presentation skills Archives - Don Connelly & Associates

Self-sabotage – 10 Behaviors to Avoid

December 3, 2018 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Self-sabotaging behaviors can create problems, interfere with goals and ultimately put your career at risk. Without even realizing it you could be a victim of self-sabotage. Be honest and identify the traits that are holding you back so you can make the positive changes required to move forward.

Here are ten ways you could be self-sabotaging – along with some recommendations on how to do things better.

Four Common Client Objections and How to Counter Them

September 11, 2017 / by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills / 0 comments

There’s so much uncertainty surrounding investing that people postpone the decision. Clients and prospects can think of a multitude of reasons not to invest: Whether it’s tax time, retirement looks too far away or they want to buy a new car or kitchen.

However, when clients say they’ll ‘think it over’ it doesn’t mean they’ve found a good reason to delay investing; perhaps it means they don’t trust you enough yet, perhaps they don’t understand what you said or perhaps you simply haven’t convinced them to act. So how do you get them to do the right thing and start securing their financial futures?

Here are some common objections you’ll face – and how to answer them.

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.

Why Financial Advisors Should Do Seminars

September 21, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments

One of my Don Connelly 24/7 subscribers asked me how I liked seminars for a prospecting idea. The answer is ‘I love seminars’. Here are a couple of reasons why.

Listen to this audio episode to hear Don’s full answer, or read the transcript below.

5 Reasons to Develop Effective Listening Skills

April 16, 2015 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship, Prospecting / 0 comments

The fact is, most of us simply don’t listen enough. That could be because of the increasing number of distractions going on around us, or because we often find it easier to focus on non-verbal clues – such as body language – rather than on what people are actually saying. But if you want to get ahead as a financial advisor you need to develop effective listening skills.

Communicating as Intended Is Vital to Your Success

July 14, 2014 / by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills / 0 comments

Financial Advisors Success - Communicate as Intended

Since it is your job to influence and persuade, what you say is not nearly as important as what the other person hears. To be successful, you’ve got to communicate as intended.

When folks say to you that they want to go home and think about what you proposed, they are most likely telling you that they haven’t fully understood what you said. They aren’t rethinking their decision to retire comfortably. They simply don’t want to buy into what they don’t understand.

Why are we misunderstood and what can we do about it?

Overcome The Curse of Knowledge

December 19, 2013 / by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills / 0 comments

Financial Advisors know a lot about finance, economics, interest rates, taxes, estate planning, investing, the stock market and many other things. A whole lot. That knowledge comes with a price. When an Advisor knows his stuff, it’s hard to imagine not knowing it. So when an Advisor speaks to a client, the Advisor often forgets that he or she is drawing from an enormous reservoir of knowledge and speaking to someone of lesser knowledge.

See Your Presentation Through

September 30, 2013 / by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills / 0 comments

You’ve worked hard to develop and tweak your presentation. You’ve given it and heard it countless times. But your prospective client hasn’t. It’s his or her first time through. Don’t get bored with your good stories and don’t get lazy.