SPEAKER_00 0:00

I'm like, well, why don't we go get you some money? He's like, what do you mean? Like go to a bank? I'm like, no, no. We're not going to banks. Let's get you some business. Just tell me what you need. He's like, I need clients.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

All right, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Connections That Matter. My name is Andrew Johnson, and I love to have conversations with Northern Colorado's best networkers. And today, I absolutely have one. We have Anthony Navarro from New York Life on the show. Anthony, welcome.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Thank you very much for having me.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Anthony, I've been networking, and you've been a part of the networking scene as long as I have, or longer than I have. But for those who haven't met you yet, uh share a little bit more about who you are and what you do.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Yeah, Anthony Navarro. I work for New York Life. I'm actually a 663 advisor, so I'm licensed in all 50 states. Can handle all sorts of variable products, life insurance, a lot of business solutions. So having been a registered nurse in a previous life and a business owner having built businesses from inception of idea to finished uh business over a couple of decades. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

So well, let's get through that origin story because your route to being a top-performing agent is an interesting one, but how did you get to this point?

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Wow. So if we start all the way back with nursing school, came here from Arizona, uh, was recruited for wrestling and nursing, and uh got my BSN RN at UNC, phenomenal school for nursing. I think it's still rated the best in the state. Very difficult to get in. I mean, you I had a 389 GPA, and I was the last one picked. So it's like, I mean, it's intense. Uh while I was doing pediatrics, I ended up opening up my first company, which just took off. And then I opened up another one right after that, and that one took off. And then the next one after that, and then I started uh patenting and trademarking products, did a bunch of reality TV shows that kind of came out of those businesses. And uh so that just led in some really interesting directions, which when I wrote my book, it was about a year before New York Life was starting to pursue me. So they're like, How do you know about these products? And I'm like, I've used them. So when I talk to business professionals about ways to permanently capture wealth in their business, it's a no-brainer because I have seen them, I've I've they do work, you know, and just like marketing, it's what you put into it, it's the it's the talent that you bring in, it's the expertise. It's also being uh genuinely connected to the success of your of your partners, the all the people around you.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

So you said you were headhunted. New York Lives coming to pursue you. Um what was it that they make you offer you couldn't refuse? Or how did that all work out?

SPEAKER_00 2:51

It was a funny story, you know. Uh, I was talking to this established agent, and they said, How many interviews did you do? And this will show you how naive I am. I'm like, interviews? I didn't do any, they just hired me. They're like, New York life is the best. They don't just hire anybody. How many times did you go to lunch with a partner? I'm like, uh, I don't know about lunch. He took me to coffee, but he never bought me lunch. Um, I don't know, four times. He's like, those were interviews. I'm like, I was so naive. I had no idea. But uh, so I still bug my partner that he uh he owes me some coffee, but uh he's doing pretty well because of the production I bring in. And to be honest, New York Life has had great education, great support, and they they let me off the leash. They they let me be disruptive. So I'm always going to look at the world uh differently. And so that's why when I put together financial plans or designs for businesses, they're like, this is kind of amazing. How'd you do this? Well, there's always a way to get to a destination that is the most protective, the most profitable, and also helps bring more people along for the ride.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Well, let's get into that because a lot of companies don't let people uh be disruptive. You gotta stay in the lines, you gotta follow the process. Um, but you're a top performer. I think it's allowed you or afforded you to potentially put yourself out there differently because they trust you, because you they you know they they you bring in a lot. But how have you earned that trust to get some potential wiggle room to do the things you know you need to do?

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Yeah, absolutely. So obviously I have to stay within FINRA rules, all the regulations. And I tell people when they tell me, hey, I want to do this big million dollar rollover, and I tell them how long this is gonna take, they're like, why man, I need it done today. I'm like, the the delay that you see is things like suitability and things like, is it um being done correctly? Will it benefit the client? So all of these little delays are actually for your benefit. And I hand hold people through the entire process. And I'm very unusual in that I stay very engaged with my clients. I don't just sell to them and come back a year later. I am, I check in on the health of their business. Uh, do they have a new child being born? Do they do they have a grandmother that recently died? Because I really do take, and it is overused, the word holistic, but to truly see how our strategies and solutions can impact a family multi-generation generationally. So they they give me that room to be disruptive. Uh and a lot of it is just properly communicating with my with my partner what I'm doing and making sure that I'm within certain parameters. But really, it's about character and personality and making sure that the integrity is integrity is always there. Um, I think that's the big piece because once, and and luckily in my career, I have not delivered a death benefit check. And that's gonna be a big one for me, you know. When I was working in the ER and organs are everywhere and people are literally dying my arms, I I it it took a while for me to get home and process that out. And then the next night would happen, you know. So knowing that if I make a mistake, if if I make a mistake with my client, that can affect their retirement. There's there's no doing it over.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Right.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

So the clients that I work with that um take me in and we basically interview each other, are we right for each other? And to make sure that when we put a plan together, that it will benefit their children and generations of their family that haven't been born yet. But I like to put out there, how often do you meet with your agent? You know, and do they meet with you for a reason other than to sell you something else or to maybe make sure that you're renewing? But I would say that if I meet with a client four times in six months, three of those times are meant simply to brainstorm how do we grow your business? How do we take a different view of marketing? How do we take something you're already doing and amp it up? You know, for example, I met with um seven people from the last time I met with with uh with our group in Windsor, and uh, we're already set in second and third meetings, and it has nothing to do with my products, it has to do with seeing the success of people because all successful people have one problem, and that's taxes. And I could be the type of agent where all I want to do is grow your wealth in the market, but am I really taking care of you if 40% of your money is going to be set on fire with taxes? Or am I truly working for you to find ways to make all of these solutions fit together like a like a puzzle? And when you can see that picture and how it changes year to year, I think that's why in April and November, December of last year, it I didn't make a call. It was all referrals. And it was, I was really, I'm very grateful for that. Um so yeah, just recognizing too that a referral is somebody bringing you into their family even more. Oh, you need to work with my mom or my sister. They don't do that unless they feel there's real value. And so helping others grow around me as far as other businesses is I think is really important.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Well, your follow-up and follow-through um skill set is exceptional. I see a lot of people network, they have a great event, uh, and then they will self-admit, oh yeah, I didn't reach out to them or I didn't schedule that. But here you are following up, setting a plan, developing relationships. What advice would you have for somebody networking to make sure that the follow-up happens at a high level?

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Yeah, I think that has to do with something that's kind of a pet peeve of mine. I think a lot of people show up to networking events, marketing events, and they're looking for the business. Like, where's my business? Why aren't you referring? And I always go there with a clean slate thinking, I'm gonna help two or three businesses right now connect with either somebody I already know in the room or somebody I have in my back pocket that's been an exceptional referral for me and connect them like right away. And so I think that speed of that is necessary because there's a lot of intensity and a lot of drive that can be lost. So I think timing is important. But going into it with the mindset that actually I'm gonna give you four words that I live by without witness and without reward. If you can it's and it's unattainable, right? If I if I were to help somebody, or let's say uh even just buy their Subway sandwich and then they see me walk out, they're like, Hey, what's your name? Thank you. The thank you is a reward. And without witness, well, he knows who it is. So if you can strive for that level of giving without witness and without reward, then I feel the closer I am to that, the truer the the referral it is that I'm giving or the or my time. So one of the things that I'm really grateful that my clients tell me is when we're in a coffee shop or wherever or meeting somewhere, I feel like I'm the only person in the world when I talk to you. And I'm like, for that moment, you are. You are absolutely just the center, the core of what I'm looking at. And so when I go home and work on a plan, it's the same idea. I kind of shut the world out and I just look and see how can I benefit that person? Because someday when I'm long gone, there, these things that I do, these policies, these strategies, they they have to pay out, you know. And so that's what I look at. Not just, you know, what am I doing this quarter or this year, but how will it impact people when I'm gone? And so we also know that having kids, you know, you never stop worrying about your kids. You're gonna be 90 years old, you're like, hey, babe, like where are you driving? Uh, make sure you got this, you know, spare tire, whatever. And uh that's the kind of care I like to give my my clients and their policies. There has to be a person behind that piece of paper that I'm giving them.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

Uh how much do you think your networking has led to your success? Like how much of your marketing or your sales is through referrals and direct networking?

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Yeah, if I were to give a picture, it's the fuse. And so the referrals are the rocket body and the and the warhead, if you will, that's a whole different piece of that. But the fuse is, you know, when I network with people, and I'm people never believe when I say this, but I am in normally just very shy, very introverted. And when I walk into a room, uh, it's very disassociative. Like I'll I'll ask somebody afterwards, hey, what did I say in that speech? They're like, what do you mean? You gave the speech two seconds ago. I don't remember what word I said. So I have to put on a different set of armor because I'm my emotional radar picks up everything in the room. And so I can pick up the nonverbals, the the body language, all that. And sometimes I'll I will pick the one in the room. I'm like, man, that they're new to this group, they're in a corner, they're never coming back. How's that gonna affect your business? So I actually will go talk to them and make sure that something good happens. And next thing you know, I'm like, hey, you've you've just signed up, right? So I'll give you an example of how that can be done negatively. When I was with B and I, uh, somebody two months in said, Oh, you'll never refer to the Mary Kay lady, so don't even waste your time with that. And I was oh man, I made up my mission. I'm like, wait a second, where else is that happening where they're not referring me because oh you you and Anthony won't get along, just don't even bother. So I'm paying for somebody not to do business with me. So I called her up that day and I said, Hey, I'm having an event at my place, my building, that I'm gonna center around uh health and beauty and all these different things. And I made sure that just to make a point, you know, because that's not the way to do that. Right. This is in high school, so we need to remember that when we're referring and doing business, we are here to do business. Let the cards fall where they may, but make the referral, you know, and if it works out, you might be like, wow, this is a you're a great business partner. But uh, three of the people that I met with last week, I was already kind of setting us, you know, designing their center of influence, their their power team. And they were like, Well, wow, I've been with this group for a year. I never thought of that person as a potential referral partner. I'm like, well, here's how. So I like to draw it out. I'm a big fan of the remarkable tablet. And so I will literally draw out how this is how this is gonna play. And so when I was 14, I used to design billboards for, so for me, the visual, oh my God, this is the layout, and then it comes here. And for them to see it in action before it has taken place.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Let's do a networking deep dive. I would love to hear some of you met at a networking event or through networking. How are you able to cultivate and grow that referral relationship? Um, take us through, you know, give them a shout out, whoever you are.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

I'm gonna give a shout-out to uh Trevor Jones with rising altitude. And so I go to this uh tabletop event and it was at a basement of a dentist's office, and we're doing our rounds, and I meet with him, and there was something about him that reminded me of my dad. Interesting. Just a small business owner, and just you know, he always had like the electronic, like tester thingies, you know, and he was just that kind of personality. So I met with him and then we met at our office, and he said, Well, I don't know why you want to meet with me. I I left a 17-year job, three-year gap, no business. I just started my own business. I don't have any money. I'm like, Well, why don't we we go get you some money? He's like, What do you mean? Like go to a bank? I'm like, No, no, we're not going to banks. Let's get you some business. Just tell me what you need. He's like, I need clients. I'm like, all right, so just so you understand, when you tell me that, I don't know when to stop. So you're gonna have to tell me when to stop. And he don't, he didn't know what I meant. So four o'clock hits, and I'm like, hey, what are you doing? Nothing. Well, get your butt over to Bulldogs because I'm gonna do some handshake introductions. We're gonna be with this group and I'm gonna personally introduce you to everybody. And we're driving home and I text him, hey, how'd it go? He's like, Oh man, I got nine connections, three really good ones. I'm like, what are you doing tomorrow at seven o'clock? Well, nothing. I told you I have no clients. Good, seven o'clock. Margie's Java joint, got another event coming up, same thing, be there. And I kept hammering, and he, to his benefit, he showed up. He showed up, he showed up. And one of my favorite texts, and I still have it, I it's like I want to frame it. It said, I am booked out a month and a half. We need to talk. But why don't we go into this fully prepared to just be givers, right? And so I understand givers gain is you you hope to receive something, but I think truly to get the best referrals, just go into it with the with a pure servant's heart. And and you know, it doesn't have to happen that day. It could be like a year later, two years later, it's the biggest job of your life, and all of a sudden, you know, Trevor's getting a call. Wait a second, you want me to redo two big houses in Aspen or something like that out of just a really beautiful connection where you said, Hey, you know, there's nothing wrong with your plumbing, I'll fix it for free. You know what I mean? Just to just to give. And uh but I love that one. That was that was a big one. But I used that model for the next three months, and it propelled me to career conference and then from there to executive counsel, which I think only 7% of agents in the nation make. Cool. Um, so yeah, that's that one for me really stands out. There's a lot of them, but that one it's such a good story.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

And I the people what make the thing that makes them attractive in a in a room is those ones that really are selfless, the ones that um can make you feel like you're the only person in the room. Because that's rare. There's a lot of people checking their phone, checking their watch. Uh they'll they'll look in the eye and then they'll look over the shoulder because they're trying to decide who they're gonna walk over to next. Yeah. Um, if you can just stay focused, stay relevant, connected, it it lends to um some better results.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Yeah, I agree. And and you know, here I am working in finances and investing, but the most valuable asset we have is time.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

And so when somebody's looking at their phone, they're not valuing your time. And so think about that, you can't get that 30 seconds back or that 30 minutes. So they didn't just take your time, they took your life. So be intentional with what you're doing, um, whether it's the prospecting, the building cases or working on a client's job. Uh, I just heard a phenomenal story, just how and how the floors were made out here. Just that that kid they gave a chance to, and the floors are gorgeous here.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, shout out to uh content creator studio, uh home of the connections that matter podcast, which is cool. Yeah. Well, Anthony, there's gonna be people watching this. I think uh you might have a full schedule of people wanting to schedule one-to-ones with you, but um what's the best way for someone to get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Yeah, uh, they can reach me uh at a Navarro zero two at F as in Frank, T as in Tom dot New York Life, and Navarro is spelled N-A-V-A-R-R-O. You can call me at 970-381-8188 and I meet with everybody. There's there's agents out there that'll say, you got to have two million before I'll talk to you. I love building the underdog into the powerhouse. And at that point, I think that the loyalty will be created just because of the intentionality and the commitment. I'm committed to my clients uh until the day I'm done. And even then, my policies and designs will continue from there. And I hope to mentor other agents through the process as well so that there's more people that look at it from a different perspective. So I'm hoping that uh the New York life will extend that once I make conference for the council for the second time.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

Right on. Well, Anthony, thanks so much for coming on the show, sharing your wisdom, and uh look forward to net continuing to network with you around Northern Colorado.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

Yeah, and I appreciate just that you do this for people because you know, I know it's part of the the marketing model and all these different things, but the effect that you have with these is powerful. And uh and I'm very grateful for that. So thank you.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

Right on, Anthony. Thank you. Awesome. Hey all, thanks for watching. I love networking and building relationships with other Northern Colorado business leaders. So if you want to come meet some of these podcast guests, meet me or meet some other amazing entrepreneurs in Northern Colorado. I would love to have you attend one of our next events. Uh, go in the podcast description. There's the ways that you can see our upcoming schedule. And maybe you could be a future podcast guest as well. Thanks.