say it so it makes a difference Archives - Page 8 of 8

Don’t Feel Guilty About Not Being Perfect

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

There will be times when you get it wrong. Car mechanics and even doctors don’t get it right all the time and neither will you. Mistakes are easy to make and inevitable. As markets get more and more complex the chances of getting things wrong increase even more, and the longer you’re in business the more times you will be wrong.

But never see this as failure. Accept mistakes as part of life and keep on track by not feeling guilty. If you are doing everything you can with everything you’ve got you are a winner so you have nothing to feel guilty about.

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.

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

/ 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.

Why Storytelling Should Be an Integral Part of Any Advisor’s Selling Strategy

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

As a Financial Advisor, it’s your job to influence and persuade. In order to buy from you people must like you, trust you and understand what it is you’re offering them. When a hot prospect walks away it’s usually because they didn’t ‘get’ what it was you were selling them. And no one buys what they don’t understand.

Tell Simple Stories

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

Clients, as we’ve discussed in the past, love word pictures. What we find very, very simple, people find very, very difficult to comprehend. This is much the same as you and I having difficult time understanding two lawyers when they talk. It’s because of lingo.

Because our lingo in the financial services industry is just as confusing to people you need to use stories when communicating to current and prospective clients. So tell them stories.

Every Advisor Needs to Bring Back the Story

/ by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills, Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 3 comments

The ability to tell good stories is vital if you want people to like and trust you. Your clients like you and trust you. They didn’t buy a financial plan or a managed account. They bought you.

People can’t ‘buy’ you until they know you and the best way to get to know you is to hear your story. And they can’t hear your story until you tell it to them. The better you do that, the sooner you open the account. As Peter Guber says, you tell to win.

Can You Tell Me in Eight Seconds What You Do for a Living?

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 2 comments

When someone asks you what you do for a living or asks you exactly what it is you do as a Financial Advisor, how simple do you think your answer should be? Bingo. Very simple.

According to the NationalCenter for Biotechnology Information, the attention span of a human being is eight seconds. To put that in perspective, the attention span of a goldfish is nine seconds. If you like that statistic and want to learn others, check out www.statisticbrain.com.

Overcome The Curse of Knowledge

/ 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.

Tell a Story – Crafting a Great Story

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

Geoffrey James writes a wonderful column for Inc.com. Recently he reviewed a book about business storytelling. In his article, James recapped the seven ingredients that make a story great. Just as one size does not fit all, the same story does not appeal to everyone. Therefore, you need to craft at least three stories and be proficient at telling them. Here’s how you do just that.

Learn to Be a Great Storyteller

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

Say It So It Makes a Difference - Don Connelly CD

Weaving a spellbinding story is an acquired skill. You can do it. Like everything you’ve ever achieved in life, your proficiency will depend upon how badly you want to succeed.

Effective storytelling will set you apart from 99% of all Financial Advisors.

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