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Just why is that? It is because for every operator who has a professional looking facility, well-trained and professionally attired employees, and who is marketing his services, there are 50 who do not! Even worse, they are not even making an attempt to make necessary changes.
Change is very hard. So many in this industry have done same things for so long and have been so financially successful that they do not see need. But how can we expect others to respect and understand what we do if we don’t respect ourselves?
There is a clear and present danger if majority clings to status quo. The next generation of customers is going to demand better service, better facilities and more products and options. It is a fact that innovations in products are being developed daily, and people will want those new technologies. At same time, market forces are developing that will transition industry same way Blockbuster transformed video rental industry. The sea of change is upon us. The professional branded player will be dominate force in market place, forcing small independents to align themselves with professional operators or sell their centers to them.
Financial service centers must raise bar and provide service, convenience and affordability in a better package. There is no middle ground. There is no place for old way of thinking and operating.
So it is clear that our future is now. We cannot wait and let circumstances dictate which direction to go. The industry must do more than just pay lip service to changes needed. The old adage that talk is cheap is never truer than in this situation – status quo is not status quo. If some in industry do not take universal leap to be a full provider of financial services, or join or sell to organizations that do, embracing all that it entails, they will go way of dinosaur.
Paul Eckert is President and Founder of Family Financial Centers LLC. From April 2000 to May 2003 Mr. Eckert served as President of United Financial Services Group in Philadelphia. He has been a driving force in the alternative financial services industry, and has been a featured writer for various financial and trade magazines and has had his accomplishments documented in various business publications