Don Connelly, Soft Skills Trainer for Financial Professionals

Don A. Connelly is a speaker, motivator and educator for financial advisors. During a career of more than 40 years on Wall Street, he worked for nearly 19 years as company spokesperson, senior vice president and senior marketing officer for Putnam Investments, in addition to holding positions as a stock broker, financial planner, branch manager, wholesaler and national sales manager. As founder and CEO of Don Connelly 24/7, he provides timely and provocative sales ideas to thousands of financial professionals, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Understanding The Sources of Financial Anxiety for Clients and Why It Matters for Advisors

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Most people suffer from financial stress at some point—whether it’s dealing with high inflation or a volatile stock market. That’s to be expected, and we’ve provided tips on how financial advisors can help “de-stress” their clients.

However, when clients suffer from financial anxiety, it creates a new set of challenges for financial advisors. While stress can make a person worry about their financial situation, financial anxiety can be paralyzing, making it virtually impossible to move your client in any direction.

It’s easy to understand why a client might be stressed about something. Stress is typically triggered by identifiable external factors, such as a plummeting market or job loss. Because it is often tied to a specific event or issue, it usually subsides when the problem is resolved.

However, anxiety triggers are hidden beneath the surface, often with deep emotional or psychological roots. It may not be tied to a specific financial situation. Instead, it’s an emotional state influenced by fears of what could go wrong financially, even when there’s no immediate threat. If you can’t get to the root of the anxiety, you will be powerless to help your client.

4 Scenarios Where Active Listening Transforms Financial Advisor-Client Relationships

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Some advisors are natural communicators with inherent skills for demonstrating empathy, telling relatable stories, displaying a natural curiosity by asking open-ended questions, and translating complex ideas into terms clients can understand. Many advisors are not and must prioritize skill development if they are to have a chance at success.

Active listening is the most critical soft skill that must be developed and exercised because it’s where highly effective communication starts. If you don’t master your active listening skills, your communication efforts will likely miss their target. Without them, you’ll have trouble fully engaging your clients, providing insights that resonate with them, and fostering trust.

This post explores four specific scenarios where active listening proves invaluable, highlighting its transformative potential for advisor-client relationships. These examples demonstrate how active listening leads to better client understanding, stronger trust, and actionable insights that benefit both parties.

Leveraging Behavioral Finance: Understanding Client Decision-Making Patterns

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Financial advisors looking for an edge in influencing their clients’ decision-making need look no further than behavioral finance. Behavioral finance is a game-changer for advisors seeking to deepen client relationships and drive better decision-making outcomes.

Understanding how psychological factors influence financial decisions can help you build trust and guide clients through the emotional and cognitive challenges of investing. When clients feel understood and supported, their confidence in their financial plan—and their advisor—grows exponentially.

Time Management Strategies for Financial Advisors: Balancing Client Acquisition and Retention

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Financial advisors must manage all aspects of their advisory business to ensure client satisfaction, business growth, and profitability. That includes compliance, marketing, business operations, financial management, and professional development. But by the time you’re done with all that, your time typically goes unmanaged.

The bottom line is that if you’re not in control of your time, you’re not in control of your business. That means your business controls you, making growing it nearly impossible.

With business demands pulling you in multiple directions, you have less time and focus for your top two priorities: client acquisition and retention. Anything less than an equal measure of highly concentrated effort in both will invariably lead to stagnation, client attrition, or both.

With time as one of your most valuable assets, it’s crucial to implement strategies tailored to help you prioritize your time and balance these competing priorities.

The High Cost of Ambiguity: What Financial Advisors Lose Without a Strong Value Proposition

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In today’s hyper-competitive financial advisory landscape, standing out is no longer optional—it’s imperative. Yet, many advisors unknowingly allow ambiguity to creep into their persona, eroding the trust they worked so hard to build. Without a clear and compelling value proposition, prospective clients struggle to understand what sets an advisor apart, while existing clients may begin to question their loyalty.

The result? Tangible business losses include missed opportunities, client attrition, and declining credibility. Financial advisors who neglect their value proposition risk falling behind in an industry where clarity and differentiation are key to survival and growth.

Embracing Adaptability: A Key to Staying Relevant in the Financial Advisory Industry

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“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse,” is a widely quoted saying in athletic and business circles. Translation: if you’re not proactively doing things to improve yourself, your competitors are, which means you’re getting worse. Paraphrased for this article, it says, “If you’re not adapting, you’re falling behind.”

The financial advisory industry is evolving at a blurring pace, with rapid technological advancements, changing regulatory frameworks, and rising client expectations. From the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) to the proliferation of digital tools, these changes are reshaping how financial advisors interact with clients and manage their businesses. Simultaneously, clients are demanding more personalized, efficient, and transparent services, leaving no room for complacency.

Financial advisors who resist adapting face significant consequences. Stagnation or losing relevance in an increasingly competitive market can spell doom for a once-thriving practice. In this environment, the ability to adapt is not just a competitive advantage but a necessity for survival and success.

The Power of Open-Ended Questions for Financial Advisors

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Effective communication is the cornerstone of enduring and trusting relationships. For financial advisors, it’s the key to meaningful client engagement that fosters deeper discussions and stronger connections. At the core of meaningful engagement is asking the right questions.

Open-ended questions, in particular, can transform a conversation, moving it beyond stunted yes or no answers to delve more deeply into what matters to a client—to understand the “why” behind their thinking. Unlike closed-ended questions, which tend to limit responses, open-ended questions encourage an open dialogue full of insights advisors can use to tailor their advice in a way that resonates with the client.

Mastering the art of crafting and asking open-ended questions is critical to pinpointing client needs, concerns, and priorities while building trust and driving more successful outcomes for your clients.

How Financial Advisors Can Create Engaging Financial Presentations

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A significant challenge for financial advisors is translating complex financial concepts into terms clients can easily digest. For many, presentations serve as an effective medium for closing the gap between what advisors know and what clients can understand. However, many advisors struggle with transforming intricate concepts into accessible content and maintaining their client’s interest throughout the presentation.

Advisors must elevate their presentation chops when presenting at client meetings, educational workshops, or public seminars. Here are some critical strategies advisors can use to prioritize clarity, engagement, and professionalism when delivering financial presentations.

Building Rapport with Clients: Unique Strategies for Financial Advisors

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Of all the truisms associated with our industry, none is more valid than, “People do business with people they like and trust.” That’s why we devote a lot of space here to the importance of building rapport with clients.

We often discuss the need to master communication and soft skills, such as active listening, asking open-ended questions, mirroring body language and tone, telling stories, and showcasing empathy. That will never change as it forms the critical foundation for building rapport and trust.

We also discuss best practices, such as regular check-ins or sending holiday greetings to build client relationships. While these strategies work, they can sometimes feel impersonal or predictable. To truly stand out, it’s crucial to employ creative, lesser-known methods that resonate with prospects and clients on a deeper level.

Here are five innovative approaches to help you build meaningful relationships, earn trust, and foster long-term engagement.

The Art of Active Listening in Financial Advising: Building Trust and Uncovering Client Goals Beyond the Numbers

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We’ve devoted a lot of space here to discussing the concept of “active listening.” Why? Because it’s essential for connecting with clients on a more meaningful level. Beyond merely listening, active listening is an immersive, empathetic approach that enables you to pick up unspoken cues, explore clients’ deeper motivation, and get to the crucial “why.” Active listening is critical to moving clients to take action.

Advisors who master active listening are able to transform the advisor-client relationship to understand and anticipate their client’s needs beyond the surface of financial data and gain insight into what truly matters to clients.

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Articles by: Don Connelly