Bio

Holly Buchanan is a popular speaker, trainer, author and consultant.

Holly is the author of Selling Financial Services to Women – What Men Need to Know and Even Women Will Be Surprised to Learn. She is the co-author of The Soccer Mom Myth. And she is working on her new book Stop Getting Triggered – Keep Your Cool, Win Respect and Increase Influence.

Buchanan Marketing works with financial companies and professionals who want to be more successful by understanding how clients make financial decisions, buy financial products and choose financial advisors.

Speaking Topics

Winning Credibility – How to Influence How People See You

How you win or lose credibility depends largely on the lens through which other people view you, your communication and your actions. If you want to influence how other people view you, you first need to understand the differences between how you see yourself and how others see you. There may be a disconnect that is costing you credibility and keeping you from closing more business. When you understand the lens through which people see you, you can gain more credibility, trust, and influence.

In this seminar, you’ll learn:

• The credibility lens – what it is and how it affects how people see you
• How to understand the lens of your prospects, clients and anyone else you are trying to persuade
• The four decision-making styles and how you win and lose credibility with each
• Stereotypes – why they are so dangerous and how to overcome them
• Powerful questions that uncover the criteria on which you are being judged
• Your blind spot – how to discover ways in which you are losing credibility and don’t even realize it

What Your Clients Are Actually Thinking

You are sitting across from a potential client. You are making your pitch. Is it working? How are they responding to what you are saying? What’s actually going on in their head? Whether you’re trying to attract new clients and customers or retain the ones you have, you will gain an instant competitive advantage if you have a better read on what your clients are actually thinking and feeling. Here’s the problem, most clients aren’t completely forthright in their responses. They may tell you one thing but do another. However, clients do give away clues as to whether they are responding positively or negatively to your communication. When you can read those clues, you can be more effective at everything you do.

You’ll learn:

• How to read your client’s body language
• Facial coding and how to see the emotions your clients can’t hide
• The four decision-making styles and how to deliver what each needs to win their trust and business
• Differences in how to read men vs. women
• Powerful questions that uncover the criteria on which you are actually being judged

NOTE: This seminar can also be co-presented by Holly Buchanan and Dan Hill – critically acclaimed author of Emotionomics and world-renowned facial coding expert.

Credibility – How to Work with and Sell to Men without Becoming One – for female audiences

While men and women buy many of the same products, they often have a different decision-making process that affects their choices. The same goes for how they choose the professionals they hire and the colleagues they admire and promote.

When a woman loses a sale to a man, the reason is almost always a lack of credibility.

In this interactive seminar, Holly Buchanan shares proprietary research on how women gain and lose credibility when working with or selling to men. You’ll see common situations and how successful women have navigated them to win the sale and the confidence of both the male and female decision-makers. You’ll learn:

• How to share your credentials
• Self-promotion that feels authentic, not like bragging
• Effective communication styles
• The body language of authority
• Credibility killers
• Insights into the minds of men from the “Guys Who Get It” panel – authentic feedback about how men perceive women

The Differences in Selling Financial Services to Men vs. Women

While men and women may buy the same financial products and services, they often have different criteria that affect their decision-making. Research shows men and women can have different responses to marketing campaigns and sales techniques. And they often refer for different reasons. Things can get really tricky when you are working with couples with two different decision-making styles. Financial professionals who understand these differences are more successful in their sales and marketing efforts. You’ll learn:

• The differences in how men and women make financial decisions
• The factors that affect how men and women judge your credibility
• How to determine what each spouse needs the most from you
• Two financial personality styles and how to market and sell to each
• The pros and cons of creating women-only marketing campaigns and events

Leading and Mentoring the Next Generation

There is a lot of talk about engaging employees. But is that what they really want? Or is it something else? Whether you are managing teams or leading a company, there are specific traits and skills that make people effective leaders. Being an effective leader used to mean dictating your policies down the line to your subordinates. That’s no longer the case. Being an effective leader today means combining a unique mix of skills including empathy, vision, mentoring and decisive action.

In this seminar, you’ll learn:

• What your employees actually want from you (Hint: it isn’t to be engaged)
• How to be a good mentor
• Handling conflict
• How knowing your purpose makes you a bolder leader
• The differences in leading men vs. women
• What Millennials want from leaders

Managing Millennials by Making Them Part of the Solution

Many companies are asking the question, “How do we handle Millennial workers? They seem so different from us. How do we integrate them into our workforce?” This puts the onus on companies and organizations to make positive changes.   Why not put the onus on Millennials to make the positive changes? Why not make them responsible? What if you made them come up with the solutions?

In this seminar, you’ll learn how to create win/win situations with your Millennial workers. Making them part of the solution is exactly what they want. Companies using this approach are seeing positive results with all of their workers.

In this seminar, you’ll learn:

• How to make Millennials accountable
• How Millennials prefer to learn
• How NOT to manage Millennials
• How to tap into Millennials’ natural leadership traits
• How to retain Millennial talent

How to Reduce Conflict and Win Respect by Using Verbal Aikido

What if you could handle workplace conflict in such a way that you could de-escalate any situation, reduce resistance, get positive outcomes and create win/win solutions?   That’s what Aikido is designed to do. This modern Japanese martial art and philosophy is based around the idea of blending with vs. pushing against your opponent. The goal of this martial arts practice is to defend yourself while also protecting your attacker from injury. Verbal Aikido is an incredibly powerful communication technique that can do the same thing. It allows you to resolve conflict without appearing defensive or aggressive.

In this seminar you’ll learn:

• How to handle challenges without appearing defensive or aggressive
• How to reduce negativity and win respect
• How to handle conflict in a way in which both parties feel heard and understood
• How to not make the other person wrong
• How to get the outcome you want
• The power of humor

Testimonials

• “There were so many ideas and concepts, invaluable information.”
• “Wonderful session and excellent speaker.”
• “I took more notes than in any other session.”
• “Holly is a wonderful presenter. She has been my favorite speaker for the past 2 years.”
• “Love Holly. She is so full of energy and great content.”
• “Best presentation of the conference.”
• “Worth the price for the entire 3-day conference just for this one session.”
• “My biggest takeaway from Holly’s talk was the power of conveying who you are, not just what’s in your head, but how you come across, the impression you make on others.”
• “Holly took me on a rollercoaster. I was really identifying with her. She shared ways you can fix the problems by changing how people perceive you so you’re able to stand out and get what you want.”