'You won't regret a career in financial advice, but remember these pointers'
Our profession is one of the few where, you will look back and think ‘why didn’t I start earlier’.
It will be a 'no regret' decision but it isn’t easy at the beginning so work hard, take on board the below and you’ll be absolutely fine in reducing that wealth and protection gap.
Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. In fact, silence creates more questions, so keep in touch if you are new or your clients are new.
The best time to pick up the phone is (a) clients' birthdays (b) the day the MPC makes an announcement (c) Budget day – even if its just to say 'don’t worry, I’m here to help and have everything in hand'.
Don’t stop learning. Providers, lenders, platforms, fintech (even LinkedIn) all run webinars or face-to-face events. Go and attend one a month or one a quarter, absorb, use the bits that resonate, adapt and be better, then thank the person and repeat.
Continue to be a better version of yourself as the year progresses.
Friends, family, neighbours will only get you so farMentoring or coaching doesn’t have to be as formal as it sounds. Ask to attend a client meeting (in person or online), ask to role play with a family member, watching someone allows you to learn, allowing someone to watch you opens the door for feedback – you’ll spend more time thinking about it then actually undertaking the task.
Read, engage and network on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and FTAdviser. The profession is happy to share, discuss, debate as someone new, you can really challenge yourself and your mindset by listening to others and enabling yourself to think different, perhaps, even share your views.
When starting out, clients will be your greatest challenge, if you are working for someone who is giving you clients – lovely! But you should still think about how you can expand your client base.
Friends, family, neighbours will only get you so far, so start thinking about other conduits whether it be networking organisations, introducers or always asking for referrals.
When you complete your first case, ask your client for a referral, if you start with that process, you’ll always ask for referrals going forward.
Speaking to clients gives them comfort but being visible will help keep you front of mind for questions they have or referrals they may wish to pass. Communication works in many ways including phone calls, texts, WhatsApp, emails, social media, post (yes, post a birthday card).
Also, that’s just the conduit. You can utilise articles, blogs, flyers, simple posts, videos, podcasts to bring to life the value you can add. There are plenty of tools available to help you with these.
Setul Mehta is head of partnership services at The Openwork Partnership
