what you do Archives - Don Connelly & Associates

How to Clearly Demonstrate Value so Your Clients Don’t Question Your Fees

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

As a financial advisor, you know you bring value to your advisory relationships, which, in your mind, justifies the fees you charge. Your challenge is that, from your clients’ perspective, value is difficult to define. It doesn’t make it any easier when you consider that a client’s assessment of value is subjective, which can vary from client to client. A study by Vanguard attempted to quantify an advisor’s value in terms of how the right advice—primarily keeping clients from abandoning their strategy—can potentially increase a client’s returns by as much as 3% annually. The problem is that difference in performance isn’t apparent in your clients’ statements.

So, how do you demonstrate value in a way that makes your clients not feel the need to question why they’re paying the fees you charge—that they are getting their money’s worth? It may be as easy as simply giving your clients what they want.

The Importance of Why when Soliciting Referrals

/ by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments

When you ask clients for referrals, and hopefully clients are going to solicit referrals for you, you really have to get them to focus on why they do business with you. I think it’s important to tell people what you do and how you do it, but why they’re doing business with you is the most important part of any referral.

Listen to this audio episode or read the transcript to learn the importance of why when it comes to growing your business as a Financial Advisor.

How to Elevate Your Brand and Justify Your Fees

/ by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

If you provide above average service, you deserve to charge above average fees. Don’t underestimate yourself. Make sure you get paid your worth by focusing on creating a business brand and style that clearly communicates your value.

Price is never the only consideration.

Tell Prospects What You Do instead of What You Are

/ by Don Connelly / Presentation Skills / 0 comments

In social settings, people will often ask what you do for a living. If, like the majority of advisors, you reply ‘I’m a financial advisor’, you’re missing an opportunity to pique others’ interest and possibly win new business.

Instead of simply sharing your job title, use this opportunity to establish your value, and give people a reason as to why they should want to work with you.

Building Your Business with These 12 Tips for Financial Advisors

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices, Don Guest Authoring at... / 0 comments

This is one of Don Connelly’s guest posts over at FA Magazine, giving you 12 tips how to build a better and more enjoyable business.

1) Get really good at what you do. Do the ordinary things extraordinarily well.

It Takes Extraordinary Patience to Build a Successful Business

/ by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 2 comments

Building a Successful Business Takes Extraordinary Patience

There is a great chance that you have a can of WD-40 under the sink or in the garage. Most people do. In fact, you can find it in the garages of homes in 160 countries. Everybody knows WD-40. What most people don’t know is the origin of the name.

The Rocket Chemical Company was founded in San Diego, California in 1953. It created a product to displace the standing water that caused corrosion in nuclear missiles. The first thirty-nine attempts to perfect the formula failed. Success was achieved on the 40th attempt. WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. In 1969, the company name was changed to simply WD-40.

We have all heard of similar struggles by Walt Disney, Theodore Seuss Geisel and the Coca-Cola Company. If we’ve learned one lesson from these stories, the lesson is, don’t be in a hurry to become a success.