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Best Target Markets for Financial Advisors: How to Choose The Best One for You

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ target market for advisors. A market that may be perfect for one advisor may be a poor fit for another. You need to narrow down to the best target market for you, based on your personal background, specialty, knowledge, interests, social networks and so on.

By identifying your perfect niche you’ll find it far easier to differentiate your practice and set yourself up as the ‘go-to’ expert.

If you’re struggling to identify the ‘right niche’ here are a few ways to get started.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Connect with Clients on an Emotional Level

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

As an advisor you’re no doubt good with numbers; you’re an objective thinker. But to succeed in this business you also need to be able to create meaningful relationships with your clients. You need to have not only a high IQ but a high level of EQ (Emotional Intelligence).

According to a study by Harvard Business Review emotionally connected clients are more than twice as valuable to your business as ‘highly satisfied clients’.

Here are 5 reasons why rather than focusing on their financial plans you should get to know your clients on a personal level.

6 Reasons Why You Should Specialize in The Kind of Financial Advice You Give

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

In previous posts we’ve discussed the importance of identifying your ideal client in terms of their attributes – be it occupation, geographical location, etc. But if you are to stand out in a crowded market you also need to pinpoint exactly what you can offer your clients in terms of services.

As part of your marketing strategy aim to narrow down to the field or specialty you’re best suited to offer. Don’t try to be ‘jack of all trades’ by offering to provide advice on estate planning and taxation, and everything in-between. If you do, you’ll end up ‘master of none’.

People need to know you are the expert in your field, otherwise you won’t become highly referable. Here’s why you should specialize in the kind of financial advice you give.

11 Best Practices for Gathering Referrals

/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments

People trust recommendations from people they know, and the lifetime value of a new referral customer is higher than of a client acquired in another way. Despite this, advisors shy away from asking for referrals – citing that to be one of their most awkward tasks.

The good news is that, if asked at the right time, most clients would be happy to advocate on your behalf. Less than a third of advisors ever ask though. Don’t act like the majority – because referrals are at the core of growing your business.

In this post we’ll look at some best practices for gathering referrals.

How to Add Value to Clients’ Lives

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

Prospects often struggle to find the right financial advisor – in their eyes all advisors tend to look the same, sound the same and sell the same products.

Make it easy for prospects to choose you by communicating your value to them in your first meeting. And if they decide to work with you, make sure you continue to communicate your value to them as clients. If you bring the value you promised, there’s a high chance they’ll remain loyal and refer you to others.

Here are some ways to bring value to prospects and clients.

How to Make The Most of Cold Calling

/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments

Cold calling is often discounted by advisors because they are wary of the compliance rules, and because it tends to have a low success ratio. The ‘Do Not Call’ list makes it difficult as does an inherent skepticism that permeates our society. However, cold calling can be a valid prospecting tool, especially for those new to the business.

Why is it still worth the effort? Because lots of people are unhappy with their current advisors but don’t want to rock the boat. A phone call out of the blue from a professional, likeable advisor could be just the thing to get them to take action.

There are people out there who want to talk to you: You just have to find them.

How Asking Yourself WHY Would Help You Be a Better Advisor

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Asking ‘why ‘can greatly increase your understanding of yourself and of those around you, both of which will make you a better advisor. Asking ‘why’ your clients do business with you can make the referral process easier. Asking ‘why’ can help motivate your clients into investing for their future. Asking ‘why’ you became a financial advisor can help you re-energize your career.

When Financial Advisors’ Self-Promotion Is Not Shameless

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

Is self-promotion a shameless thing for Financial Advisors? If we should be self-promoting, what exactly should we be self-promoting? Do I know wealthy people well enough to know what they consider unattractive? Where is the line I probably shouldn’t cross?

I think it’s a bad thing to promote yourself. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to promote the value you can and do add to peoples’ lives. I think it’s a bad thing to inflate your ego. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to explain that you are helping families succeed financially.

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