/ by Don Connelly / Connelly Corner, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
I want to pass on to you an obituary, no pun intended, called ‘The Death of Common Sense’. You may have seen this. If you haven’t, it’s just extraordinary, and basically it said, “We’re mourning the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for so many years. No one knew for sure how old he was. His birth records were lost long ago on bureaucratic red tape. He’ll be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as, ‘knowing when to come in out of the rain’, ‘why the early bird gets the worm’, ‘life isn’t always fair’, and, of course, ‘maybe it was my fault’, that’s a great lesson.”
Watch the video or read the transcript below to hear the entire obituary of Common Sense and hopefully help you put things in perspective and think about the world we live in today.
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In this blog category you will find blog posts packed with stories, analogies, power phrases and how to use them to better your practice and to become a successful financial advisor.
Three Analogies to Use in Volatile Markets
/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
Obviously, the stock market’s volatile and you’re going to encounter volatility your entire career. It’s the normal part of the market. Even though volatility is normal, it makes clients very nervous. Fear is a bigger emotion than greed.
One of the challenges for you in volatile markets is that clients can slip into a behavior called anchoring. When clients give you a specific amount of money, that becomes the anchor amount of their portfolio. They refer back to that initial amount when evaluating any ups and down in value. Let’s say hypothetically that a $100,000 portfolio falls in value to $90.000. Right away, they think to themselves, “Oh, it’s broken.” Something’s wrong.”
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5 Relatable Analogies to Explain the Perils of Market Timing to Clients
/ by Don Connelly / Investing Wisdom, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
Let’s face it: Most people are lousy timers. Think about the last time you switched to the shortest line at the grocery checkout. That feeling of smugness turns to scorn when the line crawls to a halt while the longer lines churn through.
Or, when you constantly switch to the fast-moving lane on the freeway only to watch a long river of red brake lights stretch out in front of you. The actual cost, in terms of time, frustration, and dignity, almost invariably exceeds any possible gain you might have achieved by making the switch.
The stakes for investors seeking bigger gains or cutting losses by timing the market are much higher.
Financial advisors know that few people, if any, are adept at picking winners or predicting the market’s direction. Yet many still try, often driven by the powerful emotions of fear and greed.
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The Halo of Ringlets
/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
I hope by now you’ve done a business plan. A business plan is how you’re going to hit your goals. You’re driving from Bangor, Maine to San Diego, you’re going to pass mile markers along the way. Those are your goals.
Inside your business plan has to be your marketing plan. It’s not enough to go in the morning and hunt, kill and eat.
Listen to this audio podcast or read the transcript below to hear the ‘halo of ringlets’ analogy and an idea on narrowing down and attracting your target market or markets.
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Put Risk in Perspective: What Do Going to The Dentist and Investing Have in Common?
/ by Don Connelly / Investing Wisdom, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
I’ve got a good story about how two Advisor friends of mine, Eric and Lisa, deal with their clients when the markets become unsettled. They help their clients put risk in perspective. When times get tough, keep this story in mind.
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Death of Common Sense
/ by Don Connelly / Connelly Corner, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
I want to pass on to you an obituary, no pun intended, called ‘The Death of Common Sense’. You may have seen this. If you haven’t, it’s just extraordinary, and basically it said, “We’re mourning the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for so many years. No one knew for sure how old he was. His birth records were lost long ago on bureaucratic red tape. He’ll be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as, ‘knowing when to come in out of the rain’, ‘why the early bird gets the worm’, ‘life isn’t always fair’, and, of course, ‘maybe it was my fault’, that’s a great lesson.”
Watch the video or read the transcript below to hear the entire obituary of Common Sense and hopefully help you put things in perspective and think about the world we live in today.
Read more
The Shoplifting Story
/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
You’ve probably heard me in the past talk about a book called ‘Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins’ by Annette Simmons. It was really designed for bosses to sell themselves to employees but anyone who is selling themselves should read this book. The author makes the point that we really need six stories. The most important one being the ‘Who I am’ story. because people don’t care what we know, they care about who we are. Can they trust us? The second most important story she mentions is the ‘Why am I here’ story. Why am I doing this?
Listen to this audio post or read the transcript below to learn why the ‘Why I am here’ story is so important when communicating with clients and to hear a very emotional story that an Advisor from Texas tells his prospective clients.
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Two Stories to Help You Explain What You Do
/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
I have a thought I want you to pass on to your clients. Tell them this from me. The only people who lose weight are the people who hire trainers. People that buy equipment and put it in a house don’t use the equipment. How many times have you seen a treadmill with a neck tie or a blouse hanging on it? You’re the trainer. You make them do sit ups and you get them on the treadmill. It’s a great analogy.
Listen to this audio episode or read the transcript below to learn two more quick simple stories about advisors who were great at getting people on the treadmill.
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The Importance of Your Storytelling Skills in Building Trust
/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
Now and then, financial advisors must be reminded that they are in a relationship business and that what they have as a clientele is a direct by-product of trust.
The cold hard reality is that people need to trust you before they will engage with you. Especially these days, people are almost instinctively cynical, overly careful to approach others they don’t know with a heavy dose of skepticism. So, when we want to connect with any group of people, our first task must be to break through their defensive shells so we can build trust. Without trust, there can be no connection, no relationship, and no channel through which vision and ideas can flow.
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Three Stories about Trust to Use with Prospects and Clients
/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments
The most fundamental principle of building a clientele is understanding that people do business with people they like and trust. While it’s easy for many advisors to be likable, trust has to be earned—quickly and often. As an advisor, you can never lose sight of that because trust not only binds a client to you but it also enables them to follow your guidance with confidence and conviction, which is critical to their long-term success.
If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know I believe in the power of storytelling to drive home concepts and change a client’s perspective. I offer these three stories about trust to you as an advisor to drive home the crucial role trust plays in your client relationships.
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