The Kyle Breitzman Experience

 As a potential client, you deserve to know what to expect out of your experience with me.  After all, if I do my job right, we’re going to be together for a while.  So I guess the first thing to emphasize is that I want a long-term relationship with my clients.  I consider myself to be an advisor, not a salesperson.  The difference being the service I wish to provide my clients before, during, and after business is transacted.  That said, the following are some service points I’d like to emphasize.

Communication:   Few things frustrate me more than knowing that many people settle for—and sometimes expect--bad service from the people they do business with.  I refuse to be the agent you never hear from.  Communication is a key ingredient to my process.  My personal preference is to communicate over the phone although I am begrudgingly accepting of email communication.  I will almost never call you during evening hours unless you told me to.  If you find that I have failed in my commitment to refuse to be the agent you never hear from, I give you my blessing to seek out another advisor who will give you the attention you deserve.  Please note, communication is a two-way street!  I would urge you to contact me immediately if you have any concerns.  Lastly, there is a fine line between open, professional, frequent communication, and bothering you to the point where you hate the sound of my voice.  Please let me know if I am crossing this line. 

Review:  Hand-in-hand with the communication principal is the necessity for hosting periodic reviews.  My preference is to meet at least once a year on a face-to-face basis, regardless of the size of your accounts.  Sometimes, it feels like I’m dragging my clients in kicking and screaming for these annual reviews.  I understand why.  Even some of my closest clients believe that these reviews are a veiled attempt to “sell them something more”!  This is perhaps an overly-cynical view.  The actual motive behind these reviews is that a lot can change over the course of a year.  It is important to review active accounts in light of these changes to make sure they are performing to expectations.  Perhaps modifications need to be made.  Perhaps new needs have developed.  Or as is mostly common, perhaps everything is just fine!  A periodic review will help to ensure that we are staying on target, or in some cases, will help us set a new target.

Non-judgment:  If I mean what I said about appreciating the diversity of my clients, then it follows that my clients should expect to feel free of judgment or criticism at my hands.  No client should need to feel embarrassed about their choices or mistakes.  We all make them.  It’s part of the journey. 

Urgency:  This is a delicate area.  Pushy salespeople are an abomination of this earth.  Nobody should feel pressured into buying something strictly on the basis of the bullying skills of a salesman.  Urgency, on the other hand, does have a place in the financial services industry.  Particularly because procrastination is so entirely detrimental to financial health. Investments and insurance all seem to “work better” the longer you have them so “putting things off” indefinitely is often cause for regret later.  I will encourage my clients to take action, but only if we both agree that the course of action is in the client’s best interest.  Please understand that YOU THE CLIENT are always under control. 

Paperwork:  It’s only fair that if I am to share with you “The Kyle Breitzman Experience” I will have to share with you my frustration for paperwork.  Forms are constantly under revision.  The applications are too long.  There are too many “I”s to dot and “t’s” to cross.  PLUS, my handwriting is atrocious.  I ask your patience and cooperation when trying to get paperwork done. 

But you have every right to expect that it does get done in a timely and complete manner.

No False Promises:  You always have to wonder about companies that claim to be “the best”.  The best at what?  Personally, I think it would be exhausting to be “the best” .  It would certainly be a lot to live up to.  What I will give you is this: I will care A LOT about your personal financial well-being.  I won’t care the “most”, because that should be your job.  I won’t offer “the lowest” rates, the “highest” investment returns, the “fastest” service, or any other such nonsense.  If you want false promises, it would probably be best if you sought another advisor.  Fairness, diligence, and professionalism are my commitments to you.