Elite advisors are not born elite. They ply their craft for years, making mistakes and learning from them.
Once such mistake is to assume that numbers matter. Newer advisors talk about the numbers because that’s the focus of our training. We have to learn our products and processes and we have to pass the tests. When we get in the field, we naturally lead with what we know.
Talking about the numbers carries two distinct disadvantages. One is that clients focus where advisors have them focus. To place importance on the numbers is to say “Trust the numbers. There is no need to trust me.” Another disadvantage is that clients, for the most part, don’t want to know the numbers. They are not looking for information. They are looking for someone they can trust. Someone should be able to transfer his or her entire account to you without hearing a single investments recommendation.
Elite advisors don’t talk about the numbers.
What else do elite advisors do that average advisors don’t do? They do a lot of things that average advisors don’t do. Let’s focus on three of those things.
For one thing, elite advisors spend their time doing the things that make them successful. They understand that deciding what to do is just as important as the quality of work you decide to do. Doing things right is critical. So is doing the right things.
One such right thing is having appointments every day. We are like doctors. We need to see people in order to continue to grow. I heard the top advisor in the largest firm in the world say that the difference between him and other advisors is that other advisors work one hour a day and he works four hours a day. By working, he meant being in front of clients and prospects. Nothing happens without an appointment. Elite advisors stick to the basics and nothing is more basic that being in front of people.
Another thing that elite advisors do that most advisors don’t do is have a repeatable process. There is a certain rhythm to what they do. They refine the process until they rarely get things wrong. When you’re in front of a client, there is no Mulligan. Thankfully, every skill involved in opening accounts and gathering assets can be improved with repetition. And repetition is key.
In an October 12, 2012, Wall Street Journal article entitled "Practice Makes Perfect—And Not Just for Jocks and Musicians," Doug Lemov recounted a story told by neuroscientist David Eagleman that demonstrated practice can teach skills that coaches oftentimes cannot:
“During World War II, certain spotters among the British defense forces could distinguish the sound of German planes from British ones long before they were in sight, but they couldn't explain the sonic difference. So a reliable spotter would stand next to a trainee while he guessed the nationality of an incoming plane. The spotter simply answered 'right' or 'wrong,' and soon enough the trainees had learned to 'spot'—even if no one could describe what it was they had learned."
Elite advisors respect routine and repetition.
Third, elite advisors never stop trying to simplify the message. They don’t make clients run for the dictionary. Do you remember George Clooney’s empty backpack theory in the movie Up in the Air? Every time you sit with a client or prospect, imagine an empty backpack in front of you. Every word you say goes into that backpack. Your client or prospect has to leave your office carrying that backpack. How heavy do you want that backpack to be?
Elite advisors do not have mystical powers. They just focus on those things which have the greatest impact on their success. They do the right things. They find a way that works and then stick with it. And they keep it simple.
Don Connelly is a speaker, motivator and educator for financial advisors, co-founder of Don Connelly & Associates, and Don Connelly 24/7 learning center. If you want to learn more about what Elite Advisors do that average Advisors don’t do, visit the website of Don Connelly & Richard Capalbo Legacy Tour 2015 at http://www.AdvisorsExcelling.com