• Could you please talk about yourself?

I currently work at the National Bank Independent Network. I have been in the financial industry for about 20 years. At first, it’s just an entry-level job, but the opportunity is great! I also took some courses from the CSI, Canadian Securities Institute. Later, I moved toward the business development, sales, and relationship management side of the business and kept growing my abilities. Now, I look after sales and services and relationship management nationally for the National Bank Independent Network. Our core business is to provide training and custody to portfolio managers and investment advisors, helping them manage their clients’ assets better.

• Could you talk about the products that you worked with?

There are various products, depending on locations and regulations. I spent 18-19 years on the mutual fund/investment management side. My role was on the sales side of the B2B type of environment. A structured product is an investment product with a little bit of a capital market spin to it. We have various products depending on clients’ needs: GICs, cash, mutual funds, separate securities, and ultra-high net worth complicated products. For the last eight months, I moved to the trading and custody side; it’s like a car engine. We do the facilitation work that helps clients to trade securities.

• Why do other banks buy products from National?

It’s impossible to be excellent in every single asset class when you manage assets for other people. The advisor wants to find the best products that fit clients’ needs.

• How is the product pitch working?

We need to understand clients’ needs and why they are investing and then assess if we can help them fill that need. In a discovery meeting, you would want to speak only 30%-40% of the time to be effective. In the B2B environment, customers reach out to their providers in the final stage. They have already done their homework. And this is the key to understanding how the buyer thinks. Further, it’s important to understand what the buyer is looking for from the seller. It’s a relationship type of partnership, not transactional.