story Archives - Don Connelly & Associates

The Elevator Repair Story

/ by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship, Prospecting / 0 comments

I met an Advisor at Merrill Lynch in Detroit who told me a very interesting story.

Listen to the audio episode or read the transcript below, adapted from the video, to learn an important lesson about client service.

Put Risk in Perspective: What Do Going to The Dentist and Investing Have in Common?

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

Put Risk in Perspective - What Going to The Dentist and Investing Have in Common

I’ve got a good story about how two Advisor friends of mine, Eric and Lisa, deal with their clients when the markets become unsettled. They help their clients put risk in perspective. When times get tough, keep this story in mind.

Death of Common Sense

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

I want to pass on to you an obituary, no pun intended, called ‘The Death of Common Sense’. You may have seen this. If you haven’t, it’s just extraordinary, and basically it said, “We’re mourning the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for so many years. No one knew for sure how old he was. His birth records were lost long ago on bureaucratic red tape. He’ll be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as, ‘knowing when to come in out of the rain’, ‘why the early bird gets the worm’, ‘life isn’t always fair’, and, of course, ‘maybe it was my fault’, that’s a great lesson.”

Watch the video or read the transcript below to hear the entire obituary of Common Sense and hopefully help you put things in perspective and think about the world we live in today.

Put Success in Perspective, Be Humble and Believe in Yourself

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices, Connelly Corner / 0 comments

One of the challenges we all face is staying humble in the face of success. We work very hard to attain success. Stay humble when you do, and you’re going to be successful. I have a story I love about being humble, about putting success into perspective. It’s a story about the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Watch this video or read the transcript below to learn the story about two Alpine skiers who achieved their two, very different goals at the Olympics.

Don’t Sell Investments – Focus on The Relationship

/ by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills / 0 comments

I believe in my heart someone should transfer their entire account to you without any investment recommendations. We’re not in the investment business, investments are our products. We’re in the business of getting kids through school, minimizing taxes, and getting people retired. We have to focus on the relationship, not the money. If you sell investments, sooner or later your clients will be angry. All investments have their bad days as well as their good days. So don’t discuss investments, it’s not necessary.

Listen to this audio episode or read the transcript below to learn a story that illustrates how focusing on the relationship without discussing investments will help you open the account.

When You Find Yourself Discouraged, Revisit Why You Got in This Business

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

I know there are times that you want to quit, you just want to throw in the towel. Clients get in your face, the market is working against you, things are bad, and you’re in a slump. Next time that happens, here’s a suggestion. Ask yourself why you got in the business and answer that question.

Listen to a story that illustrates how asking yourself this question will help you find courage to keep on doing what you’re doing.