Today, join host Tina Corner Stlolz and guest Bob Parent as they share the secrets behind creating a Trusted Advisor Group (TAG) that brings together the best of the best. Discover the numerous benefits, the unique format, and insights on approaching and selecting members for your TAG group. Whether you're new to the concept or already have a similar group, Bob unveils a game-changing strategy that adds exponential value to all members. Learn how to quickly establish a TAG group and leverage its power not only within the...
Today, join host Tina Corner Stlolz and guest Bob Parent as they share the secrets behind creating a Trusted Advisor Group (TAG) that brings together the best of the best. Discover the numerous benefits, the unique format, and insights on approaching and selecting members for your TAG group. Whether you're new to the concept or already have a similar group, Bob unveils a game-changing strategy that adds exponential value to all members. Learn how to quickly establish a TAG group and leverage its power not only within the group itself but also across CEO peer advisory council networks.
Connect with Bob Parent:
bob@thecatalystboard.com
Connect on LinkedIn HERE
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00:00 Great discussion on trusted advisor group format.
04:41 Created top-performing group with strategic industry selection.
06:53 Close relationship with banker led to referrals.
10:26 Meetings now include personal stories for clarity.
13:36 Members share business perspective, needs, and examples.
19:10 Take chances, swing the bat, embrace failure.
20:40 Emphasizing the value of being a net giver.
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Tina Corner Stolz [00:00:06]:
Okay. So welcome, everyone, to another episode of Mastermind Mastery. I'm your host, Tina Corner Stoltz, and we have a guest today. The guest today is Bob Parent. Welcome, Bob to the show.
Bob Parent [00:00:21]:
Welcome, Tina. Thank you so much for having me.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:00:23]:
Absolutely. So this is going, going to be a great discussion around a different type of group that you can put together. So for our listeners today, what you're going to get out of today is this different type of group that Bob calls the trusted advisor group. But you'll kind of learn about what it can mean for you by putting this type of group together. The format, the objective, what do the members get out of it? So you're going to hear today Bob's wisdom on this group and why it's been so successful for him and why it could be successful for you if you're not already doing it, or you can have some takeaways on some things you can do to enhance it if you're already doing something similar like this. So, Bob, as we get started, can you let everybody know, first of all, where are you located and what are currently the types of groups that you do and how long have you been doing know?
Bob Parent [00:01:19]:
I'm located in the Winsalem Greensboro Triad area in North Carolina. I started doing groups about two years ago, and I have both CEO peer groups, and as we're going to talk about today, the trusted advisors group. So those are the two types of groups that I run.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:01:38]:
Yes. And it's interesting in that your background prior to this was what?
Bob Parent [00:01:47]:
Good question. So I've been a state farm agent for almost 30 years now. I also run a couple of other businesses that I've been very fortunate to be successful with. And so my whole goal, Tina, was I really just enjoy the business world and I enjoyed the challenges that it brings and then helping people get to where they want to go.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:02:08]:
Yes. Will you share with the audience? This is just a fun fact. What is one of the businesses you're involved in? You know what I'm talking about.
Bob Parent [00:02:22]:
Yeah. I own part of the nation's oldest barber school. It was started in 1935. It's a Winston barber school, and it just kind of evolves and it keeps going. So, yeah, the barber school is an interesting business. Never thought I'd be in the barber school business.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:02:42]:
I suspect not. And do you go get your haircut there?
Bob Parent [00:02:47]:
Sometimes I do. Yeah, I do get it. Sometimes it looks it. But, you know, the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut, I say, is basically two weeks since two weeks at least for me.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:02:59]:
There you go. That's so funny. Well, I think, I'm not being sexist like we were, but I think it's a little different for men than women. Yeah. If we get a bad haircut, that takes a little more than two weeks for us. Well, let's get back to what we're here to talk about today, which is the trusted advisor group. So let's talk a little bit about, first of all, what is it and how did it come about for you?
Bob Parent [00:03:28]:
So I've been running the CEO peer groups and I've been listening to my ceos kind of things that they wanted with regards to information that they were trying to get. I'm like, okay. So I was getting those programs to come in and I'm like, well, all of a sudden there's another need out there. The ceos have a need, but then everybody has challenges, opportunities, problems or ideas. So I figured, well, why don't I put that together? And so I did. And so basically, to kind of be a trusted advisor, you have to be successful with what you do, a successful firm. And really you had to deal with principals. So that was kind of one of the major forces for that.
Bob Parent [00:04:21]:
And so that group came together extremely fast, Tina. So I was very fortunate, but there is a need and a demand out there.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:04:32]:
So a couple of things about that. One is when you say extremely fast for our audience, what does that mean?
Bob Parent [00:04:41]:
I put together that group in probably about two months. I kind of figured out different industries that I wanted, what would be kind of beneficial for my ceos and be beneficial for these people as well. But then the other big thing, Tina, I really looked at is I wanted people that were at the top of the game, because when I came in, I knew my first meeting what's real important to these people that they want to do it. But one of the things that they're always concerned about is who's in the group. That is always a driving thing. And I get it. So I knew that the first meeting had to be start off with a bang because everybody's going to look around that room and say, hey, who's in that room? Is that an a player? That's what happened. That's what made us successful, is really trying to figure out the people that I want in that group that really successful, but then they're also net givers.
Bob Parent [00:05:44]:
So one thing I always talked about, big point, is being a net giver. We talked about their challenges, opportunities, problems and ideas. But I said, if you're just coming in this thing just to get leads. This isn't for you because it's more depth than that. So you're going to have career development. You're going to go over your challenges, opportunities, problems, ideas. But obviously, you need to make money on this. And so business is going to come, but you're not going to stand up there and say, hey, Joe's up and up, the garage down the street.
Bob Parent [00:06:18]:
It's not that type of thing. People get to know each other in a more personal aspect, and they're a lot more comfortable referring business.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:06:29]:
How did you figure out who are the A players? Meaning how many of them did you kind of already know? And then you built around that. And how did you figure out who's an a player for the audience? Because I think if I were listening to you, not knowing you, and I do, but for our audience, they're like, well, that's great, but how do I figure out who's the best of the best?
Bob Parent [00:06:53]:
Good question. So, unfortunately, one of my a people that I had, and I've had a long relationship with Barry. He's a commercial banker, great reputation. He's also my banker, but he's also a friend. And so I sat down with Barry, and, you know, he gave me the nucleus for a great attorney and the CPA. And kind of, once I had those three names kind of in my group, it was a lot easier to kind of go back through. And, you know, I have Jeremy, I have Corey, I have Barry, and just started building on it. And people a, they're good businesses.
Bob Parent [00:07:39]:
They know who they know, the companies they're working with, they know they're great companies. So it's got to have some legs to this thing.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:07:48]:
Right.
Bob Parent [00:07:48]:
And so that's really kind of the way that I started.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:07:53]:
So the point here is, if I'm hearing you right, it can start with just right. And that one connection for you was Barry, who then brought the idea and identified the other two, which then just now you're snowballing. And I would suspect that gave them a lot of sense of ownership to this group. Right? Yeah, they were helping you.
Bob Parent [00:08:20]:
Good point, Tina. So what I did is know, who else would you like to see in this group? And that was both an individual and the types of businesses that they would like to see in the group. So it was really kind of twofold. So, yeah, that really did help, and it's been a lot of fun. I really enjoy it.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:08:43]:
So let's talk about that, about the format. So here you're going, and you're talking to different individuals. You talked about a little bit of the criteria, the reason, the name trusted advisor, because these are advisors. Right, to principals. Okay, so first for the audience, how about sharing how many people are in the group? But what types of discipline do they each represent?
Bob Parent [00:09:10]:
Okay, right now we have twelve people in our group. And for example, I talked about the CPA, talked about an attorney. We each an HR service provider. We have a wealth advisor. We have a fractional CFO, we have somebody in marketing with banker. So we really have a wide variety. And obviously nobody can be in the same space either. Those are the types of people that we have in our group and industry.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:09:43]:
Got it. And then how about sharing with the audience because now you've kind of opened up their mind as to, you mentioned a marketing firm. Well, some people might have kind of ruled that out. Right. But no, marketing very much falls into a lot of times that advisor sort of role. Aside from the traditional insurance, banking, accounting, financial wealth, et cetera aspect. What about the format? So will you share with the audience a little bit the format, how does that differ, if at all, your, your CEO group?
Bob Parent [00:10:26]:
So it runs a lot like LXCouncil meetings normally run. But as it's evolved, I always get a lot of feedback from my members saying, hey, what's going to make this valuable for you? And one of the things that came back is I want to have a better understanding what this person does, that person does. And so in the front end of the meeting, as we do the transition part into the meeting, we also bring in a story that they've happened to happened the last 30 days for them. I dealt with the client. Here's what it looked like to me. Here's the good, bad, indifferent, but it gives them a lot clearer image of really what that person does. And it gives them a real life example. So that's really kind of the only real change difference is.
Bob Parent [00:11:23]:
But on that we go through our copies, we go through our action plan, we go through our takeaways, we go through our business perspective. The business perspective is a huge thing that really brings us home. But the thing is with twelve people, that's twelve meetings, that's twelve months. Yes. And that's the reason that we do the front end thing is it kind of gives everybody a business perspective, two or three minute kind of business perspective, really what that person does. That way they're not waiting if they're the 11th person or whatever. It gives everybody a clearer understanding of what that person does. And then we also ask is what makes for a good client for you in that.
Bob Parent [00:12:10]:
What are you looking for? So one of the things that we also added to this is when we were talking with vern, harnish was talking with us about the 25 influencers at our conference is we said, okay, let's pick. You have between one and five people and or industries that you really want an in on. So the fractional CFO, Pam, she goes, I really want to learn more, get into the business, see people who's in the M A. So that way she can use her services. And so that's the Collective. So the group kind of, we brainstormed it. We says, I know somebody in that industry, and that's the way that it works. So, yeah, the 25 influencers really was a helpful thing.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:12:59]:
Two things I want to expand on for the audience is to clarify what you're talking about. So the Vern, the list of 25 was, he had suggested, right. To make a list of 25 people that you really want to meet that would change your business for the positive and make that list. So that's the list you're talking about for that?
Bob Parent [00:13:24]:
Yes.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:13:24]:
Right. And then the business Perspective report, will you share with the audience just a little bit about that for them that they just don't know what you're talking about?
Bob Parent [00:13:36]:
Sure. A business perspective that gives each member a chance to get up for about 30 to 45 minutes and really explained first who they are. We want to understand who Tina is or whoever that person is, and then we understand what that person actually does. And give us some examples. Some can say I'm a commercial banker, but really, what does that mean to us? And then give us some good examples, what that's looking for and what makes for a good client. I mean, tell us what you're looking for, and it's easier when you're more specific, saying, I'm looking for businesses in the five to maybe $25 million range, whatever that is. Or James, the HR service provider, he said, I'm looking for companies from five to 35 people. That makes it so much easier to send small business.
Bob Parent [00:14:36]:
So in the business perspective, they get into more detail, and we have a much better understanding of who they are and what they're looking for.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:14:43]:
Excellent. Great. So now that's your format. How long are the meetings?
Bob Parent [00:14:49]:
Our meetings are 3 hours long. We run them basically on the LX council platform and process. We just condense it down to 3 hours.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:15:02]:
Right. Versus your CEO group is four, 4 hours.
Bob Parent [00:15:05]:
Yes, ma'am.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:15:07]:
So how about with some of the time that we have remaining, what about some success stories. What have you seen as the biggest takeaways that are happening in the group today since you've started?
Bob Parent [00:15:18]:
It's a mutual benefit. So my tag group, the trusted advisor group, they're also the programs for the CEO groups. So basically, we're building a community here. So it's a resource both ways. And so we had a guy that's in the web and tech business come in and talk to the ceos, and when it was all said and done, about 40% of the ceos changed their whole website because they're like, well, I didn't know it could do this. I didn't know. So that was really insightful. And then kind of tagging on to that, we had adjustments in the IT security, and these people had very successful businesses, but they didn't realize at the end of it how exposed their businesses really are.
Bob Parent [00:16:22]:
And they're like, wow, I didn't realize that. So it's been beneficial to ceos. And relative to the trusted commercial, we have a person that's in commercial insurance that does a lot of group plans, and they're like, that's great. But then when they overlaid what James can do, the HR provider, they, you know, our platform, your group insurance can lay over on our platform, and it's an added value. So it helps both Jessica and it helps both Jane. So it's great to see them work together. Just kind of, you know, I need this or I need that, or can you do this? It has just worked. It's just great.
Bob Parent [00:17:17]:
It's very satisfying.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:17:19]:
Well, you're leveraging in a very smart way, is what I'm hearing about. You've got these trusted advisors that can be great resource for your ceos without selling. Right. Without selling them.
Bob Parent [00:17:33]:
And anytime they come into you, I always tell them they can't sell.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:17:36]:
Correct. Absolutely. Great. Anything else about the trusted advisor group we haven't talked about? You want to share? Did we cover it all? I want to make sure we don't leave anything out.
Bob Parent [00:17:52]:
I didn't realize the benefit doing CEO peer groups, but once I started putting this together, there is a need out there and a desire for people being trusted advisor mean, because always, just like the lx council part on the takeaway, hey, what do you get? And almost inevitably, it says, hey, the power and the knowledge that's in this group. I mean, I get that in the CEO and the trusted advisors, and that's really satisfying to me. So that there's a need and people really appreciate it.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:18:30]:
Well, complementary. They're very complementary to each other, those two groups. And particularly because I know you have a social, like a holiday event, and you had everybody there, and how you're building that whole community with all of them together, getting that chance to get to know each other well. We always end the episode with a piece of wisdom that you could share with the audience, whether they're running groups or they're thinking about running groups. But you have experience. And what piece of wisdom would you love to share with the audience today as we close out?
Bob Parent [00:19:10]:
Tina, I've always shared with my kids growing up and with know you need to go out there and swing the mean. There's a need out there. People want it. But whatever you want to do, I don't care if it's whatever you want to do, go out and try it, because really, what's the worst? I always say, what's the worst that could happen? And so I kind of was saying that I've always told my kids, show my person that hasn't failed, and I'll show you a loser because you got to swing the bat. You're going to fail. But that's okay if you just play it safe all day. And I'm just saying that's bad, but I'm all up to swing the bat. Take a chance, and it'll probably work out for you.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:20:03]:
Right. Well, you swung the bat and took a chance with the tag group, and then here you. Yeah, that's a great example. So congratulations on that. I love being able to share that with our audience today. And if they wanted to get in contact with you, what's the best way to reach you? Bob?
Bob Parent [00:20:25]:
Well, I try and make it easy. You can reach me at bob@thecatalystboard.com. It's Bob at the kind of like the Ohio state. That's probably the best way to get up with me, Tina.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:20:40]:
Okay, well, Bob, thank you again for joining us and for everyone out there today. I know that you heard some really good takeaways. You could probably see why Bob is successful. One of the key values he obviously portrayed is being a net giver, and that will always come back in positive spades. And that is clear based upon how you started the trusted advisor group, because those are really, like, centers of influence. Right. And how you develop those relationships to start, that allowed you to parlay that into another group. So for the audience today, think about your centers of influence.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:21:22]:
Think about also those that you don't have a relationship, that you would love to have a relationship. And this is another way to cultivate that. Right? So with that, that's another episode today on Mastermind Mastery. We appreciate you joining us, and we ask you to share this episode if it resonated with you, you know, someone who could also benefit. And of course, thank you, Bob, for joining today.
Bob Parent [00:21:44]:
Thank you, Tina. It was a pleasure, obviously.
Tina Corner Stolz [00:21:47]:
All right, everyone, go have a great week, and we'll talk to you next week. Bye.
