Discuss a time that you worked a client through a difficult financial situation. What were the keys to making it a success for the client?
Your interviewer is posing this question to get a better sense of your interpersonal skills and ability to effectively manage clients through the ups and downs of their finances. Point to concrete steps you took and discuss one or two traits you have developed over the years that allow you to effectively manage a challenging situation for a client. In your answer, be sure to explain the importance of an empathetic approach with your clients and how that approach helps them get through a difficult time.
"During the recession in 2008, I had a very large client call to request that all of his funds be pulled out of the stock market. Knowing that this move was a poor strategy, I called him to have a conversation. With an active listening approach, I repeated back what he had told me, and I reiterated that he wanted to sell them at a low price and hopefully buy them back down the road at a high price. This made the client pause and think, which gave me the opportunity to talk about the market history and the odds that his stock prices would rebound over time. He decided to keep his funds in the market at the time, and a few years down the road, he called to personally thank me for the sound advice. The fact that I took a personal approach while educating him in the process to make his own decision was the definite key to success in this situation."
