Q: What attracted you to the Edward Jones opportunity?
A: Many women who are actually looking to get into this field might think it’s more of a man’s industry. What I really enjoyed was helping people. And here you get paid substantially to help people – so it’s kind of the best of both worlds. But what really attracted me to Edward Jones was there was no glass ceiling, like there is at some other institutions. Especially as Financial Advisor, you make your own income. Whether you’re male or female, I think probably one of the more positive reasons to consider Edward Jones is the fact that you have your own branch, you have that structured autonomy, you have the training and the support to make sure you’re successful. Q: Talk about some of your experiences at Edward Jones.
A: I’ve had some different experiences with Edward Jones. I started out as a Financial Advisor in a little town called Simcoe, Ontario, where I built a profitable office from scratch. I then got married, so I moved from a small town into the headquarters in Mississauga, and I was responsible for helping new Financial Advisors build their businesses. From there, I went to mutual fund marketing and assisted Financial Advisors in making sure that they chose mutual funds or recommended funds that were in their clients’ best interest. And then I was asked to assist with growth of the firm. I’m now responsible for our Canadian Banking Services Division. Q: What did you find most challenging?
A: I think probably the most challenging aspect of being a Financial Advisor is keeping focus. You make 25 contacts a day, and probably with the majority of those contacts you hear a “no.” So probably the challenge is remaining positive – not taking it personally and keeping focused and the understanding that eventually, those prospects that you’re talking to, will turn into good relationships. Q: What’s the attitude like at the head office?
A: At headquarters, we believe that structured autonomy is important, because that’s what makes our branches and Financial Advisors successful in meeting our clients’ financial needs. Financial Advisors are in business for themselves, but not by themselves. We have what we call just-in-time training, so as Financial Advisors reach different stages of their business they receive additional training to help take their business to the next level.
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