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.

How to Become a Successful Financial Advisor

How to Become a Successful Financial Advisor

There are lots of average financial advisors out there, but very few great ones. And it may surprise you to learn that those that do get to the top rarely get there on talent alone. Successful advisors do however share certain attributes and have a work ethic that marks them out. They have a clear vision, work hard and never stop developing their skills.

Here are five things you must do if you want to be a successful financial advisor.

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When Starting as a Financial Advisor …

When Starting as a Financial Advisor

The financial services industry is incredibly competitive and the first few years can be especially gruelling for new advisors. When you first start out you won’t have many clients or a network to get you referrals but so long as you have a plan and stick with it, you will soon make an impact. You are not going to become successful by accident.

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How to Find What Makes You Different from Other Advisors

How to Find What Makes You Different from Other Advisors

The financial services marketplace is heavily commoditized. There are lots of firms offering basically the same products to the same people, so being the same as everyone else in this industry will not cut it. In order to succeed you need to quickly identify what makes you stand apart from the crowd. Ask yourself these questions in order to find out if you have the unique attributes you need to succeed.

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Investing in a Bull Market

Am I oversimplifying things? - AskDON episode

This is an AskDON audio episode where Don Connelly answers Larry’s question about investing. Larry is from Texas, he’s been in the business eleven years and he is managing just a shade under $100 million.

Larry’s question was:

“The market’s been up four years, without a correction. What do you say when people comment that maybe the market’s too high?”

Click the play button to listen to Don’s answer or read the transcript below.

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How to Become a Better Listener

How to Become a Better Listener

As Calvin Coolidge once said “No one ever listened themselves out of a job” so why do so many advisors find it difficult to stop talking and listen to their clients?

In order to become a great advisor, you need to be a good listener. It’s the only way you’ll get to understand your clients’ and prospects‘ goals. It’s the only way you’ll be able to overcome their objections. Plus, the more people are given the opportunity to talk the more they will feel that you’re interested in them. And they will like you for it. Listening will help you start a client relationship and keep your existing relationships on a firm footing.

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Not Following Up Is the Second Most Common Reason Advisors Get Fired

Not Following Up Is the Second Most Common Reason Advisors Get Fired

If you tell a client you will do something and then you don’t do it, you will sooner or later lose that client. Your dependability will be questioned.

Think how many times over the last six months people have told you they would do something and then failed to do it. If you do that same thing twice, even over a year or two, you will be deemed at first blush to be undependable.

That is a giant step toward being viewed as not trustworthy.

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How to Win Over Clients by Becoming More Likeable

Become Likeable - Win Over Clients

People will only do business with you if they like you and trust you. Human decisions are generally subjective. Even if you are the most professional financial advisor out there, if people don’t warm to you they won’t commit to you. Prospects will not choose you simply because you are competent; they will choose to do business with you because you are competent and likeable.

By becoming likeable you will stand head and shoulders above other advisors. And you don’t need innate talent to become more likeable. You can learn how to radiate confidence and charisma.

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How a Marketing Resume Can Help You Get Out of a Rut

How a Marketing Resume Can Help You Get Out of a Rut

If you feel that you’re stuck in rut, and can’t see how to get your business back on track then it’s time for a change. The worst thing you can do is just sit there and hope things pick up. Overcome your inertia and develop a clear marketing and client acquisition strategy. Decide what your unique value proposition is and create a marketing resume.

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Don’t Sell Me Things

Don't Sell me Things - Don Connelly's blog

Ever since you got in this business you’ve been told about features and benefits, you’ve been told to market yourself, you’ve been told that people want to know what we can do for them. Let me read you something written in the 1940s that sums up exact- this whole issue perfectly. It was part of a thing called Sears and Roebuck Adventures in Salesmanship. It was entitled “Don’t sell me things”. And it’s as poignant today as it was in the 1940’s.

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How to Get Your Point Across in Fewer Words

How to Get Your Point Across in Fewer Words

When you address clients and prospects, you are a techie talking to non-techies. There is always the threat that you will confuse your listener and we all know by now that people don’t buy what they don’t understand. Many are the Advisors who have talked themselves out of commitments.

One way to mitigate this danger is to get our message across in as few words as possible. Advisors who can do that gather a lot of assets.

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