Q: What are your feelings about the Edward Jones business model?
Edward Jones requires the Financial Advisor to go out and talk to people. We seldom have walk-in clients, so we cannot wait for things to happen. You have to make them happen. I go out, shake people's hands, take their names and phone numbers, and then go back to my office and call them. We host seminars once a month, financial workshops every quarter, broadcasts, client appreciation events — the list is endless. You have to get out and meet people to get results. Q: Describe what it was like to select your branch location.
Selecting a location at Edward Jones was unique in that during my Series 7 study course, I was notified about three locations, and the home office started working on it while I was earning my license, so we didn't waste any time. The Edward Jones Priority Locations person worked so hard to find a great location for me and negotiate the lease terms so I didn't have to worry about the details. When I was a business owner, I had to worry about every little detail: signing contracts, hiring an attorney to review them, paying the increase in rent. I don't have to worry about that with Edward Jones. A department handles it for me. All they want me to do is focus on growing my business and taking it to the next level. Q: What was the hardest part of the decision to move to Edward Jones?
When I joined Edward Jones, my wife was scared to death. We had a 1-year-old baby and a son who was 4 at the time — two small children. Starting a business at age 44 was not an easy task. I held my wife's hand and told her, "I will succeed at this business. All I need is your support. Just let me do my work. She knew in her heart that I was making the right decision, and now she is thrilled to take the firm's diversification trips. Now my son, who is 14 years old, gets to choose the next trip when Edward Jones sends us the next travel schedule. My kids are so fortunate to be in this country and visit countries that millions of children have not even dreamt of visiting. Q: How has making face-to-face contacts worked for you?
I found that there are thousands and thousands of investors who had not heard from their broker in a long time. I was like their lifesaver. I came to them and offered my services. This was unheard of. Those folks were welcoming me, offering me something to drink, showing me their financial statements — and we had just met a few moments ago. When you introduce yourself as a new Financial Advisor opening an office in a community, it is incredible to see the trust that takes place because Edward Jones has this history and unique culture. People open up and share their financial statements with you and ask you for help. That is how I built my business, and I still do that today. Q: What part of your training was the most memorable?
The most memorable training I received was when I reached an advanced level in my business. I flew to the home office in St. Louis for advanced training, and I stayed three or four days with a group of Financial Advisors who were at my level of experience. In that training, one of the firm's most experienced Financial Advisors helped us to learn how to take our business to the next level. It is how to think outside the box to help clients achieve their long-term financial goals. All the training I have received at Edward Jones is second to none. From day one, a trainer was just a phone call away. He would answer any study questions I had and follow up with me during the first two months until I earned my Series 7 license. After that I flew to St. Louis for a week-long training called KYC (Know Your Customer). That was an incredible training where I learned a lot about mutual funds, stocks and bonds, but Edward Jones also showed me how to build and grow my business. From that moment on, I would fly to St. Louis three or four times a year for additional training. In addition to that, there is a lot of training in our region. We have a summer regional, a fall regional and a spring regional where we mix product knowledge with fun. There is just an unlimited amount of training available. Each time a Financial Advisor hits a new level of success, he or she goes to St. Louis for additional training. We also have access to online training. It is up to each Financial Advisor to ask for help, but we don't shortcut anything. There is a lot of help around. Q: Describe what the Edward Jones culture means to you.
Edward Jones keeps the firm's culture alive. Even though we work from single offices, we have a system in place. For example, as soon as we recruit a new Financial Advisor, that person is assigned to a mentor. Also, we have field trainers who go out to make first contacts with new Financial Advisors. I even invite Financial Advisors to my office to observe how I talk to clients, what kinds of questions I ask and the types of investment recommendations I make. Although we operate in individual offices, we are still very close to one another. There are Edward Jones offices two miles north of me and two miles south of me, so we have a very close family. We have a system in place, and our system is second to none in the industry. Q: Describe the support you've received in building your business at Edward Jones.
In terms of receiving help from veterans and the home office, there are just so many stories to tell. I had a very large insurance case when I was in my third year, and I had a lot of questions. I called a veteran Financial Advisor in Tampa, Florida, which is not even in my region, but he was the Financial Advisor who hired me for Edward Jones. I called him after 5 o'clock, but it just so happened that he was in the office. He walked me through the process. We got the Insurance department from the home office on the telephone and talked it all through. We got all the paperwork ready for my next day's appointment. As I said, the support is unlimited. We care about one another, from the newer Financial Advisors all the way to the top. Q: Are there any memorable experiences, perhaps with a client, that encapsulate or typify what it's like to work for Edward Jones?
I have an incredible, memorable story with two clients that happened just recently. I was conducting a semiannual review for them, and they seemed very satisfied. They compared the results they had with me to those from the firm they were previously with and said there was just no comparison. After they left, the husband came back to me and said, "Let me ask you a question: Do you get a physical exam?" I said yes. He asked, "How often?" I said once a year. He said, "I would like you to have one twice a year. You are very important to us. If we lose you, we won't know where to go." That in itself was an unbelievable experience. Here are clients who care about me and my health. They want me to be around for years to come because they really count on me. I call that client loyalty.
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