December 4, 2023 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship, Prospecting / 0 comments
Almost every financial advisor starts in the same place—with a lot of time on their hands and not many clients. That’s when the criteria for selecting which prospects to work with is at its broadest—essentially, anyone willing to pay me anything.
It’s not until your business expands, reaching the point when you’re servicing 50 or more randomly chosen clients, that your time starts to become much more valuable. Eventually, you reach your capacity for new clients, and your revenue stops growing. Worse, you’re not enjoying your work as much as you hoped.
That’s when you realize it shouldn’t be about the number of new clients you take on; it should be about the quality. It’s about saying ‘no’ to prospects who don’t meet your criteria for the type of client you want to work with, which isn’t easy if you’re still chasing growth. But ultimately, saying no to prospects who are not a solid fit is good for you and them.
Here are some major prospect red flags warning you to move on.
Read more
Prospect Red Flags Financial Advisors Shouldn’t Ignore
December 4, 2023 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship, Prospecting / 0 comments
Almost every financial advisor starts in the same place—with a lot of time on their hands and not many clients. That’s when the criteria for selecting which prospects to work with is at its broadest—essentially, anyone willing to pay me anything.
It’s not until your business expands, reaching the point when you’re servicing 50 or more randomly chosen clients, that your time starts to become much more valuable. Eventually, you reach your capacity for new clients, and your revenue stops growing. Worse, you’re not enjoying your work as much as you hoped.
That’s when you realize it shouldn’t be about the number of new clients you take on; it should be about the quality. It’s about saying ‘no’ to prospects who don’t meet your criteria for the type of client you want to work with, which isn’t easy if you’re still chasing growth. But ultimately, saying no to prospects who are not a solid fit is good for you and them.
Here are some major prospect red flags warning you to move on.
Read more
Nothing Happens without an Appointment
January 3, 2022 / by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments
Would you like to have $50,000,000 in assets under management? How about a $100,000,000? How about $500,000,000? It’s simple. It’s not easy, but it is simple. Go get an appointment. It all starts with getting an appointment. Nothing happens without an appointment in this business. Go on the appointment, get your nose bloody, come back and get another appointment. Then get another one. Then get another one. Building a career is a series of many steps. Success is not part time. Get in the habit of getting appointments.
Watch this video or read the transcript to learn how to get in the habit of getting appointments.
Read more
What Are The Most Important Networking Skills for Financial Advisors?
September 11, 2014 / by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments
Networking is an important prospecting tool, especially for newer Advisors who have a paucity of clients. Probably the two most common ways to network are via social media or face-to-face. Both methods are effective if done correctly.
The concept of networking is not new. In fact, it is two thousand years old. It would not have survived if it didn’t work. Getting ahead in the business world has a lot more to do with who you know than what you know.
While networking is pretty straight forward, there are specific skills involved. It involves a lot more than simply handing out business cards. Like other prospecting methods, networking entails being brilliant at the basics.
Read more
There Are Only Three Objections You Will Ever Get
November 21, 2013 / by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments
Generally speaking, there are only three objections you will ever hear: I don’t have any money, I already have an Advisor and a third catch-all category we’ll call “I’m not interested.” Obviously, there are many more objections, such as “I can get it cheaper elsewhere.” But those specific objections fall into the catch-all category. Telling you that a discount house is cheaper than you is a way of someone saying he or she is not interested.
Read more