Linda Persechino • New Hartford, CT
Persechino Financial • Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.
I spent the early part of my career working in the bank channel—with literally hundreds of new clients each year. When I started my advisory firm, one of the goals was to keep it manageable in terms of number of clients. I work with a more limited client base that I can really get to know. I want to understand what is driving their financial objectives and continue the advisor-client relationship for years with their family.
One of the most important things that drives my client-service philosophy is making sure there is a good relationship fit from the outset. I want to work with clients who are looking for a trusted financial advisor, who are open to education on financial topics, and who want to work together as a team to address their financial objectives. It is important that the client is comfortable with me, and equally important that I am comfortable with the client. I believe that the most successful advisor-client relationships in our business are when there is good chemistry between people and some shared values.
For a long time, I thought I had chosen the wrong career because, while I understood the financial markets, I was never a person who was “about money.” The realization that this was the perfect career for me came once I understood that people want their financial advisor to care about them, understand them, and help them to connect their money to their unique dreams. Money is simply a tool that allows people to do the things that are important to them. Helping them to invest their money and plan for their future is only one part of our advisor-client relationship. There are many non-investment-related things I do for my clients, such as making homemade soup for elderly clients, visiting clients in the hospital, helping technology-challenged clients find vacations and cars online, and—sadly—sometimes attending their funerals. I believe in being there for my clients through all stages of life.
Paying so much attention to the big picture with my clients has had an unexpected and welcome benefit. As I learn more about my clients and their lives, they also learn more about me and my life. They realize that I want to help them financially, and that I also care about them personally! My clients understand this, and because they do, they are happy and willing to refer me to their friends and family. It is hugely rewarding to know that my approach to the financial advisory world has so far been a successful one.
INCREASING THE VISIBILITY OF YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISORY PRACTICE
- Make sure there is a good relationship between you and the client from the start.
- Choose to partner with clients who recognize the value of a trusted financial advisor.
- Show clients you are invested in their personal well-being as well as their financial future.
- Build long-term relationships based on trust and transparency.
Disclosure: Investment advisor representative and registered representative of, and securities and investment advisory services offered through, Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. (member SIPC). Persechino Financial is not a subsidiary of nor controlled by Voya Financial Advisors.
Photography by Jeffrey Yardis
