Storyselling for Financial Advisors : How Top Producers Sell

This is an excellent book. Numbers and statistics put clients to sleep. But describing a financial concept by telling a story engages the client(s). I am a Financial Advisor, and when people ask me what I do as a Financial Advisor, I tell them a story. Sometimes I go with this (this is not in the book): "The average American spends a dollar the following way: They spend $0.62 on standard of living, $0.25 on taxes, $0.10 on insurance, and $0.03 or less on savings. I find ways to reduce your tax liability, try to reduce your insurance while maintaining proper and adequate coverage, and see if we can cut some spending on standard of living." You would be surprised to see how clients listen to that versus a complex explanation of what a Financial Advisor does - because they can relate to a dollar and how it is spent. If you want to keep trying to imprees clients with how smart you are by using industry jargon, statistics, and other numbers - keep doing it; it may be one more client for me to hook. Buy this book.

I've been in the Financial Services business for over 20 years, and since day one, I've been told to present charts, stats, figures, etc. to clients. This type of process is shoved down our throats in this industry. Fortunately, I "got it" long ago and began including right-brain thinking into my presentations. This book, however, has crystallized those beliefs and taken me to the next level. West and Anthony have hit upon a concept that is not necessarily new; however, they have done an excellent job of bringing storyselling to a conscious level for the niche that includes Financial Advisors. I make decisions for myself and my family via careful analysis of facts (or so I think); however, after much thought (pun not intended), I now realize that my emotions play a larger part of that decision-making process. If I "feel" right about something, it's a done deal. Having stated that fact, I wonder: why should my clients be any different? We all think in pictures. Contemplate this: when someone tells you something (or you read something), does your mind see the words they say or that you read? No! You see pictures, photos, etc. This is the way we think, and this is the way sales and communication must be approached. Create pictures that depict what people want to achieve (with honesty and with their best interests at heart, of course; this goes without saying), and success is ensured. This is where storyselling comes in, and this is why this book is so important to those in the Financial Services industry. It cuts to the core of proper communication techniques. This is NOT about manipulation; that would simply be unethical, at the very least. This is purely about finding a better way to communicate your message in a way that will allow others to understand and benefit. A fantastic volume; I highly recommend it!

All jokes aside this book changed my life and I thank whoever wrote it from the bottom of my heart! Here’s to being rich!

Storyselling or indirect, interesting conversations, often uncover valuable information that direct conversations wouldn't get to. For example, I was making no headway with a friend on the topic of CO2 from fossil fuels supposedly causing global warming. She was adamant that CO2 from fossil fuels was causing the End of The World Climate Change. Then we switched topics to watering her daffodil bulbs sitting in a vase of water. She said, "Keeping the bulbs covered with water constantly was important, because it is the only food they get." I asked her what other food were these daffodils getting. She had no idea. The answer was CO2 from the air. See: [...] People who only want to listen to one side of a topic and advocate questionable programs that support only that side, like "Carbon Cap and Trade" and "Carbon Capture and Sequestration" obviously need to understand the whole picture. Storyselling can help reach the goal of understanding both sides of a situation, whereas direct statements sometimes never get through.

This is an excellent book that goes to the heart of interpersonal communication in regards to the marketing of financial services but the principals laid out really do apply to any walk of life. Of course, the art of persuasion can be either for good or for greed in this case. I would hope that whoever sits down with individuals and families has it within them to do the right thing and provide financial services for their customer's needs and not just to create personal revenue from a transaction. I was part of a financial seminar given for financial advisers in which Mr. West was a speaker. He indeed embodies the content of this book and I'm sure would have been wildly successful in any avenue of sales or whatever he pursued.

Fundraisers: Don't judge this book by its title. I'm a big fan of reading outside the bubble of the fundraising industry. Every so often your reward is you run across a shockingly helpful business book that seems at first glance to have nothing to do with fundraising -- and yet is profoundly helpful with that difficult enterprise. This is one of those titles: Storyselling for Financial Advisors. But you say, "I'm not a financial advisor." And I say, "Are you so sure, Ms. and Mr. Fundraiser?" You ask strangers to trust you with their hard-earned money, right? Well, this sage book will explain how to do that task far more effectively, especially with mid-sized to major donors, using proven techniques developed by top-selling financial advisors. Among the book's key points: put away your charts and graphs and learn to speak intelligently to the right side of the prospect's brain, the place where the emotions reside.

Great anecdotes to use in meetings with clients

Recomendo esse livro para todos que trabalham com consultoria, em especial assessores de investimentos e family officers. O livro reforça muito o relacionamento e apresenta técnicas para fortalecer isso. Inclui também abordagens em reuniões.

Esperaba mas storytelling en el libro. Tiene muchos consejos de como atacar el Mercado de servicios financieros, muchos de esos consejos son estupendos. Sin embargo, queda a deber en cuanto a dar Buenos consejos respecto al storytelling.

If you are in the financial services sector, this book is what you need to elevate your client relationship. A must read !

For a long time I was annoyed by the fact that Financial Planners/IFAs/Brokers, who were far less technically competent than me were becoming more successful, i.e. transacting more business. I decided to do something about it, (other than taking yet more advanced qualifications) - so I bought this book! I completed this excellent book in less than two days, I couldn't put it down. Being a well qualified Financial Planner I tend to rely (perhaps rather arrogantly) on my technical ability to win business, which does work in a number of cases, but definitely not always! I've struggled with what I used to refer to as the 'human aspect' of Financial Planning, I would often think to myself after what I would describe as a successful client meeting "why the heck didn't they go for that? It's exactly what they need/want", whereas now I understand that the 'technical sale' appeals to some clients, it doesn't appeal to the majority. I now very clearly see the 'sales aspect' as being equally important as being technically competent - you have to be both! I've considered a number of past cases where I haven't managed to complete business cases successfully and this book has 'hit a nerve' and made me realise the error of my ways, if I had read this book before, I would be in a stronger position in my career. I'm looking forward to putting more structure into my client presentations and increasing my results. One final point, this book highlights the fact that Financial Planning is not just a science but also an art. Best,