prospecting skills Archives - Don Connelly & Associates

Telltale Signs That a Prospect Is About to Waste Your Time

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Your time is precious so it’s essential that you spend it productively by prospecting to the right people. Some prospects are not worth spending time on – maybe expressing an interest when they’re not really committed to investing – and despite all your best efforts you won’t be able to do anything to change their minds. The problem is these prospects can be difficult to identify.

Here are a few telltale signs that someone is not about to do business with you.

Recognize When It’s Time to Move On

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Prospecting is the backbone of your business. It’s the one task you cannot delegate, since people need to like and trust you personally if they are to do business with you. So you should be constantly perfecting your soft skills in order to connect with and win new clients.

Inevitably however despite all your best efforts, you will fail to win influence with certain prospects. And it can be hard giving up on them – especially if you believe there’s even the tiniest chance of them converting.

There is a fine line between giving up too quickly and not knowing when to give up.

Is Cold Calling Still an Effective Prospecting Method for Financial Advisors?

/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 3 comments

Technology and the ‘no-call’ rules have changed habits when it comes to cold calling. It’s no longer seen as the ‘go-to’ method for prospecting, with social media, the internet and networking often seen as better ways to reach out to new clients. But there are good reasons why cold calling – when done correctly – is a quality tool and why it should be a necessary and permanent part of your business.

Why Focus on Bringing Your Prospecting Skills Up a Notch

/ by Diana Marinova / Connelly Corner, Prospecting / 0 comments

The raw truth about our business is that nothing happens without an appointment. You may be the greatest or the smartest advisor in the world, but if you don’t have enough appointments your business will suffer. If you don’t meet enough people, your business will suffer. If you are not a good prospector, your business will suffer.
Check out several posts that continuously received the most positive feedback from our readers this year – coincidentally, they are all about prospecting!

How to Get More Referrals

/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments

Referrals are integral to growing your business. They are one of the most profitable sources of new clients. So asking for referrals is a priority – even if the thought of doing so fills you with trepidation.

In order to get more referrals be selective where you focus your energy. Determine the right time to ask your clients and try these different approaches in order to make asking for referrals more natural – and more productive.

Five Steps to Help Make Prospecting a Habit

/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 2 comments

If your appointment book is full to overflowing then you won’t need to read on. If however like most advisors you don’t have a line of prospects queuing at the door, you need to develop better and more successful processes when it comes to prospecting.

You must begin to see prospecting as your only real priority. It’s the only way you will get more appointments and win more business. You may not like prospecting – many advisors see this as the least favorite part of the job – but don’t let fear of failure prevent you from undertaking this core task.

Here are five steps to help you make prospecting more of a habit and less of a dreaded chore.

5 Reasons to Develop Effective Listening Skills

/ 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.