July 11, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Brad from Southern California is a Merrill Lynch advisor. He sent me an email, which is in a way, funny, but poses a very serious question nonetheless.
“Don, I have a strange concern. I’m concerned that in my attempt to make things simple I go too far. There are times when I feel I’m patronizing people by talking what I call ‘baby talk’. I literally get embarrassed sometimes. I know what you’re going to say, keep it simple. But when’s enough enough?”
Listen to Don’s answer or read the transcript below.
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In this category you will find blog posts about clients relationship management – including but not limited to establishing trust, building a relationship, ending an advisor-client relationship, and more.
Understanding Your Clients’ Behavior Is Key to Your Success as a Financial Advisor
September 26, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
The more you understand what motivates your prospects and clients, the better your chances of success when it comes to attracting and retaining them. When you begin to see things from your clients’ and prospects’ point of view you can start to influence their decisions and help them make good financial decisions.
So break out of your own mindset. Step into their shoes: Then you will be able to build strong client relationships, anticipate your client needs and manage their expectations.
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Three Challenges Financial Advisors Face in Their Daily Work
September 12, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
A recent post on this blog outlined three challenges Advisors face when acquiring clients. This week I’ll outline three more chief challenges you are probably facing in your daily work, along with some tips on how to overcome them.
#1. Providing clients with reassurance when the markets take a downturn
Keeping clients on track when markets take a dive is a situation many advisors find tricky. But It’s essential to know how to keep clients invested for the long term.
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Never Forget that Clients and Prospects Are Real People with Real Concerns
September 5, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Clients and prospects are real people so the best way to reach out to them and win them over is to appeal to their humanity – not wow them with financial jargon.
People won’t warm to you simply because you know your way around the stock market. Your prospects and clients make their decisions based on whether they like you and trust you – not on your ability to make the numbers add up. People overwhelmingly tend to make decisions based on emotions rather than on hard rational thinking. So put away your graphs, numbers, pie charts and statistics and convince people to trust you rather than the numbers.
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Am I Oversimplifying Things?
July 11, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
Brad from Southern California is a Merrill Lynch advisor. He sent me an email, which is in a way, funny, but poses a very serious question nonetheless.
“Don, I have a strange concern. I’m concerned that in my attempt to make things simple I go too far. There are times when I feel I’m patronizing people by talking what I call ‘baby talk’. I literally get embarrassed sometimes. I know what you’re going to say, keep it simple. But when’s enough enough?”
Listen to Don’s answer or read the transcript below.
Read more
How Do I Get People to Call Me Back?
June 13, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
I heard this great question from Jesse in Grand Rapids. Jesse said he was having difficulty getting people to return his calls, after supposedly thinking about his proposal. He meets with prospects and makes his presentation. They say “Let me think it over, I’ll give you a call” and they never do. After some time has passed, he calls them and leaves messages but they never return his calls. Why is that?
Listen to Don’s answer to this question or read the transcript.
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What If Clients’ Sentimental Equity Holding Doesn’t Match Their Risk Tolerance?
April 18, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Investing Wisdom, Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
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 Happens When You Lack Accountability?
October 26, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
It’s essential to acknowledge that you alone are responsible for your success as a financial advisor and this means you must be accountable. If you’re not accountable you will never feel in control of your destiny or understand how to turn things around if they take a downturn. No matter how smart or talented you are, if you lack accountability you will not develop the self-discipline you need to change your outcomes for the better.
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Why It’s Important You Have All of Your Client’s Assets
October 19, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 1 comment
I received an email from Harry in Chicago. He manages a few million dollars for a particular client. That client has an equal amount of money invested with another Advisor and firm across the street, and he won’t combine the two. The client uses the account across the street to pay taxes and expenses. When asked why he does this, the client has a traditional comment – ‘I don’t want all my eggs in one basket’. Harry’s question to me is “Should I leave well enough alone?”
Listen to Don’s answer or read the transcript below.
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Personalizing Your Services Will Help You Succeed as a Financial Advisor
October 5, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments
All financial advisors generate income in the same way, by offering similar platforms at essentially the same price. The job description: to help people simplify their finances and get peace of mind that they can reach their goals. Naturally achieving this task is of the utmost importance but if you want to stand apart from the crowd and win more businesses you need to do more; you need to personalize your services.
By treating each client personally and making them feel important you will not just meet their expectations but exceed them. If your clients feel they’re just a number to you they won’t rate your services and they will be unlikely to refer you to others.
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