who i am story Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Don Connelly & Associates

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Good “Who I Am” Story

March 2, 2020 / by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

Human beings are storytellers. We tell stories because we respond to stories. It’s been so since the dawn of history.

In western civilization, we have received many of our great stories, myths, legends and cultural archetypes from stories memorized and passed down from generation to generation around campfires, dating back to pre-literate times.

How to Make The Most of Your Value Proposition

October 7, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

Too few advisors know what a value proposition is or why they need one. Others understand the importance of identifying their unique value, but don’t know how to articulate it.

This is a serious mistake, because unless a prospect understands what you do and why you do it, they’ll remain unconvinced about your worth. In fact, without a strong value proposition your business won’t even get off the ground – it’s the first step in building your financial advisory practice.

Here are some tips on creating and expressing your value proposition.

Why You Need a ‘Why I Am Here’ Story

July 15, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Storytelling, analogies and power phrases / 0 comments

We all know that everyone likes a good story, a fact that’s backed up by science. When we hear a story that resonates with us, our levels of the ‘feel good’ hormone oxytocin rises. This motivates us to work with others and has a positive impact on our social behavior.

Stories can also help to build connections and create empathy with prospects and clients.

So, it’s no surprise that story form is great for illustrating to prospects that you are there for the right reasons – that you’re not in this business simply to make money but to add value to people’s lives.

Here are a few ways developing a ‘Why I Am Here’ story will help you grow your business.

Tell Prospects What You Do instead of What You Are

July 1, 2019 / 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.

4 Things You Can Only Achieve with Effective Communication Skills

June 3, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

Effective communication skills are essential if you are to achieve successful outcomes for your business. Here are 4 relationship goals you should be striving for, along with the requisite soft skills you must possess if you are to realize them.

The First Client Meeting: Are You Making Any of These 10 Common Mistakes?

March 11, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship, Prospecting / 0 comments

The First Client Meeting - 10 Common Mistakes

It’s all too easy to slip up in the first meeting and lose any opportunity to open the account – and this is especially true for new advisors.

In this post we’ll help you identify mistakes you could, without realizing it, be making. Take an honest appraisal – do you recognize yourself doing any of the following? If so, take action to fix these mistakes.

7 Things You Can Do for Clients to Show That You Care

March 4, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Managing the Relationship / 0 comments

If you are to be a successful financial advisor, you need to do more than simply manage money. You need to be great at managing relationships – in particular, you need to show your clients that you truly care about them.

If you care more than people expect you to care not only will clients remain loyal to you, but they’ll feel comfortable about referring you to friends, family and colleagues.

Here are 7 ways to show you care.

5 Questions Prospects May Ask You before Deciding to Hire You as Their Financial Advisor

February 11, 2019 / by Don Connelly / Prospecting / 0 comments

Just as there are many questions you need to ask a potential client, prospects will have plenty of things they’ll want to know before they consider doing business with you too. Here are five questions you’re likely to receive.

How to Articulate Your Value to Prospects and Clients

October 22, 2018 / by Don Connelly / Marketing Yourself / 0 comments

Ours is a highly commoditized industry. Financial advisors all tend to look the same, sell the same products and talk the same language. To get noticed you need to differentiate yourself from the competition by establishing your value to prospects and clients.

First, work out what you can bring to the table that others can’t. The next step is to verbalize your unique value proposition to clients and prospects.

If you do, prospects and clients will realize why it makes perfect sense to work with you.

5 Top Priorities for Advisors Who Want to Build a Healthy Practice

September 17, 2018 / by Don Connelly / Best Practices / 0 comments

If you want to build a healthy practice, there are several things you must prioritize, including the following.

#1. Prospecting
To run a healthy business, you need a pipeline full of good leads. Referrals will probably not be enough to grow your business – and networking, whilst productive, won’t guarantee that you’ll meet the right people. So, prospecting (i.e. actively recruiting or seeking out new clients) must become your priority.

Prospecting may be the least favorite part of your job. If this is the case, work on developing your soft skills so you become more comfortable with this task.

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