Q: What made you say, “I’ve got to get out of the shoe business”?
A: I decided to get out of the shoe business because I had 15 employees who worked for me. It was a thankless job. I didn’t make enough money. It was just a hassle, and I felt really uncomfortable with where the business was going. I just wanted to have control of my own destiny, and I didn’t while I was there. Q: What got you interested in Edward Jones?
A: One of the general partners at Edward Jones kept talking to me for a couple of years about coming to Edward Jones. And he got to me one day – it was just the right day. Q: What were the most attractive parts of Edward Jones?
A: Since I had been running a company, I didn’t want to have somebody standing over my shoulder. I knew I wouldn’t deal well with that. And the freedom was attractive. The business itself and building relationships with clients were very attractive. And the fact that I had only one person in my office to worry about as an employee was also quite appealing after having so many people work for me. Q: Were you worried about being successful?
A: I was really afraid about getting into a business I didn’t totally understand, and I’d never sold anything in my life. I was very afraid about that in the beginning. But Edward Jones does a great job of training you – just-in-time training, so that you get the information you need as you’re going along. And the next thing you know, you’re fully integrated and starting to know what you’re doing. Q: Can you talk a little about the training?
A: The training in the beginning is a little bit like boot camp. Sometimes you’re doing things you don’t even understand, and it seems somewhat repetitive. But the further along in your career you get, the more you realize that the training you get now is very suited to building a successful business, and boot camp is a far distant memory. It’s not a job for everybody, but for someone who is looking for independence and an opportunity to give back – both in the job we do and in the community – and write his or her own ticket as far as money goes, it is a very good firm to work for. Q: What do you think of the culture at Edward Jones?
A: I’ve never worked for another brokerage house, so I can’t compare the two things. But the Edward Jones culture is very warm. They’re very client centered, but they also understand the job of the Financial Advisor. And because they understand it, they give you all the tools you need to do it. I’ve always felt like between the home office and the field, it’s a good symbiotic relationship. The culture is such of a “let’s see if we can help each other build a business.” And it just filters through everything, all the way down to the client. Q: What are the keys to success at Edward Jones?
A: If all you care about is making money, you won’t end up doing the right thing for the clients, and then you’ll have a whiplash effect of things that happen because of that. So you need a strong desire to serve people as well and enjoy that, because you’re going to have a lot of dealings with people. It’s not just about selling them something and walking out of their life. You’ll be involved, pretty heavily. So most people who choose to do this job like the contact with people, the relationship part.
|
