Constant Change or Constant Service?

2002: Changing Lanes - Michell

At a recent meeting, I was struck by the a point that was made. Most of the forward-thinking financial planners, are continually improving what they do. They don’t rest to think that they have found the perfect solution. This explains why I often feel as though I never quite arrive at a destination before moving off again. As I see it, the main problem with technology is that it developing at such a rapid pace. What was once, unique and new, is shortly out of date and very dated. Attempting to run a business in this context is not easy, particularly when trying to squeeze the maximum amount of value out of every significant decision.

However, development and improvement mean change. Change is often uncomfortable. Sadly there is an awful lot of change for change’s sake and sometimes it is not possible to know good change from bad change until some way down the track. At the moment the world of financial services is being ordered to change, much of which you will know I support. However, this has resulted in some new ways of “doing business” which were not possible a few years ago. The changes that I tend to consider have little to do with the fundamental principles of the firm, but have a lot to do with how we implement what we do. “Tools for the job” - if you like. The scope and range of financial products to consider widens each year and being one that wants to offer the best options of true independence to my clients, means that on occasion we decide to make changes, which we believe to be a change for the better.

Now I know that many of you get frustrated with the mergers of companies and names seeming to change all too regularly. Some are sad that loyalty to a company does not seem to count for anything these days. I am aware that often change is unsettling. It seems that often a product that has been held for many years simply isn’t up to the task by today’s standards. Sometimes, even a recent change is no longer “good enough”. This can feel deeply unnerving. Change is not our constant – serving our clients is. However, sometimes a change needs to be made that enables me to do a better job, to take advantage of the improvements available to deliver an even better service and better results. The crunch question though is this – do you believe it is better for your financial planner to be able to offer the best and latest tools and techniques (which I research carefully) or is it good enough to use the existing ones? I would really value feedback on this.