hone your soft skills Archives - Page 2 of 3

You Don’t Need to Be Better – You Need to Be Different

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

As Steve Jobs said, ‘Don’t do something better, do it different’. Facebook wasn’t necessarily ‘better’ than Myspace, it was different. Netflix wasn’t ‘better’ than any other movie-rental system – it was different. Make yourself authentic and you will succeed. Find out what it is that differentiates you from the competition and communicate it to prospects and clients.

Concentrate on developing superb soft skills and you will stand out in a crowded marketplace without trying to be ‘better’ than anyone else.

How Do Clients Choose a Financial Advisor?

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

If you don’t know what’s going on in a client’s mind when they’re choosing a financial advisor, you won’t be able to present yourself in a way that meets their needs. And you won’t get selected.

So let’s take a look at some of the things likely to be on a client’s mind when they’re looking for an advisor…

5 Reasons to Always Strive for Excellence

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

If you want to become an elite advisor, you need to strive for excellence in everything you do. And this requires an outstanding work ethic. Great advisors ply their trade until they become proficient. They understand that striving for excellence is an ongoing process; that there’s always room for self-improvement and it is excellence that will separate you from non-achievers. Here are some reasons to develop the habit of excellence.

Lead by Example – Prepare Yourself so Your Clients Are Ready Too

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

As an advisor, you need to prepare your clients for events that have not yet happened. You need to know in advance how you are going to manage your relationship with them when the markets take a downturn.

To step up to this challenge you need to practice your soft skills so that you inspire your clients with confidence in what you say. If they believe in you and think you are the ‘real deal’ they will go where you lead them.

Take Back Control of Your Financial Advisor Career

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

If you feel your career is at a crossroads, or that things are not going your way you need to adapt your attitude and learn to make better decisions. In the words of the late Earl Shoaff ‘Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills”.

The only thing holding you back in life is you. You alone determine your future, not the outside world. So, if you don’t like where you are – get in the driver’s seat and take control.

Put in The Effort if You Want to Become The Most Sought-after Financial Advisor in Town

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

To become a truly elite financial advisor you need to have an incredible work ethic. If you’re new to the business, you will need to spend most of your time actively prospecting and looking for clients. It could take years to build a solid client base – but when you have built up the right clientele, you will be rewarded with a pool of people who are happy and willing to provide you with referrals.

To achieve this enviable position, continually visualize yourself as a first-class advisor. Program that picture into your subconscious mind. Then work harder than any other advisor, perfect your soft skills, earn referrals and make this dream a reality.

What Not to Do in The First Client Meeting

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

It takes hard work and perseverance to set up a first appointment with a potential client. Don’t waste this precious opportunity by approaching the meeting in the wrong way – because it’s unlikely you’ll get a second chance.

There’s no ‘first meeting rule book’, however there are some things to avoid if you want to move things forward. Here are a few.

How to Make Sure Your Message Sticks

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

We tend to forget most of what we’ve been told within a week, unless that message has been repeatedly reinforced. So, unless you reinforce your messages and deliver them in an interesting way, there’s little chance clients and prospects will digest your information and act on it. There are however some key ways to make sure your messages are understood and remembered.

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.

Procrastination Will Ruin Your Chances of Success

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Procrastination can take different forms. You may consciously procrastinate and avoid what you know you should be doing, or you may unconsciously put off your top priority tasks by attending to a series of ‘never ending fires’. Whatever type of procrastination you suffer from it can be ruinous to your business. Here’s what to do instead.

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