May 4, 2020 / by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
As you might know already, I’m a big believer in telling a story.
As I write this, it’s presidential campaign season. The candidates are all about telling their stories. They want to get their preferred narratives out there, in front of voters. Successful candidates are very well rehearsed on these stories. They constantly make references to these stories, in the effort to brand themselves, differentiate themselves from other candidates, and inoculate themselves against attacks from competing candidates and their staffs.
Why?
Because it works!
It works in financial services, too.
In fact, it works so well that I don’t want you to have a single story defining you. I want you to have at least eight! And I want you to know them cold.
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5 Soft Skills You’d Need to Work Entirely Online as a Financial Advisor
July 27, 2020 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
Times are changing, and suddenly we have all been thrust onto the online space, whether we were prepared or not. While the country is slowly opening back up despite the increasing number of covid19 cases, many businesses are choosing to stay remote, and people are still wary about office meetings. Financial Advisors are in a fortunate position to potentially increase their client base, as now you are not limited to the geographic area that you are physically located in.
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8 Stories to Help You Build Trust and Open Accounts
May 4, 2020 / by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
As you might know already, I’m a big believer in telling a story.
As I write this, it’s presidential campaign season. The candidates are all about telling their stories. They want to get their preferred narratives out there, in front of voters. Successful candidates are very well rehearsed on these stories. They constantly make references to these stories, in the effort to brand themselves, differentiate themselves from other candidates, and inoculate themselves against attacks from competing candidates and their staffs.
Why?
Because it works!
It works in financial services, too.
In fact, it works so well that I don’t want you to have a single story defining you. I want you to have at least eight! And I want you to know them cold.
Read more
Becoming a Financial Advisor Is Not All About Getting Licensed
May 20, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments
Naturally, you need to be sufficiently educated and qualified if you are to do the job of a financial advisor. But that’s not nearly enough. Financial advisors require a unique skill set that consists of not only technical knowledge and business skills but also excellent interpersonal ‘soft’ skills.
Many advisors enter the industry mistakenly believing the former skills are more important than the latter. That’s why so many advisors leave the trade in their first year – because they weren’t able to cut through the noise and attract enough clients.
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4 Behaviors to Avoid if You Want to Allay Client Concerns
January 29, 2018 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
In the first meeting with you, prospective clients may be unsure if investing is the right thing to do. They may also have concerns about whether you are the right person to advise them. How you behave in your first meeting will dictate what happens next. You need to act to allay not only their objections around the investment process itself, but to eliminate any concerns they may have about working with you personally.
To make sure you leave them in no doubt about your ability, never do the following four things.
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Understanding Your Clients’ Behavior Is Key to Your Success as a Financial Advisor
September 26, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
The more you understand what motivates your prospects and clients, the better your chances of success when it comes to attracting and retaining them. When you begin to see things from your clients’ and prospects’ point of view you can start to influence their decisions and help them make good financial decisions.
So break out of your own mindset. Step into their shoes: Then you will be able to build strong client relationships, anticipate your client needs and manage their expectations.
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Storytelling for Financial Advisors – Acquiring High Net Worth Clients through “Storyselling”
April 25, 2016 / by Diana Marinova / Connelly Corner, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
Nowadays “storyselling for financial advisors” is a big search trend. I found a book with that title but I doubt that’s what people in the industry are looking for. My guess would be that they are after high net worth clients with yet another “modern technique”. Truth be told, storyselling is just a catchy name for good old storytelling that Financial Advisors so rarely master completely.
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Five Analogies Financial Advisors Can and Should Use with Clients
January 18, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
What we find very easy clients often find difficult to digest. Even when you think you’re getting across your points well clients can be baffled by your financial knowledge. To get across your ideas so that clients will understand, use analogies.
Advisors who use storytelling and analogies to convey strategies and concepts have a competitive advantage over those that don’t. Analogies help to paint a powerful mental picture that connects to a client’s emotions. Using vivid analogies also helps to leave a powerful impression once clients have left the office – both of you and of the message or takeaway.
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How to Win Over Clients by Becoming More Likeable
June 22, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 3 comments
People will only do business with you if they like you and trust you. Human decisions are generally subjective. Even if you are the most professional financial advisor out there, if people don’t warm to you they won’t commit to you. Prospects will not choose you simply because you are competent; they will choose to do business with you because you are competent and likeable.
By becoming likeable you will stand head and shoulders above other advisors. And you don’t need innate talent to become more likeable. You can learn how to radiate confidence and charisma.
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How to Develop Your ‘Who I am Story’
March 30, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
To succeed as a financial advisor you need to find a compelling method of differentiating yourself from the competition. To get to the top you need to stand out as being likeable and trustworthy so that clients will want to do business with you. A great way to build rapport with clients is to tell stories and in particular, you should spend some time developing a ‘who I am story’.
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