Monday: I go through my emails on a Sunday night so I can start the week with a clear inbox – it is essential for me to be organised. I am based in the South West of England and cover 20 branches, but see most of my clients at home.
I head to the HSBC branch in Bristol first thing to catch up with my support manager, who is invaluable and takes care of much of the admin side of my role. The week starts with a call with my team discussing clients we have seen, how satisfied they are and plans for the week ahead. I check emails and voicemails regularly throughout the day – my clients are busy and expect responses quickly. I spend the rest of the morning dealing with queries then head out to see a new client at their home. The meeting goes well – we talk about their life; looking at their home, family, work and future plans. This is the part of the job I love: meeting people and learning about what is important to them. I moved to the South West at the start of this year from Birmingham and I have enjoyed getting to know my new clients – it is one of the friendliest places I have worked.
Tuesday: I get up early and catch up on the latest market news, before driving to the HSBC branch in Bath for a client meeting. We have a detailed conversation; I want to really understand her needs and how I can help her grow her wealth. I tell her about our mutual funds and discretionary wealth management solution and leave agreeing that I will develop a fuller recommendation for her.
Wednesday: As well as my day-to-day role, I am involved in projects with different parts of the bank. I spend the day in London delivering a “Suitability of Advice” workshop to some of our new recruits. I worked on the content of the course and have delivered it already in Leeds and Birmingham. It allows me to meet new staff and talk to them about some of my experiences, as well as hear about their careers and how they are getting on with their clients.
Thursday: It is an early morning conference call to start the day so I dial in at home. I am working with a team from our head office on our investment policy, so we discuss progress and agree next steps. I head to a client’s house: a couple who would like to talk through some retirement planning. We talk about their lifestyle and how they would like their retirement to look before starting to work out some different options. I head over to a small local branch afterwards to update their records and go through my voicemails and emails, followed by a second client meeting to discuss inheritance tax planning. I stay late at work to make some calls to clients I want to catch up with. I find the best time to do this is around 6pm; you have the best chance of catching people at home and they are more relaxed.
Friday: I meet up with one of our new recruits first thing. He has just finished the bank’s wealth training programme and I am going to help him prepare for a client meeting he has this afternoon. I am meticulous about planning for meetings; first impressions are crucial in this business, and while I get on well with my clients, they need to feel they are in the hands of a professional. After a client meeting to review his existing holdings and to confirm the ongoing suitability of them, I spend the rest of the afternoon updating records, catching up with my support manager and finishing a project document for a call on Monday morning. I am happy with how this week has gone: I have been able to help more clients to plan for both their and their families’ futures and feel that the advice I have provided will make a real a difference to them. I am looking forward to getting out on my mountain bike this weekend before doing it all again.
Adrian Pearce is a premier client manager of HSBC
