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Julie Lord
Know your onions
I love Christmas and the new year - the parties, the singing, the festivities, the presents. I particularly like the way that people are generally happier and more likely to open up.
For example, at a client Christmas drinks evening (which is always a jolly affair), I was asking clients about their family traditions at Christmas and how these had developed over the years.
This enabled me to have a much greater insight into their lives and those of their families and also for me to get an even better handle on their values and what they regard as important.
One client told me that in his family, instead of having a satsuma in the stockings - they all had an onion. This caused a great deal of hilarity among the other clients (please bear in mind they had all had a few glasses of wine) and a very interesting discussion ensued as to how such a family tradition could possibly have started. I am not sure that we ever really got to the answer but nevertheless the discussion ranged wide and long on all manners of different Christmassy traditions and family peculiarities that were humorous, engaging and,in some cases, very moving.
I think it is wonderful that we can develop such a deep relationship with people who initially came to talk to us just about their money. Many a client has arrived in my office wanting to talk to me about their pensions or their investments because they are worried about performance, etc, only to be surprised by my ability to turn things round and to talk to them more about their life and their desire for financial security, independence, comfort, security and peace of mind.
It is wonderful, therefore, when you meet clients outside of the usual annual client meeting, that you can be so certain that the service you are providing them with is, in fact, delivering all these things.
It is also very rewarding to think that the conversations at Christmas time, particularly when they are in a more relaxed and social setting, can give you some clear insight into the fact that what you are doing for them will ultimately make such a big difference in their lives.
So after spending time over the past Christmas, we should all be reflecting on the service that we provide for clients - is it just money management or is it something deeper and more meaningful that will create a level of client satisfaction and loyalty of the highest calibre?
I love the new year too - when new clients suddenly wake up and decide they need to get their lives in order and take their finances in hand.
Again, unfortunately, they may know that they need to get their finances better organised but they may not know how to do this or even what their ultimate goals are.
This is where we, as financial planners, can provide them with such a valuable service and ultimately maybe a life- changing experience.
Julie Lord, CFP and chartered financial planner, Bluefin Wealth Management
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