What Makes a Story Good?

What Makes a Good Story

“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever”. This ancient Native American proverb still resonates today.

Everyone loves a good story. Good stories can captivate, teach, and persuade people to act, making them an excellent way to communicate with prospects and clients.

In this post we’ll look at how to create great stories and inspire listeners to take action.

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Why You Need a “Who I Am” Story to Succeed

Why You Need a Who I Am Story to Succeed

When someone tells you they want to ‘think it over’ it’s a sign they haven’t invested in you. They are most likely not deciding about your recommendations. They are deciding about forming a relationship with you. Remember, the three most important things in this business are to be likeable, smart and trustworthy. A great way to be likeable and build trust is to tell a ‘who I am’ story to prospective clients. By telling them a story about yourself you can influence people and establish your credibility. A great story will resonate with clients, stir up their emotions and get them to act.

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Why Storytelling Should Be an Integral Part of Any Advisor’s Selling Strategy

Why Storytelling Should Be an Integral Part of Any Advisor’s Selling Strategy

As a Financial Advisor, it’s your job to influence and persuade. In order to buy from you people must like you, trust you and understand what it is you’re offering them. When a hot prospect walks away it’s usually because they didn’t ‘get’ what it was you were selling them. And no one buys what they don’t understand.

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Convincing Your Clients to Sacrifice for a Reward They Can’t Visualize

Convincing Clients to Sacrifice for a Reward They Can’t Visualize

I am convinced the hardest thing in the world to sell is advice, especially when the reward for following said advice is so far down the road it can’t be visualized. “Trust me” is an understatement.

Convincing others to settle for delayed gratification is a challenge you face every day.

You must establish such a high level of trust with people that they allow themselves to be helped. You have to make them comfortable enough to tell you their goals and their dreams. You have to enable them to see themselves attaining those goals.

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Emotional Intelligence Enables Us to Manage The Emotions of Others

Don Connelly audio blog post 3

You and I like to think of ourselves as objective thinkers. We try to put our emotions aside. We live in a world of research and numbers. Our recommendations are black and white. Investment results are there for all to see. Our advice is either good or bad. The plans we recommend either work or they don’t. Clients say yes or no. We open the account or we don’t.

Our clients, on the other hand, are subjective thinkers.

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Why Storytelling Is Important for Financial Advisors

Why Storytelling Is Important for Financial Advisors

Today we’ll share the latest post Don Connelly wrote for Financial Advisor Magazine – it’s about storytelling and more specifically, why storytelling is important for Financial Advisors.

You are not judged by what you say. You are judged by what the other person hears. That’s one reason of many why you should become a great storyteller. Stories help you get your point across better than any other form of communication. Stories stir emotions.

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Effective Communication Is an Acquired Skill

Effective Communication Is an Acquired Skill

Effective communication occurs when the listener understands everything you just said. You made the complex simple. That’s not an easy thing to do.

It takes a long time and a lot of practice to become simple.

The effort is worth it. There is nothing more important to a Financial Advisor than being understood. After all, if everyone understood everything you said, you would be one of the highest paid and most influential people in the world.

Fortunately, effective communication is an acquired skill, not an innate skill.

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Every Advisor Needs to Bring Back the Story

Don Connelly audio podcast

The ability to tell good stories is vital if you want people to like and trust you. Your clients like you and trust you. They didn’t buy a financial plan or a managed account. They bought you.

People can’t ‘buy’ you until they know you and the best way to get to know you is to hear your story. And they can’t hear your story until you tell it to them. The better you do that, the sooner you open the account. As Peter Guber says, you tell to win.

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Tell a Story – Crafting a Great Story

Tell a Story - Crafting a Great Story Video Post

Geoffrey James writes a wonderful column for Inc.com. Recently he reviewed a book about business storytelling. In his article, James recapped the seven ingredients that make a story great. Just as one size does not fit all, the same story does not appeal to everyone. Therefore, you need to craft at least three stories and be proficient at telling them. Here’s how you do just that.

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