More ways to stay connected
Just a quick entry today, to let our clients (and prospective clients) know about some additional services coming up in April:
9 Ways to be a Great Client
We talk often on here about how we’re working to be a better financial advisor, and we applaud efforts by the Department of Labor, the SEC, and the state regulators to force higher standards of care on our industry. We’ve even given you reasons to fire your current advisor, things to be leery of when looking for one, and how to avoid Ponzi schemes. We’ve been serving clients for nearly a decade, and have forged deep and lasting relationships with our clients. Many have become close friends. We believe that’s the way it should be, because the relationship of a financial advisor and client involves a great deal of trust and at times, vulnerability. We work very hard to do what’s best for our clients and provide the best service we can. That includes being prompt in our responses, running compliant and ethical practices, having a servant-leader’s spirit and caring for your investments like they were our own. We often ask you what can we do to become a better advisor, but we seldom take the time to tell you what you can do to become a better client. Here are 9 ways you can help us help you:
January Coffee Club
Kick off 2017 with our first COFFEE CLUB of the year, in person or live on our Facebook Page! We'll provide a pre-inauguration look at the incoming administration, and a preview of where the markets and economy are starting out in 2017. Join us!
Beware the Sketchy Salesperson: 10 signs you should do business elsewhere
Nearly every investment professional built their book of business by winning their client accounts away from another advisor or firm. It’s just how the business is done, unfortunately. If you have assets, we in the financial industry will all be in competition to be the manager of those assets. Whether it’s your bank or credit union, your insurance agent, a registered rep in a brokerage firm, or an independent firm like nVest Advisors, we’re all competing to earn and keep your business by offering a unique value proposition based on product, price, and service. Sometimes the competition for your dollars makes the agent or rep feel the need to use questionable, even unethical, tactics to try to win your business. In the process of earning new clients’ business and hearing how and why they were in the products they were sold, I’ve heard clients relay some real whoppers. I’ve also been in competitive situations where multiple companies are talking to the same pool of prospects, and have heard many of them first-hand. It’s fine, I suppose, to always put your product or service in the best possible light. Here at nVest Advisors, we have a company creed of Aggressive Honesty as a primary sales strategy. That means, we’re eager to be transparent and we proactively identify our own strengths and weaknesses to the best of our ability. Granted, not all firms believe you should always tell the client what they need to hear (rather than what they want to hear), but there needs to be a clear line where acceptable “spin” ends and deception begins. The bottom line is, every product, company, and yes, financial professional, has various pros and cons. Accentuating your strengths isn’t unethical. Handling objections isn’t unethical. Lying, whether by direct statement or by omission, most certainly is. As you talk with financial pros, all of whom want your business, here are a few (sadly) common sales tactics used by sketchy salesperson that should, at least, raise your suspicion. (And at worst, should have the agent or broker run out of the industry, in my opinion.)