Q: What do you think makes Edward Jones different?
A: It’s like a family business. I mean a lot of clients comment about it when they come into the office. It can be pretty intimidating going into a financial services office and then talking about your own finances and all your personal details. So we try and make it as welcoming as possible. Part of that is the welcome we give our clients and the reception they receive. In our office it’s more like a family room in many ways – you know, we’ve got coffee and a kind of comfy place to sit. We try and break down some of the barriers which people put mentally in their minds already, make them feel very welcome and put them at ease really so when we come to talking about investments and financial matters they’re very comfortable in the atmosphere they’re in. Q: What do people think of the Jones business model of building a business face to face?
A: I’ve heard them talk about how refreshingly old fashioned it is. You know, here we are in a fairly high tech industry with systems and the technology to support what we do, but with a very old fashioned approach. A lot of our clients are retired or retirees or soon to retired, so that kind of generation of people often warm to that kind of approach, I think, so the formula really works well. Also people retire to where we live, so I would say the majority of our clients are retired people already. And as I say, they don’t really want us to use the technology to replace the relationship. At Edward Jones, we use it to enhance the relationship. We think we’ve got it the right way around and it’s a distinctive advantage to us. Q: How do you think your community perceives your branch?
A: I think they see it as our office. You know, it’s very easy when you work for a big corporation to kind of be faceless almost and then to not take responsibility or ownership. I think the Edward Jones system gives you ownership right from day one so if there’s a small issue it won’t get kind of papered over the cracks. It’ll be tactful, it’ll be resolved. For example, if a dividend was paid for just some small fairly seemingly trivial information, it’ll get taken care of. There’s no hiding place when you’re in very much a family business. I think that’s a key point. Q: How important is work-life balance to you? Do you get that at Edward Jones?
A: I think we get a wonderful work/life balance. The flexibility which the job brings is amazing. It’s one of the key things which initially got me to join Edward Jones and now keeps me here is the fact that we don’t have to ask for approval to spend lunch together or to go out or to clear off and take off some time in an afternoon and do what we want to do. Then you take into consideration the trips and the time out we have. It really is a great balance. Q: What is the hardest part of this business for you?
A: The business is so emotionally driven. As a client, you know, you see the stock prices move up and down on a daily basis, and the hardest part about being an investor is controlling those emotions, and the same as being a Financial Adviser in many ways. Controlling the ups and downs of a day and the experience you have in any sales career, but especially in Jones and having, as I say, conviction in what you do and belief you’re doing the right thing, and sure enough it came good in the end. Q: What advice would you give someone considering this position?
A: I’d say that when you start a new career it’s often a leap of faith, especially when you’ve got an unknown entity like Edward Jones in the U.K. and just really having belief in what the firm offers. The firm offers a wonderful opportunity. It offers the facilities, the structure, the format to build a successful, long-term business and one which is rewarding in so many different ways. The missing ingredient is what the Financial Adviser, the individual, can bring to the table. The Financial Adviser needs to have enthusiasm, needs to have conviction in what they do, and a sense of sort of entrepreneurial spirit really. That’s the key thing. And then once those two combinations come together to make one product, it’s a fantastic combination and one that’s just incredibly rewarding.
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