DÉVELOPPEMENT DES AFFAIRES - Être en mesure de retenir ses clients vous coûtera moins cher que d’en trouver de nouveaux. Le développement des affaires et de la clientèle est une pratique logique, cependant il est aussi important de passer un temps équivalent pour conserver les clients que vous avez déjà.
Although markets have stabilized somewhat in the past couple of years, some risk-averse clients may still feel compelled to abandon their equities investments and head for lower-yielding fixed-income vehicles and cash. But sitting on the sidelines can be a risky proposition, causing these clients to fall short of their long-term investment goals."There is greater risk in staying out of the markets versus staying in," advises George Hartman, CEO of Toronto-based Market Logics Inc. It's a matter of educating clients, he adds, so they understand that extended periods of low returns, typically associated with fixed-income investments, could prevent those clients from reaching their financial objectives.
Latin America appears to have taken a potent dose of cold medication, as the region now appears to be immune to catching a cold when the U.S. sneezes. This situation dispels the decades-old axiom that the fortunes of Latin America are tied to those of its largest trading partner."The region is quite different from what it was 20 years ago," says Serge Pépin, vice president, investment strategy, with BMO Global Asset Management in Toronto. In particular, he suggests, most Latin American countries have learned from their past experiences - for instance, the 1994 Mexican peso crisis, which had a "tequila effect" across the region - and "have now got their act together."