Top 10 Most Popular Posts on Don Connelly’s Blog in 2014
We at Don Connelly & Associates had a great year in helping Financial Advisors and Sales Professionals deliver great performance day in and day out. We’d like to thank you for being loyal readers of Don’s blog and letting him help you grow your businesses. As we are constantly trying to come up with interesting pieces of advice on soft skills and hard skills to help Financial Advisors ignite their business, here’s a quick roundup of the 10 most popular posts in the year 2014:
#1 – 35 Quotes for Financial Advisors on a Tough Day
#2 – 9 Things Successful Financial Advisors Do Differently
#3 – 4 Things Elite Advisors Do that Average Advisors Don’t Do
#4 – What Is #1 Reason Advisors and Wholesalers Fail
#5 – 12 Practice Building Tips for Financial Advisors
#6 – 5 Simple Stories Any Financial Professional Can Use
#7 – 5 Ways Storytelling Helps Financial Advisors Succeed
#8 – 12 Questions Great Financial Advisors Ask
#9 – The More Words You Use to Get Your Point Across, the Less People Listen
#10 – Are You a Professional Listener?
If you missed any of these due to your hectic business schedule, do check them out!
Don Connelly’s blog on social media
While all of the above posts explore different aspects of the securities and advisory business, the top 3 were also the most widely shared on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn throughout the year.
What’s common in them is that they empower Financial Advisors with practical ideas that would instantly improve their day-to-day work behavior and performance.
They present a 360 degree look at the professional lives of Financial Advisors, their everyday struggles, and suggest simple ways to overcome the roadblocks. This truly resonated with our readers.
Giving Much More than Generic and Clichéd Advice
Motivational and inspiration quotes collections turned out to be a hit among our readers.
We captured years of experience and insight in quotes from notable men like Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, and let’s not forget Don Connelly himself. We were told that the few motivational quotes from people like Rumi, Confucius, and Eckhart Tolle were a refreshing change from the generic and bland advice that readers had seen on other websites.
Topics in Demand when Looking Back at the Year Gone By
Based on social media engagement and readership data, here are the three topics that were most widely read and followed on Don Connelly’s blog:
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What does it take to become an Elite Advisor?
This was the hottest topic among our readers. Here are some of the key takeaways about it from the blog:
- No one is born an Elite Advisor. One has to perfect their work through the years and learn from their mistakes in the process.
- Elite Advisors do not talk about numbers because technical jargon and complicated information isn’t of much substance to an average client.
- Top performing Advisors in the world of financial consulting are proactive in prospecting. They make appointments every day in order to continue to grow.
- Not just this, Elite Advisors are consistent in following their repeatable processes. They are always willing to go that extra mile to help clients manage their finances in a streamlined manner.
To learn what Elite Advisors do that average Advisors don’t do:
- Watch Don Connelly and Richard Capalbo’s webinar replay on the topic
- Buy this 4-CD set “How to Excel in the Securities Industry”
- Recommend to your Branch Manager or Home Office Event Planning Department to secure a date for Don & Richard to present at your company’s next Advisor event – visit AdvisorsExcelling.com for keynote details.
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How to improve your storytelling skills?
This was the second hottest topic on Don Connelly’s blog in 2014. Stories are one of the most powerful ways to establish trust and build strong interpersonal relationships. Here’s a snapshot from Don’s blog of what Advisors need to know about honing this soft skill:
- Storytelling can be employed efficiently to make the unfamiliar familiar.
- Simple stories go a long way in developing strong relationships, making your ideas shareable and helping others understand your mission and vision.
- Stories can be used for persuading, something which cannot be done through numbers. “Decisions are emotional and numbers don’t drive emotions,” says Don Connelly.
- Additionally, there were lots of ready to use stories and analogies for Financial Advisors to try on their own.
To hone your storytelling skills:
- Purchase Don Connelly’s storytelling mp3 recording, Say It So It Makes a Difference
- Watch at least one of the following storytelling webinar replays:
How to Use Stories an Analogies to Influence and Persuade
How to Create and Tell Great Stories (Part I)
The Six Essential Stories Advisors Need to Turn Prospects into Clients (Part II) - Join Don Connelly 24/7 learning center – PLATINUM members have free access to all of the above webinar replays and there is a section of Tools of the Trade podcasts library, dedicated to storytelling!
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How to build and manage your relationships with clients
No surprise that this was one of the most popular topics, as we all know the foundation of a successful advisory business is long-term Advisor-Client relationships. Here are some of the key tips Don shared on his blog in 2014:
- By asking the right questions, Advisors can encourage a client to talk and reveal their financial and personal aspirations and concerns. This helps the Advisor find a well-rounded financial solution as well as please clients who love personalized solutions through effective communication.
- Lending clients and prospects a patient ear is quite important. People like to do business with people they like. If someone gets it in his or her head that you are not paying attention, they will dislike you immediately.
- Just as important it is to listen properly, Don also stressed the importance of speaking clearly and concisely. He made his point by quoting Thomas Jefferson words of wisdom: “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”
To hone your soft skills to build and manage your relationships with clients:
- Get your copy of Don Connelly and Brian Church joint webinar replay, Relationship Momentum for Advisors
- Get your copy of Don’s most popular webinar replay, How to Anticipate, Overcome and Avoid getting objections
- Join Don Connelly 24/7 learning center – PLATINUM members have free access to both of the above webinar replays and there is a section of Tools of the Trade podcasts library, dedicated to managing your relationship with clients!
- Try the AskDON Coaching Program – see a sample AskDON episode here.
What’s coming on Don Connelly’s blog in 2015
As always, Don Connelly’s Blog would be all about new content aimed at helping Financial Professionals be better organized and more efficient in building and growing their businesses. So stay tuned for more updates!
