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.

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Financial Advisor?

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Top financial advisors almost always possess the same traits and skills. Not only do they have a great work ethic and a determination to succeed, but their interpersonal skills are second to none. In particular, elite advisors ooze charisma – a charisma which they use to influence people.

In this post we’ll look at what it takes to be a Financial Advisor and some skills successful advisors share.

You Need both Hard and Soft Skills to Succeed as a Financial Advisor

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You can’t offer financial advice until you have the necessary training and education under your belt. Learning the technical side is fundamental to your career, so that you can recommend appropriate products as well as adhere to the increasingly strict industry regulations.

But hard skills alone won’t secure you success. Even if you’re highly competent with technical information and product knowledge, unless you also possess the right soft skills, you won’t get your message across. Without excellent communication and interpersonal skills, you won’t get past the first post. That’s because prospects won’t understand what you’re saying or see why they should do business with you.

5 Reasons Why Prospects Will Hire You Over The Competition

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People won’t decide to do business with you because of your products, expertise, experience or reputation. These attributes (whilst important) will not ultimately convert prospects into loyal clients. Your hard skills won’t provide them with a compelling enough reason to hire you over the competition. If you want to impress prospects, you need to demonstrate that you are not only smart, but that you are likeable and trustworthy.

Here are five reasons why a prospect will hire you over the competition.

4 Behaviors to Avoid if You Want to Allay Client Concerns

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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.

5 Ways to Improve Your Time Management – Starting Today

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Becoming an elite advisor has everything to do with making a commitment to doing the right activities. The difference between success and failure is down to what you do with your time.

As both a financial advisor and a business owner you need to focus on profit-generating activities. And you are not generating income unless you are sitting in front of clients, or talking with them on the phone. Refuse to let any other activities take precedence over appointments and prospecting.

Here are 5 ways to help you improve your time management skills.

Five Rules to Follow to Build a Healthy Business

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To get to the top of your profession you need to ensure you only work with the right clients – then retain them for the long term. Here are five steps that will help you achieve this.

5 Stories to Develop Strong Relationships with Clients Based on Trust and Likeability

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The best way to initiate a strong relationship with clients is to tell them stories. People don’t need to have a ton of data thrown at them in the first meeting. They will be more interested in whether they like and trust you. Forget the numbers and pie charts, and use your personal stories and experiences to help you establish trust and likeability in the minds of your prospects. Here are five such stories to get you started.

4 Fears Prospecting Can Eliminate for You

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Prospecting is the backbone of your business. Nothing happens until you get yourself in front of potential clients – which is why the most successful advisors are generally those who regularly prospect right through their careers.

The more you prospect, the more proficient you will become and the more business you will secure. The act of prospecting also empowers you and helps you to overcome your fears.

Here are four such fears that prospecting can eliminate for you.

5 Things Financial Advisors Should Do to Make the Most of This Holiday Season

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As the year draws to a close it’s the ideal time to reflect, regroup and make plans for the New Year. What went right and what went wrong? What things can you do to make sure your career is in great shape going into the next year?

Here are five ways to help you hit the ground running next year.

Getting Clients to Talk about Money

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As financial advisors we’re comfortable talking about money, it’s what we’re trained to do. But for everyone else it’s a different story. Most people feel uncomfortable talking about money, so you need to consider how to introduce the topic in a relaxed way.

Don’t dive into the numbers at the initial meeting. Instead focus on building rapport with clients; then ask them what it is they want money for. The goals must come first – then the money. Once you understand your client’s vision of the future you can start doing the math on how to get there.

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Articles by: Don Connelly