Adviser’s campaign to restore trust in intermediaries
Trust, loyalty and long-term relationships are core tenets of Shane Mullins’ campaign to get IFAs to engender deeper client engagement and restore faith in financial services.
Mr Mullins, the managing director of Nottinghamshire-based IFA firm Fiscal Engineers, said the campaign was not about qualifications or business structures, but about getting to grips with fully knowing and understanding the customer and building up a loyal client base.
He said: “Trust is the cornerstone of financial planning and wealth management and it is almost incredible to think that we are ending 2011 with so many people feeling distrustful of our industry.
“In the past few years there has been a damaging run on trust in financial matters and we need to work together as an industry to overcome this.”
Mr Mullins said the essence of trust, loyalty and engagement were vital tenets for an industry that still needs significant elements of reform.
He has been speaking with other IFAs and gleaning support for his campaign to help restore trust in the industry and encourage people to work in the consumers’ best interests.
Mr Mullins has already kicked off his campaign by using one of his dogs, Russ, on a poster with the connotations of loyalty, trust and faith that is built up over a long time.
He added: “My dog trusts me implicitly because I have earned that trust through time. Businesses get the behaviours they reward. If you build up trust, you will gain the rewards of a great working relationship with your clients’ and enduring loyalty.”