September 7, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 2 comments
If your appointment book is full to overflowing then you won’t need to read on. If however like most advisors you don’t have a line of prospects queuing at the door, you need to develop better and more successful processes when it comes to prospecting.
You must begin to see prospecting as your only real priority. It’s the only way you will get more appointments and win more business. You may not like prospecting – many advisors see this as the least favorite part of the job – but don’t let fear of failure prevent you from undertaking this core task.
Here are five steps to help you make prospecting more of a habit and less of a dreaded chore.
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Five Skills That Will Make You Stand Apart from The Crowd
August 1, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments
Hard skills can be learned from a book. They’re the skills most of us spent 16 years in school focusing on. In contrast, there’s no clear path to learning soft skills. Soft skills have to be learnt ‘on the job’ via experience and with trial and error.
Soft skills are at the very heart of what it is to be a great financial advisor. They are the skills that will mark you out from the crowd. So make sure you excel at soft skills by putting in a lot of practice. And persevere.
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How Do I Get People to Call Me Back?
June 13, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
I heard this great question from Jesse in Grand Rapids. Jesse said he was having difficulty getting people to return his calls, after supposedly thinking about his proposal. He meets with prospects and makes his presentation. They say “Let me think it over, I’ll give you a call” and they never do. After some time has passed, he calls them and leaves messages but they never return his calls. Why is that?
Listen to Don’s answer to this question or read the transcript.
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3 Analogies on Long-Term Investing to Use with Clients
March 14, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Investing Wisdom, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
Today, I’d like to talk about the long term. You know that I like visuals; I like props; I like things that talk in mom-and-dad language. So I’ll share three analogies you can use with prospects and clients to help them commit to the long-term nature of investing.
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Three Must-read Success Stories for Financial Advisors
March 7, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
As a financial advisor you need to work flat out on building your business. But it also pays to take the time to stand back and find inspiration from the best in the business. By understanding what helped some top pros rise to the top of their profession you can gain valuable pointers to motivate you both personally and professionally. Here’s a brief introduction to three professionals you should have on your radar.
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What Happens When You Lack Accountability?
October 26, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
It’s essential to acknowledge that you alone are responsible for your success as a financial advisor and this means you must be accountable. If you’re not accountable you will never feel in control of your destiny or understand how to turn things around if they take a downturn. No matter how smart or talented you are, if you lack accountability you will not develop the self-discipline you need to change your outcomes for the better.
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Why Financial Advisors Should Do Seminars
September 21, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments
One of my Don Connelly 24/7 subscribers asked me how I liked seminars for a prospecting idea. The answer is ‘I love seminars’. Here are a couple of reasons why.
Listen to this audio episode to hear Don’s full answer, or read the transcript below.
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Elite Advisors Never Lose the Will to Learn
September 14, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
If you stop wanting to improve your skills you will cease to be good at your job. Don’t let short term success make you overly confident or complacent. While having a successful month, a good quarter or even a good year is great news it does not guarantee your success further down the line. All bets are on that a slump is out there waiting for you somewhere, and when it does, it can quickly turn things on their head. So you need to have a backup plan.
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Five Steps to Help Make Prospecting a Habit
September 7, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 2 comments
If your appointment book is full to overflowing then you won’t need to read on. If however like most advisors you don’t have a line of prospects queuing at the door, you need to develop better and more successful processes when it comes to prospecting.
You must begin to see prospecting as your only real priority. It’s the only way you will get more appointments and win more business. You may not like prospecting – many advisors see this as the least favorite part of the job – but don’t let fear of failure prevent you from undertaking this core task.
Here are five steps to help you make prospecting more of a habit and less of a dreaded chore.
Read more
Top 5 Reasons Advisors Fail
August 31, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 2 comments
It may come as a surprise to learn that financial advisors don’t generally fail because of the numbers. They do so because of poor ‘soft’ skills. Being unable to manage a business competently or provide top notch customer service are more likely to get you fired than an inability to get returns on investment.
If you want to succeed as a financial advisor you need to stand out in a highly commoditized industry – which means not being guilty of the following:
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How to Find What Makes You Different from Other Advisors
July 27, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments
The financial services marketplace is heavily commoditized. There are lots of firms offering basically the same products to the same people, so being the same as everyone else in this industry will not cut it. In order to succeed you need to quickly identify what makes you stand apart from the crowd. Ask yourself these questions in order to find out if you have the unique attributes you need to succeed.
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