become a good storyteller Archives - Don Connelly & Associates

Explaining the Nature of the Relationship (Acapulco Cliff Divers Analogy)

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

“Mr. and Mrs. Client, I want to give you a word of caution in the event we experience volatility and turbulence. Investing money can and often does feel counterintuitive. There will be times when I urge you to add money to your account when the market is going down. That’s not going to feel right to you even though that’s exactly the time we should be adding to your account. It’s important that you understand why I would do that. May I tell you a story?

Watch this video or read the transcript below, adapted from the video, to learn a great story and analogy to help cement the relationship with a client.

Twelve Quick Suggestions for Building a Better Business

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Allow me to give you 12 suggestions – things I’ve learned over the years. Watch this video episode or read the transcript below to learn these 12 ways to build a better business.

How to Become Naturally Empathetic (and Build Deeper Connections with Clients)

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

At a time like we are now experiencing, when clients are feeling anxious and vulnerable about the future, financial advisors’ most potent tool is empathy. They need to know you understand how they’re feeling about their circumstances and their concerns about the world around them.

There may not even be a problem for you to solve other than to make your clients feel understood and validated for having those feelings. That’s where many financial advisors fall short because they view themselves strictly as problem solvers and not therapists. If your goal is to build enduring relationships with clients who have confidence in your advice, that needs to change.

How to Be a Financial Advisor

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Working as a financial advisor is one of the highest ranked business careers according to a recent U.S. News & World report, advisors rating it highly for job satisfaction and prospects. As a financial advisor you can make a real difference to your clients’ lives, making this a rewarding profession to aim for.But if you want to be a financial advisor, you need to have two quite distinct skill sets.

Firstly, you’ll need to pass the relevant industry exams. Financial acumen is a must.

Secondly, and indeed more importantly, you should have a real desire to help people and have an ability to understand their goals and concerns.

Good Stories Don’t Need to Be Long to Be Effective

/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

Let me tell you a couple of cool things about stories. For one thing they don’t need to be very long to be effective.

The shortest inaugural address ever was George Washington’s. It was just a hundred and thirty-five words. Now compare that to William Henry Harrison. In 1841, in his inaugural address, Harrison talked for two hours, he said 9000 words, and it was freezing. A month later, he died of a cold and pneumonia.

Watch this video or read the transcript below to learn more about short stories effectiveness and to hear a couple of stories from Don.

How to Develop Your ‘Who I am Story’

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

To succeed as a financial advisor you need to find a compelling method of differentiating yourself from the competition. To get to the top you need to stand out as being likeable and trustworthy so that clients will want to do business with you. A great way to build rapport with clients is to tell stories and in particular, you should spend some time developing a ‘who I am story’.

Looking Back on 2014

/ by Don Connelly / What's New / 0 comments

Thank you.

Your support means the world to everyone here at Don Connelly & Associates. Without you, there is no learning center. Your loyalty is not taken for granted.

2014 was a learning year for me, as I’m sure it was for you. I remember Bob Dunwoody once described himself as a student-teacher. He said he learns as much from Advisors as he teaches them. I know what he means.

It was also a year of observation.

Why Storytelling Should Be an Integral Part of Any Advisor’s Selling Strategy

/ by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

As a Financial Advisor, it’s your job to influence and persuade. In order to buy from you people must like you, trust you and understand what it is you’re offering them. When a hot prospect walks away it’s usually because they didn’t ‘get’ what it was you were selling them. And no one buys what they don’t understand.

Convincing Your Clients to Sacrifice for a Reward They Can’t Visualize

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Convincing Clients to Sacrifice for a Reward They Can’t Visualize

I am convinced the hardest thing in the world to sell is advice, especially when the reward for following said advice is so far down the road it can’t be visualized. “Trust me” is an understatement.

Convincing others to settle for delayed gratification is a challenge you face every day.

You must establish such a high level of trust with people that they allow themselves to be helped. You have to make them comfortable enough to tell you their goals and their dreams. You have to enable them to see themselves attaining those goals.

Why Storytelling Is Important for Financial Advisors

/ by Don Connelly / Don Guest Authoring at..., Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

Today we’ll share the latest post Don Connelly wrote for Financial Advisor Magazine – it’s about storytelling and more specifically, why storytelling is important for Financial Advisors.

You are not judged by what you say. You are judged by what the other person hears. That’s one reason of many why you should become a great storyteller. Stories help you get your point across better than any other form of communication. Stories stir emotions.

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