo saying to me at one point, not, not too long ago, you know, some people think that your importance to us is that you introduced us, but it's far beyond that. Mary, you know, you help whoever needs help whenever they need it. And I thought, if he's saying that about me, that's what I wanna keep up. So in that sense, uh, Gustavo and Marina and Mike Wil are leading me to who I need to be there. And it's, uh, it's exciting every single day. The flip side is that I'm finding other people to join this industry and also take care of my clients. So I would say of two other businesses there, it's finding new people who, who could, should come to this business, um, because it's, you know, they might not think financial services.

(21:32)
I didn't think financial services, I didn't either. Right. I was recruited by financial services. No, no, no, no, no. I was, I was actually a college recruiter, uh, for a company that I won't say in the Washington DC area. And when they said, okay, you're gonna come on board next, I was like, oh, no, I'm not. Right. You know, it just looked awful to me, but it was timing, it was perfect timing Now, you know, um, so I have what I call my boutique agency, right? That's how I look at it, where I get the opportunity to work with clients one-on-one and help them craft programs to retire and build income for life, and have, you know, incredible living benefits built in that peace of mind, that certainty that people are looking for and enjoy that. And then, you know, finding other people who might wanna do the same thing.

(22:14)
That's the big mystery, because the way we do it is you don't know who's gonna wanna do what they're gonna wanna do, the way they're gonna wanna do it. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So that's where I have to be agile and, and ready to go. And that's why I'm committed to growing myself and learning all the time. Uh, because, you know, I don't wanna be the reason that somebody doesn't make it here. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, I wanna be part of the story, uh, quiet or not, where somebody actually gets what they want in life. And I think everybody deserves it if they're willing to go for

Speaker 1 (22:43):

It. So, very left brain answer

Speaker 2 (22:45):

<laugh>. Really? That's so unlike

Speaker 1 (22:47):

Me. Yeah. So, so the, um, so kind of get into the, the more that numbers side of things, right? So that's, that's the answer that Jerry would've wanted in that question. So I can't, I can't let you dodge the numbers part

Speaker 2 (22:58):

Of it. Very good. So really specifically, by January 1st, 2026, we'll have 20 new million dollar agencies inside my organization. There you

Speaker 1 (23:06):

Go. Yeah. That's a good goal.

Speaker 2 (23:07):

And, uh, I think that what we can really, really, really, really do for those who are serious about it is help them graduate from a hundred thousand dollars personal production to $250,000 agency to a $500,000 agency to 750,000 to a million. That's what happened to me. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that's what can happen to anybody. And it's really about matching people's skillsets, abilities, what they're already good at, and then teaching them the pieces of what we have. And, uh, that's really exciting. So, yeah. How about that? Pretty good. That's awesome. I, that million dollar

Speaker 1 (23:37):

Agencies by, by 2026,

Speaker 2 (23:39):

And that's not including the Brazilian errors by the way

Speaker 1 (23:41):

That was written.

Speaker 2 (23:42):

I only get one credit in the Brazilian errors for them, cuz they have some enormous goals. They do. Yeah. And I'm cheering them on, of course.

Speaker 1 (23:49):

Oh, absolutely. And, and being there to help them and everything that, that, that they're trying to accomplish and do. So I know you're

Speaker 2 (23:54):

Do that. Yeah. And you, you know, I think it, uh, if it's okay to say there's a couple people have really made my experience super special. One of them is Heather Brinkman, you know, Heather and Scott, a great partners of mine. But Heather was the very first guest who joined me for a Money 1 0 1. She came the second month and Heather's become a six figure earner in our company and helped lots of other people get into the industry. And Scott leads programs and does training for us. So really real, super blessed there. And then we stole, uh, Angie, uh, from another financial services firm and, you know, that takes a minute sometimes when people have to change mm-hmm. <affirmative> and Angie's incredible. She had incredible corporate background training, uh, and, you know, the heart of a champion, everybody on the team does, you know, who sticks around. And then Erica Moore, you know, this technology girl, Virginia Tech girl who worked for the, the government as a contractor. We kept trying to get her to come full-time, but the contracting gig was good. Right. Um, and this year Erica came full-time, so Awesome. Watch out <laugh>. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:50):

I actually saw she submitted a huge case last week. Yes. Leaderboard. Um, so what, um, I, I guess kinda my last question and, um, what, um, looking back, you know, you, you've been in the business now 11 years, 12 years. Um, what's the, what's the advice that you'd give yourself or take it to a different level, the, the advice you give to new agents coming into this business to, to kind of help them get started?

Speaker 2 (25:16):

Hmm. Well, with Five Rings Financial, it's Wine, women and Wealth and Money 1 0 1, it's really get organized and understand what the job is. And the job is to invite other people to the dance. A lot of times, in fact, one of my ugliest stories is I designed my business card in the beginning, like 17 times. It was just, I was stalling mm-hmm. <affirmative> on prospecting. And I think a lot of people, they have their own versions of what that looks like, but it's just get to work. And now what my commitment is, uh, no matter what, I'm talking to one person a day every day of my life about what we're up to. And if I find them in my phone, if I find them in the grocery store, it, wherever they are, I'm gonna talk to them. And I know that, you know, someday when I lay my head down that that'll be something I know that I did and I can be super duper proud of. So I think starting off is just to bite off exactly what the most important leveraged activity is. And that is inviting people to the events and following up. And in our model, field trainer is your best friend, so make your field trainer your best friend. Uh, we see examples all the time where that synthesized relationship just takes off. You'll learn it all, but not at once.

Speaker 1 (26:31):

Yeah. Fail fast, fail often. Right.

Speaker 2 (26:33):

Fail fast, fail

Speaker 1 (26:34):

Often. Do it as soon as you can and learn from it. Absolutely. Fail forward, right?

Speaker 2 (26:37):

Yeah. And be with the right people. I mean, actually what I would say is environment is everything. And if you, you could have all the right stuff for, you're in the wrong environment, it doesn't work. And, you know, on behalf of myself and all the partners at Five Rings Financial, I really wanna thank you for creating an incredible environment. I mean, every time we're with Alliance, which is once a week or twice a week on, on webinars or Zoom, or we're in an exotic location celebrating together. I mean, I just feel so proud and, uh, you make us proud. So thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (27:06):

Thank you for that. Um, so I said that was the last question I'm gonna ask one more. Okay. So I, the, the easy one for me to ask is the one, what would you tell a new agent? But, uh, you're, you're very successful. You're, uh, always in our top five agency directors. I think you're running number three right now coming into, uh, Cabo for next year. So what would you tell that that individual that that's, that's had some success in personal production, but wants to actually recruit, wants to actually build and grow an agency and become an agency director?

Speaker 2 (27:43):

I've said it a million times, but I think only the right people are gonna hear it. You know, and I think it is, be willing to not get all the credit, um, said another way.

Speaker 1 (27:57):

It's really good advice, by the way.

Speaker 2 (27:58):

Yeah. I mean, I learned from other people, really from Mike Wilke, um, that your impact doesn't have to have your name on it all the time. And I,

Speaker 1 (28:11):

I think that's, that's a hard thing for people. That's a, you know, that doesn't stroke your ego. That isn't, that isn't, you know, so this is, this is very good advice. Well,

Speaker 2 (28:20):

It's how do you, you know, how do you keep score of that? And I think it has to do with, you know, hiring quality people and feeding the qualities within them. You know, when you're a fantastic person. I mean, I, I wouldn't say I'm a great recruiter, but I'm a huge believer in what we do. I love people even though, you know, sometimes there's unlovable moments, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and if you find people who are up, up for a big game, uh, you'll be fine. I think the question is, don't get, don't shrink based on somebody else's results. You know, sometimes you're in that, oh, I gotta be number one, number two, I'm like, I gave that up. I actually said in the beginning, I'm gonna be the happiest number two for the rest of my life because I wanna have a whole bunch of number ones fulfill their dreams. And I, I'm not trying to sound, um, I don't know. I, I don't wanna make it sound like I'm, I don't need praise. I have an ego just like everybody else. I

Speaker 1 (29:14):

Love it. Everybody needs praise. Everybody needs praise.

Speaker 2 (29:16):

Yeah. But, um, but I just discovered that, and I will tell you here, here's the flip side. If you dominate, um, if you try to dominate or over manage the people who come into your sphere in a way that doesn't work for them, they're not gonna make it.

Speaker 1 (29:33):

Yeah. They'll run away.

Speaker 2 (29:33):

Yeah. So sometimes it's, I guess maybe it's wisdom or insight or just dumb luck where know when, when to lean in and when to get the heck out of the way. And I will say Mike is an incredible example of that. Um, I have learned so much patience from Mike Wilke. I'm generally not a patient person. I'm from six kids. I'm from New Jersey, <laugh>. I, um, I'm kind of the boss. But what I've learned is giving, giving people the opportunity to be the their own boss and encouraging them, believing them, challenging, not without challenge and having some radical transparency. It's great. So I just think something really amazing's gonna happen this next decade. And, uh, and every day I'm looking forward to it.

Speaker 1 (30:16):

Excellent. All right. This should be an easy question for you. Okay. Or, or maybe it's, it's one that you have to list out many different things. But, uh, Mary, how does Alliance Group help you and your business?

Speaker 2 (30:26):

Marketing, marketing, marketing, uh, number one, what I was most impressed with when I met Alliance Group, and this is when you know you're really beginning to grow, uh, this is like, we've known each other like 12 years now. Hello. It's crazy. Um, I remember you all received some significant awards for the quality of the videos that you had created, and I thought really a financial services marketing company is getting awards. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, like that's a big deal. Yeah. Um, I'm impressed by the videos that you bring to market. I mean, I actually have people call me from other companies who say, can I come work with you? Cuz I want those videos. I'm like, oh, thank you for your integrity. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you know, that's a a pretty

Speaker 1 (31:11):

Powerful thing. I much rather rather you do that than use it and abuse it. <laugh>. Yeah,

Speaker 2 (31:14):

Exactly. Um, I think from a marketing standpoint, you do the kinds of things that somebody else who's hanging up a shingle and says, oh, I'm gonna do all my own marketing, I'm gonna figure it out. You do it in an unbelievable, unbelievable way. I mean, the professional, uh, exciting marketing that you create, I mean, it's something I'm so proud of. Hey, check this video out. Hey, see this testimonial check. You know, there's so, there's just so much you create and I believe that inside of that, what you're doing is anticipating our needs for the future. And that is a great partner. You know, hey, these videos are really gonna help to tell the story. The, you know, this testimonial, this particular campaign that we're creating, uh, where you can plug in. You don't have to worry about com compliance. We've, we've worked on the wording, oh, social media, no problem.

(32:03)
We're gonna give you, you know, pre-built, relevant, exciting, marketable information that you can just copy and paste and make it your own. So I think that you've probably saved every agent who works with Alliance from hiring their own marketing agency. And, uh, you know, years ago I was in publishing, that's a pretty expensive endeavor. So, um, what you do for me, uh, on a daily basis is give me confidence that that whole marketing piece from SEO to living, I mean, all of it, I don't have to think about it, it's thought about for me and the red carpet is there probably my only problem is there's so much to do and choose from. I probably am only utilizing a small portion of what you've made available. So that's something I have to do a better job of myself. Um, I would also say the incentives and the trips, the recognition and acknowledgement of the job well done. You guys do an incredible job. I had the opportunity to bring my sister and one of my brothers to the beautiful event in Marco Island and talk about, you know, making, making me look good to my family. That was really priceless. And thank you for welcoming them and caring for them. Think you're building a community here as well where people feel really good about knowing one another, working together. And that's something I wanna be a part of. So, yeah. You

Speaker 1 (33:20):

Know, that conference is bringing a, bring a bunch of competitors together and everybody likes each other for the most part, right. Uh, they, you know, so, but everybody's coming up and hugging and kissing and, and uh, just really excited about being together, being with each and every one of it.

Speaker 2 (33:34):

Yeah. Well, lemme say something about the competitor thing, cuz I think this is a misnomer. I think we got it right here. For the most part, I think that we, our real competition is the lack of education in the, in, in the world and a point of view that isn't any of ours, that somebody doesn't deserve to be financially well. And so I think together we share that mission. It's like, you know, uh, Eric Masters did a great presentation and he said the root word of of, uh, competition is actually about lifting one another up. It's actually not about crushing each other. So when it comes to the guys, you know, guys do like the guy thing, Hey, I'll crush you, whatever. And that's cool. But, um, and I think there's a few women who will do that as well. But I believe that as we are crushing our goals against, you know, lack of financial education, lack of proper, uh, financial setup for people, uh, that we're all winning. So I like that environment pretty good.

Speaker 1 (34:28):

Well, thank you for your time. Thank you for coming to Atlanta and being here in Stratton Studios. We're gonna film many more things with you, <laugh> and we look forward to, uh, helping you grow your social media platform and all the videos that you have and really getting out and, and spreading your message both to, uh, future clients and prospects, but also agents and advisors as well. So thank you for your time.

Speaker 2 (34:46):

Thank you, Lee. Appreciate you so much.

Speaker 3 (34:50):

Listen to this interview and more on the Alliance group.

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