EP132: Forty years in financial services: How Bob Harvey’s journey and outlook created a happy retirement

"I think most people appreciate someone making a purchase easier for them. Selling is not about persuading someone to buy something that they do not need but making a decision easier. ‘People buy from people,’ is a common saying and our job is to ensure that people buy us and not the product."

Meet Bob Harvey, now non executive director at SeventySeven Wealth Management after 25 years in management at St. James's Place. In this interview he reflects upon his career in sales and why it's now seen as a dirty word as well as wellness and his views on retirement.

"Compared to 30 years ago, the consumer is far better off. The industry is regulated, and people are more financially aware. The financial adviser is also treated as a professional person (which was not the case 40 years ago). There has been a shift in perception from financial advisers as product salesmen to genuine professionals."

In this interview we discuss:

• the importance of sales

• how Bob's father was one of the founding directors of Tesco’s when they set up their first store after the war in Brixton market

• how important it is to present yourself well

• going out cold calling shops in Maidstone in the snow in the late 1970s

striking the balance between work and life and lots more.

"I think the whole ‘work hard, play hard’ thing is really important. Working eight-hour days gives definition to downtime. I think a lot of people fall down because they do not give themselves enough time off. Here, I do not mean physically, but emotionally. It is important to be able to put things to one side, or in a box, and say I am going to focus on something else."

You can follow Bob on LinkedIn and read more about him on SeventySeven's website.