Don Connelly, Author at Don Connelly & Associates

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.

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.

How to Make The Most of Your Value Proposition

October 7, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

Too few advisors know what a value proposition is or why they need one. Others understand the importance of identifying their unique value, but don’t know how to articulate it.

This is a serious mistake, because unless a prospect understands what you do and why you do it, they’ll remain unconvinced about your worth. In fact, without a strong value proposition your business won’t even get off the ground – it’s the first step in building your financial advisory practice.

Here are some tips on creating and expressing your value proposition.

Using Analogies in These 3 Situations Can Help Turn Prospects into Clients

September 30, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

It’s your job to get prospects off the fence. You need to persuade them that hiring you to manage their investments is the right thing to do. Before they make that decision, however, they need to understand what it is they are buying, and why they need to buy it. Because “people don’t buy what they don’t understand.”

This is where analogies can help push the balance in your favor. They make the unfamiliar familiar.

An analogy is “a comparison between one thing and another, typically for the purposes of explanation or clarification”.

Analogies can help you put forward an argument so that prospects see things in a new light – and conclude, of their own accord – that it makes sense to do business with you.

Here are three situations that warrant the use of analogies.

5 Reasons Why You Should Take The Time to Educate Your Clients

September 23, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Don’t shy away from being a coach and educator to your clients. Adding in this extra element can help set you apart from the competition and deepen your relationship with them.

If you aren’t already educating your clients, here are five reasons why you should start doing it right away.

Make Yourself Irreplaceable by Making Yourself Different

September 16, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

If you do what every other advisor is doing, you’ll be just like all other advisors. To become successful, you need to offer something different – something that makes you worthy of being talked about.

Don’t be intimidated by self-perceived ‘smarter’, ‘more experienced’ or ‘more confident’ advisors. Don’t try to ‘better’ them. Think instead about what you can do differently.

Make it your aim to do what other advisors don’t do, and you’ll attract and retain clients for the long term. Here are a few things you can do to make yourself different.

4 Key Strategies to Kick-start Your Financial Advisory Practice

September 9, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Establishing yourself as an advisor will take dedication, time and sound strategic thinking. Here are some key strategies that will help you kick-start your financial advisory practice.

#1. Develop a business plan

No one succeeds without a plan. It’s the first step in building a credible business. No matter how good you are at your job, if you don’t know where you want to go, you won’t grow a healthy business.

6 Reasons Why You Should Specialize in The Kind of Financial Advice You Give

September 2, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

In previous posts we’ve discussed the importance of identifying your ideal client in terms of their attributes – be it occupation, geographical location, etc. But if you are to stand out in a crowded market you also need to pinpoint exactly what you can offer your clients in terms of services.

As part of your marketing strategy aim to narrow down to the field or specialty you’re best suited to offer. Don’t try to be ‘jack of all trades’ by offering to provide advice on estate planning and taxation, and everything in-between. If you do, you’ll end up ‘master of none’.

People need to know you are the expert in your field, otherwise you won’t become highly referable. Here’s why you should specialize in the kind of financial advice you give.

A Reminder: The Trend Is Your Friend

August 26, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Investing Wisdom / 0 comments

I get asked a lot if I coach Advisors and the answer is “No, I don’t coach. I remind.” Literally. I think teaching is showing someone how to do a job. Coaching them is showing them how to get better. I think you get better by going backwards, by going back to the basics, so let me give you the most basic investing thought I can give you.

Watch the video or read the transcript below to learn the most basic investing thought and why the trend is your friend.

Why People Postpone Investing and How to Convince Them to Act

August 19, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Investing Wisdom / 0 comments

People postpone investing for a variety of reasons. It’s your job to identify the source of their inaction. Then you can present them with a strong case as to why they need to start an investment plan.

Here are some reasons why people may be reluctant to invest, and how to change their mind and influence them into action.

How to Elevate Your Brand and Justify Your Fees

August 12, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

If you provide above average service, you deserve to charge above average fees. Don’t underestimate yourself. Make sure you get paid your worth by focusing on creating a business brand and style that clearly communicates your value.

Price is never the only consideration.

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Articles by: Don Connelly