What is the role of soft skills in a financial professional’s life?  

Soft skills are one of the key ingredients in business, and when it comes to financial management, a major part of it depends on the quality of soft skills one possesses. In a country like India, where finance management is gaining traction among prospects and clients, soft skills such as communication, critical thinking, time management, decision making, leadership, and so on. are of great support.  

While hard skills are necessary to keep the business running, soft skills enhance business opportunities. Finance management is mostly about interacting and coordinating with the clients and prospects. As a result, financial advisors must master soft skills in order to guide and gain trust of clients and prospects, and thus run their business efficiently and profitably.   

What are the top three soft skills every professional must have? 

They must have these important soft skills: 

1. Communication: It might sound very simple, but communication is one of the most vital soft skills to drive smooth client conversations and also helps a lot in influencing and negotiating with the client.  

2. Time management: Undoubtedly, time is one of the biggest challenges any professional faces and keeping up with it, requires precise planning. One must learn how to manage time and prioritize things accordingly, to ensure happy and satisfied clientele.  

3. Creative thinking: Coming up with different solutions to a problem adds brownie points to a business. Creative thinking not only helps in enhancing business opportunities but also enhances versatility.  

Can you share an example of how soft skills helped you in your professional life?  

As a wealth architect, I believe soft skills are highly critical while serving my clients or prospects. I strive to give my best when it comes to communicating with leads and offering them the best solution that suits their needs.  

A few years back, I met a prospect, who was highly demotivated and hopeless with his investments at that time. He wanted to withdraw the investments as he realized that those were not generating much profit, but couldn't due to lack of proper guidance.  

I took the responsibility and helped him retrieve most of his invested money in the shortest time possible. As a result, he completely put his faith in me and selected me as his financial advisor. So, that’s one of the success stories that every advisor should strive to create in their journey.  

While soft skills are important during client interactions, these are also pivotal for leaders to motivate, engage and inspire subordinates. Hence financial advisors must focus going beyond learning hard skills and excel in soft skills to make the overall business more efficient and successful in terms of happy and satisfied clients 

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