create value Archives - Don Connelly & Associates

Tell Prospects What You Do instead of What You Are

July 1, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills / 0 comments

In social settings, people will often ask what you do for a living. If, like the majority of advisors, you reply ‘I’m a financial advisor’, you’re missing an opportunity to pique others’ interest and possibly win new business.

Instead of simply sharing your job title, use this opportunity to establish your value, and give people a reason as to why they should want to work with you.

How to Add Value to Clients’ Lives

September 3, 2018 / 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.

Every Financial Advisor Needs to Tell Great Stories

April 30, 2018 / by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

Human beings have an innate desire to tell and listen to stories. Good stories grab the attention and inspire people to act, which is why storytelling should be an essential tool in your armory. If you become a great storyteller, prospects and clients will leave your office remembering both you and your message.

Stories are also a great way to help make the unfamiliar familiar – they promote the understanding of complex issues. Plus, they’re effective at creating an emotional bond between storyteller and listener.

Believe in Your Value and Never Do These Three Things with Clients

July 31, 2017 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

When prospecting see yourself as the professional consultant you are. Your job is of the utmost importance – you’re there to safeguard your clients’ financial future. It doesn’t get much more important than that and you are due respect.

So, if you find you’re fighting to win new clients, rushing through a presentation or apologizing for asking for the order, take a step back. Understand that you add value to your clients’ lives. Because of you people will be able to retire comfortably or get their kids through college. Your clients should feel privileged to do business with you, not the other way around.

Here are three things to avoid doing with clients.

What Really Is The Job of a Financial Advisor?

March 27, 2017 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

To be an elite advisor you obviously need technical knowledge and expertise. But, just as importantly, you must possess superb soft skills. Your role is to change your clients’ lives for the better and you can only do this if you can effectively communicate with them. To do your job properly you need to get across to people the importance of investing, and why you are the perfect advisor to oversee their investment plan. Here are three aspects of your job as a Financial Advisor that should never be overlooked.

6 Tips on Online Reputation Management for Financial Advisors

February 29, 2016 / by Diana Marinova / Connelly Corner, Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

The key to building your reputation is to go to work every day and make the right choices, do the right things; to act like someone is watching you all the time. You already know that people you come in contact with will often build your online reputation for you. And yet, there are certain things you can do to manage your online reputation.

5 Financial Advisor Marketing Ideas You May Never Have Thought of

January 25, 2016 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

To stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace, advisors need to be creative in their approach to finding and retaining clients. Here are a few marketing tactics you may not have come across that could help to ignite your business.

Why Financial Advisors Get Fired

April 20, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Financial advisors get fired because they aren’t ‘the full package’. They may provide ‘good’ service, but is it exceptional? They may have a winning personality, but do they pay attention to their clients? They may return calls but never instigate them – and while they may understand their products, do they believe in them?

In order to make sure you don’t get fired you need to cover all these bases and more.

Why You Need a “Who I Am” Story to Succeed

March 26, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

When someone tells you they want to ‘think it over’ it’s a sign they haven’t invested in you. They are most likely not deciding about your recommendations. They are deciding about forming a relationship with you. Remember, the three most important things in this business are to be likeable, smart and trustworthy. A great way to be likeable and build trust is to tell a ‘who I am’ story to prospective clients. By telling them a story about yourself you can influence people and establish your credibility. A great story will resonate with clients, stir up their emotions and get them to act.

How to Tell Clients You Are Raising Your Fee

March 9, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices, Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

You can show a client how to save for a successful retirement, but you cannot make him act on your advice. You can do everything for a client but make the decisions. Nonetheless, if people take your advice, they will educate their children without borrowing money and eventually retire with no financial worries. It is egregious to think that setting up a successful plan for someone and then politely goading that person into action over the next several years until that person’s financial dreams come true is only worth one percent. But that’s the corner we’ve painted ourselves into.