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 Five Soft Skills Financial Advisors Must Have to Succeed

The Five Soft Skills Financial Advisors Must Have to Succeed

The development of an excellent soft skillset is crucial to your success as a financial advisor. You can find technical knowledge in any book, but practical knowledge involves ‘being’ rather than ‘knowing’, ‘practicing’ rather than ‘being taught’. Soft skills are absorbed through years of experience.

To develop great soft skills, practice them every day, hone them and never give up the quest for perfection.

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What If Clients’ Sentimental Equity Holding Doesn’t Match Their Risk Tolerance?

Don Connelly audio blog post

Today I’d like to share with you an email I received a while ago from Mike at Edward Jones. ¨What is the best way for an FA to approach a client about an equity holding that has sentimental value to the client but does not fit their risk tolerance? I have a 75-year old widow with over 50% of her net worth in Disney stock. I also have a widow who inherited her husband’s IRA at another firm. She had no idea what was in it, it was with an advisor she doesn’t know. Turns out it is 60% in aggressive investments, but she still wants to keep it there. Help.¨Listen to Don’s answer or read the transcript.

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What’s Most Important for Client Retention?

What's Most Important for Customer Retention

Client loyalty is getting harder than ever to achieve. Clients are bombarded with options when it comes to financial advice and they know they can switch to another advisor in the blink of an eye if they are dissatisfied. So it’s essential to understand how to ensure your clients remain loyal and stick with you for the long term.

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Don’t Compare Yourself to Others – Focus on Your Own Success

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others – Focus on Your Own Success

Comparing yourself to other advisors and idealizing their qualities while underestimating your own abilities is a self-defeating habit, yet many advisors constantly do this. Believing that there are other advisors out there who are “better”, “more accomplished” or “more successful” than you can set you on a downward spiral because you feel you can’t measure up.

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Three Must-read Success Stories for Financial Advisors

Three Must-read Success Stories for Financial Advisors

As a financial advisor you need to work flat out on building your business. But it also pays to take the time to stand back and find inspiration from the best in the business. By understanding what helped some top pros rise to the top of their profession you can gain valuable pointers to motivate you both personally and professionally. Here’s a brief introduction to three professionals you should have on your radar.

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What Happens If You’re Not Brilliant at The Basics?

What Happens If You’re Not Brilliant at The Basics

Only a tiny percentage of financial advisors get to the top and there’s no mystery about how they got there. It’s because they did what unsuccessful advisors didn’t: they became brilliant at the basics.

Unless you nail the basics there’s no way you can become an elite advisor. If you don’t set goals, work hard, organize your time efficiently and practice your soft skills to perfection you won’t have the underlying tools to take your business to the next level.

There are no shortcuts to getting the basics right. It will take time, years in fact. But if you don’t put in the effort, you won’t reap the rewards. If you don’t get brilliant at the basics your career will fizzle out long before you achieve success. Here’s a look at some of the basics and what happens when you don’t get them right.

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What to Look for in an Accountability Partner

What to Look for in an Accountability Partner

Unsuccessful advisors may dream of success but they can’t seem to commit to or stick with their ideas. They tend to procrastinate or spend their time struggling to discern between high and low priority tasks. Successful advisors on the other hand have a clear roadmap incorporating concrete goals and they consistently hit their targets. They have discovered the art of “accountability”.

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