We were lucky to catch up with Patrick Yanke recently and have shared our conversation below.

Patrick, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

1. Start every day with purpose – The first step in any action is the intention behind the action. If the intention is focused on the self, the action will be selfish. If the intention is focused on others and a mission, the action will be an act of generosity. Businesses are formed to fill a need. Focus on this mission for success.

2. Practice excellence with passion – If we are focused on a mission and a purpose, we will develop our skills to be the best in our field. We should seek to be the best at what we do and give the best we have to every client.

3. Never give up – There will always be struggles and obstacles to overcome. There is no path to success that doesn’t require fortitude. Successful people are those who would see their purpose and mission realized despite inevitable setbacks.

The above is a constant practice of the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude). A personal example comes from the Fiscal Crisis of 2008. My primary business is in the financial service industry. There was a time when I thought everything had come to an end and I would have to find another way to provide for my family. I was curled into a ball on the floor on a Saturday morning. My first-grade teacher called me out of the blue to see how I was doing. She gave me hope and got me moving forward again. That afternoon, I was out teaching my son how to ride a bike. He was panicking and flailing. I asked him, “Why are you panicking? Nothing bad has happened to you yet. I’m still here holding on to you. Just keep pedaling and you’ll figure it out.” In that moment, I heard the voice of God speaking to me from my own mouth and resolved to not listen to the voice of fear anymore.

Patrick, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

While still a cadet at the Academy, I was invited by my father’s boss to follow my Air Force service with a career in financial planning. What’s interesting is that our Lord gave me training for this field through my Air Force experience. As a financial planner, I sell something intangible—future financial well-being and caring for loved ones. In the Air Force, I served at one time as the Chief of Advertising and Promotions for the Southeast region in USAF recruiting. There, I helped to promote intangibles also—national security and personal education/training/experience. My other USAF job was as a mortuary officer… a very strong lead into helping people with life and death issues now.

I am an entrepreneur in both planning and speaking. I am blessed to have built these businesses with family and friends. Yanke Financial is the result of industry mergers… I’m no longer subject to corporate decisions. Yanke Academy is the realization of a dream allowing me to share the perspectives that have shaped my life.

I have always been rules-oriented… I like to see things work the way they are intended. My professional life has spanned both public and private sectors; military and civilian cultures; spiritual and temporal matters. In all of them, one key focus is important: “remember who you serve.” I believe that most problems in this world would disappear if we would just keep our purpose foremost in our minds… our purpose is to serve. The challenge is to recognize who is served in every decision we make.

I have always been a natural speaker and teacher. These skills served me well through my USAF time to now. I seek to inspire action… and help people understand the motivations for their actions. Generally, we respond to our world primarily through love or fear. Love drives us forward while fear holds us back. When we act out of love, we are giving of ourselves to others. When we respond in fear, we are more concerned with ourselves and our rewards or punishment. Love is outward-focused. Fear is selfish. It’s a struggle between action and inaction. Love is an action word. Fear is passive. Love is our faith in action.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I’ve found that my best new clients come from my best current clients. I can spend thousands of dollars in advertising to meet new people but that will be starting from scratch for each one. We will spend time getting to know each other and I will be proving myself with every service… building trust. Alternatively, a referral from an existing client comes with a backstory… the backstory of the referring client. The new client comes with expectations based on the services I have provided to others and we start on a more-advanced note with a foundation of trust.

So… what’s the most effective strategy for growing my clientele? Providing excellent service to my existing clientele.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I try to be involved in my clients’ lives in more ways that just an occasional meeting. I send birthday cards and Christmas cards. I call them for special occasions. Where appropriate, we are linked on Social Media and they can enjoy family memories and other sharing. When I see something that requires their attention, I reach out. I send newsletters and notices to provide perspective in challenging environments.

I am proactive in my business, not passive. When clients have to call me for a touchpoint, the conversation is much different than if I reach out first.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yankefinancial.com & www.yankeacademy.com & www.thepersonalrosary.com
• Facebook: Business pages: Yanke Financial, LLC & Yanke Academy, LLC & The Personal Rosary
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickyanke/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatrickYanke