Relationships & Responsibilities: The Act of Balancing Interests

For those who have been following my blogs for quite a while now, you might recall that in an early blog titled “Ang Kulit Mo Kasi”, I wrote about how I would ask clients to give comments on my presentation and performance early in my career.

While recently revisiting some of the feedback I’ve previously received, I was reminded of one important part in relationships that people today often overlook – that each party has a responsibility to the other. This is perhaps the most fundamental thing holding relationships together, be it social or professional.

I always keep this in mind as I develop business relationships with my clients too. My responsibility to them is not only to create programs for their needs but also check up on them later to make sure those programs are indeed working. Because if they’re not, it’s my job to let the client know and make the necessary changes.

It’s an act of balancing my clients’ and my own interests, with the former, of course, having a lot more weight. After all, my goal is to always satisfy the needs of the people I’m in business with and make sure they’re happy with whatever they sign off on. I’m just there to point them in the right direction.

Looking back at my career now, I’m very proud to have been able to maintain this client-advisor dynamic with many of those I work with – most particularly with Chris Barrameda, the Founding Director of The Abba's Orchard School - A Maria Montessori School and my first corporate account.

I first met Mr Chris in 2011 through a mutual friend. We exchanged business cards, though he initially wasn’t interested in my services as an insurance advisor at that time. But we stayed in contact and had a number of discussions about the topic, where I asked him questions about his company’s needs. And the more I learned about his company, the better I got at pinpointing potential problems. Later that year – in December – we finally started working together.

The initial step of the long-term program I introduced involved having benefits in place that would attract teachers and other staff members to stay on and have tenure with the company. Prior to that, the school only had short-term contracts with its teachers, which ended after seven years of employment. My program’s goal was to extend the years of their stay as much as possible.

In 2018, when I did the annual review of the now seven-year-old program, I realized that it was no longer attractive enough for the new generation of professionals entering the workforce – the millennial and Gen Z employees. At the same time, the program was causing loss instead of gain. So I proposed a revision to keep it up to standard to modern needs.

Here are some excerpts from Chris’s written testimonial about my services:

Question: With the many available options in the market, what made you want to work with Janet?

Chris Barrameda: Janet understands the service industry. After explaining the product clearly and how it is supposed to address the need of the client, the market is won in the end by real service, one that can go from being thorough yet prompt to being forthright yet respectful. I believe those are the aspects that work well for Janet.

Question: What specifically is your favorite part in your business relationship with Janet?

Chris Barrameda: Janet balances the interest of her client and the interest of her principals. She explores ways where both interests are best served.

Question: What problem were you looking to solve when you started your initial business meeting with Janet?

Chris Barrameda: We were looking at how we can be assisted in providing for the retirement of the faculty and staff. Janet came in at the right time.

Question: How did Janet’s recommendation make you feel about your concerns?

Chris Barrameda: Janet is able to understand our needs, even limitations, and is able to come up with possibilities that help address those needs and limitations.

Question: If you were to recommend Janet’s professional services as a financial planner to your best friend or business associate or best client, what would you say?

Chris Barrameda: I would say it is worth giving her professional services a try. One has to experience first what providers offer. We were not disappointed when we tried.

When I think about it again, I didn’t do anything particularly special for Mr Chris. I simply fulfilled my responsibilities in our business relationship. It’s no different from, say, you, as a parent, checking up on your children every so often. In any kind of relationship, whether you see each other everyday or are miles apart, it's essential to reach out and stay in touch.

My relationship with him has evolved through the years and I now see him as a good friend. In fact, he invited me to be part of their Bible study group the same year I revised his program. And at that time, that was exactly what I needed – a group to belong in and feel connected to.

Even in business, this is what staying in touch in a relationship does – it strengthens bonds and promotes the feeling of connectedness among ourselves.

I know that it’s tricky setting up programs that engage your employees and fit your allotted budget at the same time. This is where my expertise and experience comes in. Bridges-PH, a wealth-planning platform, was created for you – micro, small, and medium enterprise owners – to learn more about how I do my practice and the services that I provide. And that’s helping cover the needs of millions of Filipino professionals through life’s up and downs.

Find out for yourself what I can do for you by booking an appointment with me today: https://calendly.com/janetnng