10 Reasons Why Unit Trust Can Help to Build a Strong Relationship With Clients
No.1 You get to Engage Clients Anytime
You are able to discuss about financial markets, the hottest stocks, companies that are going bankrupt, the biggest financial news coming up this week. These are great topics to start a conversation with. Few will fault you for sharing what’s going on in the world. All these can translate into possible investment ideas.
Update clients daily, weekly, monthly even though there isn’t a need to. It is always comforting to know someone is watching their investments. And who else could do that with class but a professional banker.
No. 2 One Product. Hundreds to Choose From
And since it is Unit Trust, you are able to select from the hundreds of Unit Trust mandates that exist in your bank’s collection. The best talking points had always been China, India, BRIC, Emerging Market funds. And when no one agrees on anything, a global balanced fund become a standard solution.
It is like shopping for cars or toys. Everyone loves to choose. So have fun selecting the ideal funds with clients. Try not to give too many as your client will end up having a selection headache, which is a doubled edged sword. Either your client will end up asking you to choose or they will think about it and walk away.
No. 3 Managing Expectations
You are able to discuss about holding period, possible losses and upside, fees, liquidity and client’s past investment experience. All these are important issues for you to understand client’s expectations. If you feel certain issues needs to be addressed, this is often where you can reset their expectation.
Although most clients wouldn’t want to hear about a possible 50% losses, which may possibly reduce your sales prospects, everyone would be happy with an honest discussion which can result in a quality investment decision.
No. 4 Educate Clients
Most clients are poor in investments, no matter how good their knowledge is. In Asia, most of their wealth is generated from income, savings, early stock listings, property boom.
” If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people who would be librarians ”
~ Warren Buffett
Being able to discuss the basics of portfolio, investments, returns & risks help you to forge a strong relationship as an “investment expert” and a noteworthy “advisor.”
This will also lead to lots of future sales opportunities that allows you to manage a larger pool of client’s assets.
For example, discussing risks allows you to cover cashflow management which leads to credit & loan facilities. On life risks, you can touch on life insurance, estate, trust, tax and asset structuring services.
No. 5 Excellent Sales Opportunities
Everyday is a good day to sell Unit Trust.
If the equity market is too hot, you can always introduce a bond fund. If the equity Unit Trust price is too high, you can get your client to take profit on some holdings. If the market plunged this week, you can always get your client to top up. Selling Unit Trust can never be more fun.
Being able to maintain a strong relationship with your client and doing sales, is there any better strategy?
No. 6 Sustainable Revenue
All businesses need revenue. If businesses don’t generate enough revenue, then the business model will collapse. If you can’t charge a high fee for what you are doing, then you are providing nothing more than what every one else is doing, rendering you obsolete or ordinary over time.
Unit Trust upfront fee is 2% to 3%, which is an attractive margin for yourself and the bank. Every $100,000 investment into Unit Trust nets $2,000 to $3,000 in revenue dollars. This quality margin allows bankers and banks to continue to provide quality services (not returns) to clients.
Clients may also think that since they are paying you a fee, you are more likely to look after their investments properly.
No. 7 Building Credibility
There is no better way to build credibility by showcasing your knowledge. Impress clients with statistics, company profile, stock returns and what your bank and yourself see in the future.
Because Unit Trust have so many mandates such as Equities, Bonds, Emerging Markets, Geographical, Sectorial, Global Macro, Arbitrage, Long/Short and so many more, you will have to be able to explain anything, anytime, or sound like you could.
As long as you say something sensible, you are slowly building up your credibility. Your knowledge improves as you learn, and your credibility builds up. This way, you will always be the go-to banker for any investment related matters.
Disclaimers: That includes: cheque clearance, remittance, credit card matters.
No. 8 Market Losses or Sudden Withdrawal
This is a true test of a good wealth manager. Your knowledge, portfolio strategy, market understanding, communication skills are tested. If the market has only one direction – which is up, then your job & advice will be redundant.
Show your ability to work with client during market crashes, recession and sudden cashflow needs. The turnover rate for Personal Banker is already high in normal times (50% quit in 9 months), what do you think will be the turnover rate during crisis?
No. 9 Unit Trusts are Portable
Thinking about a future career move? Most Unit Trust Holdings can be transferred from one financial institution to another. This means what you have built up for clients can have possible longevity. This gives you an incentive to build a quality portfolio.
But since the client belongs to the bank (Banking Secrecy), the banker is legally unable to shift the portfolio. However, it does give the client the right to shift the portfolio, should you leave the bank or there is no good banker in the bank to help the client (a common complaint by clients), which they will then shift to another bank with a trusted banker.
No. 10 Unit Trust can’t be trusted.
What better way to connect with client by listening to their horror stories. Let them unleash their unhappiness. We are all humans. Nobody likes to lose money, but the fact is investments can and will lose money. A bank can close down too.
If they client’s bother to share with you, they are opening up and that is your opportunity to connect strongly with them.
So be their listening ear for an hour. It is your secret to understanding how to interact with this client when things go wrong in future.
A strong relationship is important. You built understanding and trust. It allows you to sell and build a meaningful portfolio for clients with ease. So, this is 10 reasons how you can build a strong relationship with client with Unit Trust.
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