Relationships solidified during pandemic
Jennifer Hunt has run an office for Edward Jones in Festus for 15 years, but she said she has learned some new things during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I went through the (market downturn) in 2008, and I remember telling my clients they had to look at the long term, that things would be OK,” the financial adviser said. “From a financial standpoint, what’s happened recently isn’t different, but COVID feels very different for my clients.”
Hunt said she and her staff – Randi Cooper and Marsha Schmitt – called everyone on the client list for a review.
“We were calling people during the evenings and on Sundays to ask them how they were feeling,” Hunt said. “What we heard was they weren’t necessarily overly concerned about their investments, but about their jobs, their kids, their health. Those were valuable conversations to have. I think in a way COVID has strengthened our relationships with our clients.”
Hunt said much of her business during the pandemic has been done virtually.
“There’s nothing like face-to-face meetings, but we’ve found Zoom, where you can see each other’s faces, have been better than telephone calls,” she said. “We’ve had to work with clients to get to a point where they can use Zoom, but it’s paid off because they’re able to see my computer better than they would in an office setting.”
Hunt said video conferencing will continue to be an option.
“For some clients, a lunchtime Zoom call has been great. If they can get to an empty conference room for 30 minutes, they like that better than an evening or Saturday meeting.”
Still, she said, Zoom can’t supplant the personal touch.
“It will never replace the random stop by for a hug and a cup of coffee,” she said.
Hunt’s office is at 1151 E. Gannon Blvd.
