Have you reflected on why you became a financial advisor? Have you created a story around the answer and repeated it to your clients and prospects? If you haven’t, I urge you to do so.

In 2009, Simon Sinek gave the fourth most watched ever TED talk. That talk has been viewed more than 50 million times.

Sinek expanded on a very simple thought. "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it." Why you solve financial problems is more important to people than how you solve financial problems. Your "why" is the reason people believe in you and open accounts with you.

People don’t share your vision if they merely know what you do or how you do it. They share your vision, and will follow you, if they know why you do what you do. "Why" is your belief. "How" is the action you undertake to realize your belief as you do your job. "What" is the result of your actions; the financial plans you create, the solutions you provide and the advice you dispense. There’s little or no differentiation in the what or the how among financial advisors. Differentiation is in the why. Don’t just be a financial advisor with good products and good solutions. Be a financial advisor with a cause. A well-stated why will decommoditize you.

So, if you haven’t already done so, build your "why I became a financial advisor" story today. You want to get your why across and a story is the greatest delivery system of all. Stories are memorable and easy to understand. Also, a well-told story will help you connect emotionally with your listener. Connecting emotionally is critical to your success. People need to know you are in business for the right reasons. Sinek is convinced that letting your passion show through while explaining your why triggers trust and loyalty in your listener’s brain.

People want to know what drew you to your profession. If you demonstrate an obvious passion for your work, this will influence their opinion of you and make all the difference when it comes to choosing among several advisors.  

I know an advisor who tells his clients and prospects that he was in medical school and couldn’t afford to finish. While in medical school, he noticed patients making medical decisions based on their finances. He didn’t think that was right. That observation led him to become a financial advisor.

I have a friend in St. Louis who became an advisor because of what his family went through. His father was a drycleaner. He never set up a retirement plan. He leased the space for his dry cleaning store. He rented the equipment he needed. There was no money, other than personal savings, at the end of his journey.

These are great reasons to become an advisor and those reasons make for great stories.

Loyalty cannot be established until people know your why. People will be ready to listen once they know you are there for the right reasons.

When people want to know how you feel about being an advisor, they are not being nosy. As you are talking, they are forming opinions. They come to conclusions as the narrative unfolds. They want to feel as if they know you. They are not going to entrust their money to a stranger. That’s why you cannot simply showcase your industry achievements and academic credentials. People want to know the personal you as much as they want to know the professional you.

Clients and prospects don’t want to see charts and graphs. They want a genuine experience that makes them feel you are on their side. They’d like to know that you get something out of your job besides money and prestige. Show them that you are passionate about your ideas. What gives you passion and fulfillment? What do you love about what you are doing?

When you open that new account, you get rewarded financially and you feel a sense of accomplishment. Why else do you want people to grow your business? How do you feel when you see your clients achieve their goals? Why do you feel that way? Did you ever do something special for a client in need? How did you feel about that? I’m guessing you really like helping people.

Maybe you’ve seen friends or family members struggle financially. Worse, maybe you’ve seen someone in trouble because of poor financial decision-making? Maybe you’ve seen people worry themselves sick over money problems. If so, it’s probably true that you want to make sure other folks don’t suffer the same fate.

These feelings are all part of your "why I am an advisor" story.

From now on, when you first meet with a potential client, ditch the technical terms and talk to them like a real person. Give them a memorable story about why you became a financial advisor. As people are beginning to form an opinion about you, they are not focused on your product knowledge. They are focused on your authenticity. Their one goal is to determine whether you’re trustworthy. You want them to leave your office thinking you are someone they want on their team. When people realize that you are there for their betterment and not your own, they will always opt to choose you over other advisors.  

Your story doesn’t have to be long and involved. A three-minute story is plenty long enough to get your point across. That’s 500 words. Simply explain what motivates you to do your job. Explain why you love being an advisor. That’s what gets you out of bed in the morning.

Don Connelly is a speaker, motivator and educator for financial advisors. To read more of his blog posts, visit https://donconnelly.com/bog. And if you want to ignite your performance, be sure to check https://www.donconnelly247.com—a learning center, dedicated to training and coaching elite financial advisors.