Can you name one thing that politicians, athletes and actors have in common?

Let’s focus on two things, actually: One is that they all have a peer in Joffrey A. Smith, CFP, CLU. Not only is he a three-year MDRT member from Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, but Smith also won three two-year terms as a Worcester City Council member; played Division I college baseball at the University of Hartford, where he had tryouts with multiple major league teams and still plays in multiple leagues with ex-college and ex-professional players; and has had small roles in numerous films and commercials, including “Ted,” “That’s My Boy” and ads for Wayfair and CVS.

The other unifier is that each of the professions involves working with high-net-worth individuals. For Smith, a solo holistic planning practitioner with about 300 clients and a niche of medical professionals, that means a wide variety of experiences that have relevant lessons for working with high-net-worth clients in the following areas:

Politics

Early in his political career, Smith, who at 24 was the youngest person ever elected to Worcester City Council, met with the CEO of a publicly traded company who was curious if Smith would be friendly to the business community. But the CEO didn’t ask that question directly. “He asked, ‘So what do you think of the bond rating of the city?’” Smith said. “He was trying to ask intelligent questions to know if I had done my homework and wasn’t just some kid who happened to get lucky and get elected.” Smith, who got an undergrad degree in economics and finance and is now pursuing an MBA at Cornell University, showed that he understood the importance of the bond rating as the city borrowed money to do different projects. And, beyond the actual information being discussed, he demonstrated an ability to see the deeper meaning behind the question being asked.

The business takeaway. When a client brought up the structure of a backdoor Roth IRA, he already knew there was a way to do it — what he wanted to see from Smith was the confidence and knowledge to execute it. Or, to put it another way: The client had done their homework and knew the answer but wanted to see if Smith did too. So the advisor, who emphasizes that it’s better to say “That’s a great question; I don’t know, but I’m going to find out” than try to thinly make up an answer, did all the necessary research to prepare for the discussion. That way, the next time he met with a client about estate planning or advanced retirement planning, he was able to suggest an approach that even the client’s accountant wasn’t familiar with. In these situations, any age or wealth differences between Smith and the client don’t matter; only the advisor’s level of expertise does. “Sometimes it’s about getting the correct answer and not the quickest answer,” he said.

Sports

On the field, Smith says, everyone is equal. Which means he has no idea about the socioeconomic status of his teammates as he develops relationships with them. So as he bonded with another player in one of his current competitive wood-bat leagues and the player wanted to talk more about Smith’s work, he had no concept of his teammate’s background or finances. Not only did it turn out that he was an incredibly successful business professional, but he became a good friend and referrer as well. “It was really just about first being a good teammate and building a personal relationship,” Smith said.

The business takeaway. A new client recently referred to Smith had spent his entire life in a blue-collar profession. While Smith certainly didn’t expect to learn that he had $5 million in investments, he also didn’t seek to find that out at the start of their conversation. Rather, he built a respectful, curious dynamic so that the client already trusted him before sharing his financial information. “He keeps everything very private; even his family and friends weren’t aware of how much money he had,” Smith said. “He knew I wasn’t trying to take advantage of him.”

Acting

On a film set, it would be easy to be intimidated by the successful and wealthy stars nearby. Smith, however, has established connections with well-known celebrities by talking to them as a respectful peer, rather than with envy or insecurity. “They’re used to having fans gushing over them and people who just want to say yes to them,” Smith said. “When we’re on set together, we’re both professionals there to do a job. There’s more mutual respect if you talk to them on the same level.”

When Smith sat near Will Forte (“Saturday Night Live”) for a week during a scene for “That’s My Boy,” it led to Forte not just sharing stories about his own life and work but asking Smith about his. After James Caan shared a behind-the-scenes story about filming the 1990 Stephen King adaptation “Misery,” Forte turned to Smith and said, “How cool was it that James Caan told us a story?”

“Even famous, successful actors have respect for those that came before them,” Smith said.

The business takeaway. The way to avoid intimidation with a client who is super successful means speaking as an equal and being willing to disagree, Smith says, rather than just endorsing every idea that a high-powered person presents. After a meeting in which Smith respectfully suggested a different approach to a high-net-worth client’s concept of life insurance as part of his estate plan, the client pulled him aside as they walked together out of the office. “He said, ‘I really respect that you were willing to challenge me in there and not just go along with whatever I said,’” Smith recalled. “I took that to heart, and it made a great impact.”

Contact: Joffrey Smith joff@joffreysmith.com