vision story Archives - Don Connelly & Associates

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.

The Right Story at the Right Time Can and Will Tip the Decision in Your Direction

October 14, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

When you meet with prospective clients, they will very possibly have concerns. They may be worried about investing per se, undecided about whether now’s the right time to invest, or unsure if you are worth your fees.

Don’t see their concerns as obstacles but as an opportunity to build trust. If you suspect they feel anxious, step in tell them an “I know what you’re thinking” story to reassure them they’re doing the right thing. This is a story designed to take away some of your prospect’s concerns.

Here are some situations where a good story can help persuade prospects to hire you as their advisor.

Sacrificing Instant Gratification

February 25, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Don Connelly audio blog post - featured image

I was talking with an advisor in Beverly Hills and she asked me a question. She actually made an observation, but it was in the form of a question. She said to me that she finds it a bit odd that financial success is a function of delayed gratification in a world that insists on instant gratification. Do I have any thoughts about that? And the answer is ‘Yes, I do!”

Listen to this audio episode or read the transcript below to learn what Don Connelly thinks about sacrificing instant gratification.

Four Common Client Objections and How to Counter Them

September 11, 2017 / by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills / 0 comments

There’s so much uncertainty surrounding investing that people postpone the decision. Clients and prospects can think of a multitude of reasons not to invest: Whether it’s tax time, retirement looks too far away or they want to buy a new car or kitchen.

However, when clients say they’ll ‘think it over’ it doesn’t mean they’ve found a good reason to delay investing; perhaps it means they don’t trust you enough yet, perhaps they don’t understand what you said or perhaps you simply haven’t convinced them to act. So how do you get them to do the right thing and start securing their financial futures?

Here are some common objections you’ll face – and how to answer them.

Don’t Let Clients’ Concerns Escalate: Tackle Issues Head on

August 7, 2017 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

Meeting your clients’ expectations is the least you can do – it’s simply part of your job – so don’t expect to get a pat on the back for it. If you want to retain clients for the long term, you need to step up your level of service way beyond this and be more proactive than other advisors. Offer your clients a heroic standard of service by taking ownership of their problems before they become detrimental to your business.

Here are four ways to ensure you keep things on track.

Why Both You and Your Client Need the Skill of Visualization

January 19, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

Naturally your clients read the papers, watch the news, and use the internet to see what’s happening to their investments, they’re interested. And there will be bumps in the road. Keeping clients fully invested in the face of bad news is hard to do, so how do you get them to grin and bear it?

When someone sees their portfolio go down it’s your job to refocus them on the road ahead.

5 Ways Storytelling Helps Financial Advisors Succeed

August 14, 2014 / by Kirti Anand Sharma / Connelly Corner, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

Think about the last “Great Presentation” you attended, where you felt as if the speaker was speaking your mind. How did this experience make you feel about the presenter?

Did you think he or she was so smart? Were you moved to ask for their business card or connect over LinkedIn? Or maybe you just walked up to say how much you loved their presentation? When you went back home, did you share your experience with someone?

For a truly great presentation, I believe the answer to at least one of these questions would be a “Yes”.