by Samantha Secomb
I have a mischievous muscle in my right eye which pulls the eye off centre when aggravated by too much screen time. Every six months for the last decade I have been nipping into Moorfields Hospital where they pop a bit of Botox into the muscle to stop its misdemeanours. Due to the pandemic, I obviously can no longer do this.
I am also now three weeks overdue for my monthly hairdo and somewhat surprised to see my natural hair colour. We have been strangers for so long. My hair style is getting shaggier by the week.
I say this not to complain about my lack of grooming routine, but because I've realized something important. I suspect when I look back on social media posts from this period it will be noticeable that I was shaggy haired and cross eyed, but it is surprising how little my clients notice the much less well-groomed adviser showing up on their screens. We are all focussed on the fundamentals rather than the nice-to-haves.
We have always assumed that our clients appreciate our well-kept offices with dedicated meeting rooms, ample free parking, and tailored advisers. Indeed, client surveys have historically highlighted these as attractive features. But recently, it seems aesthetics are the stuff of "peace time" planning and no one is bothered by the less polished interface of today.
I suspect the reason for this is because when we survey clients they respond to what they interface with and it can leave the business thinking these things are really important to our clients. In actual fact, it is just the stuff they came into contact with and know how to compare. However, the real value is in the infrastructure, development, and willingness of our business to change and adapt so that it can be agile and dependable in times of change.
Instead of aesthetics, clients are grateful that they all have contingency funds within their financial plans to use in extreme market conditions. They are pleased that diversified portfolios have not tanked in line with headline numbers about the FTSE100. And they are happy to be able to have a discuss changes in circumstances, hopes and fears with their trusted adviser.
Early into lockdown I was reading many articles exalting the ability to be productive during this time, telling me I could finally get that six-pack I have always dreamed of because the only reason I haven't achieved it before is lack of work out time. Alternatively, I could dedicate the time to learning a new skill or scanning and cataloguing decades of photos. I'd feel so good if I achieved any one of these things.
The reality is somewhat different. I am struggling to motivate myself to get routine levels of work done. I am finding video conferencing is somehow more tiring than face to face meetings. I miss my colleagues.
Again, my point is not to complain, but to point out that the reality isn't always as obvious as it may seem on the surface. We shouldn't try to stick to how things were, but embrace current changes and realize our clients are flexible as well.
Samantha Secomb FPFS, is a Chartered Financial Planner and the Director of Pentins Financial Planners and Women's Wealth.
After nearly 30 years in financial services, Sam now runs her own Financial Planning practice specialising in independent financial advice For Women By Women.
She ives in Westgate, works in Canterbury, eats too much, loves dancing and is looking forward to Strictly 2019 season kicking off.
She is grandmother, mother, daughter, sister and grateful to be part of an extended family which provides more drama than all the soaps put together, they are her joy and reason for living.
