SRI advisors: Be true to yourself
Advisor.ca :: June 8, 2010 :: By Doug Watt
There’s value in having a conversation about values. And that’s always been the case for advisors who want to specialize in socially responsible investing (SRI). But how do you get in front of potential clients in the first place?
“We put ourselves out there and we repel as many people as we attract,” says Stephen Whipp, an SRI advisor with Manulife Securities in Victoria. “It’s the branding, so that when someone walks in the office, they at least have an inkling of what it’s going to be like.”
Whipp learned the hard way that as an advisor, it’s important to be yourself. “Many advisors love the outdoors, they’re environmentalists, they’re active in their own community, but when they put on that suit, they’re an advisor. All they are interested in is profit and loss, the P/E ratio, all the mumbo jumbo. They get so caught up in that, they forget about who they are and what interests them.”
“Don’t be someone you’re not. I started doing it that way, I realized it wasn’t me.”
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Stephen Whipp and Manulife Securities Incorporated (Manulife) do not make any representation that the information in any linked site is accurate and will not accept any responsibility or liability for any inaccuracies in the information not maintained by them, such as linked sites. Any opinion or advice expressed in a linked site should not be construed as the opinion or advice of Stephen Whipp or Manulife. The information in this communication is subject to change without notice.
