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By Christine
Imbs
Most sales representatives would agree making cold calls aren’t
easy. But according to Jim Weddle, managing partner for Edward Jones,
they can also be downright dangerous.
“I had just opened a branch office for Edward Jones in Connersville,
Ind., a small farm community,” he says. “And it was a hot August
day, and I was in my suit going from farmhouse to farmhouse.”
Weddle says normally he’d speak with the farmer’s wife, but on this
one particular occasion, she sent him to talk with her husband.
Seeing the farmer in a distant field riding back and forth on his
tractor, Weddle set off. The farmer didn’t notice him at first,
but his bull sure did.
“I looked up and saw this bull walking toward me,” he says. “Of
course, I started getting a little nervous, so I started walking
faster. But the faster I walked, the faster the bull walked. I said
to myself, ‘This is not good.’”
Fortunately, Weddle made it to the farmer with only his pride hurt.
The farmer just laughed. “He said to me, ‘Young man, they will chase
you if you run. Don’t run.’ All I could say was, ‘Yes sir!’”
As a boy living in Naperville, Ill., it’s doubtful that Weddle ever
imagined he would come face-to-face with a bull, at least not like
this. Originally his plan was to become a veterinarian. But a month-long
internship while attending DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.,
made him rethink his options.
“I love animals, so I just thought being a veterinarian would be
fun,” he explains. “But after a month of late night emergencies,
and going to the sale barn to blood-type hogs, and a few other things
better left unmentioned, I just knew it wasn’t for me.”
Weddle ended up getting his B.A. at DePauw in psychology, with a
minor in business and economics. He went on to Washington University
and was working on his MBA when he joined Edward Jones as a part-time
researcher. But although he loved the company, as well as the industry,
research just didn’t interest him. What he wanted was to be out
in the field talking to folks.
“While working in research, I would talk with the field representatives.
They were energetic, upbeat, enthusiastic and interacting with the
firm’s clients,” he explains. “I thought, ‘I’m on the wrong end
of the phone. I’ve got to get out there.’ So I studied for my Series
7, a six-hour licensing exam. And I did this while working 30 hours
a week and attending Wash U. I ended up being the 200th investment
representative hired.”
Weddle worked as an investment representative for seven years while
in Indiana. He later took on the responsibility for the firm’s growth
on the East Coast. By 1997, he was responsible for managing the
firm's branch offices, which included responsibility for not only
the facilities themselves, but also investment representatives’
compensation, recognition and leadership development. He became
only the fifth managing partner in Edward Jones’ history in January
this year. Still, he admits he misses the client interaction.
“It was fun sitting across the desk from someone, or in their living
room, learning about their financial goals, understanding their
situations and helping them find solutions,” he says. “And the work
we do is very, very important. People need to save. They need to
get those dollars working. And we’re helping them to do so.”
But there is one thing he doesn’t miss—that bull. “He was really
big,” he says laughing. I thought for certain my career had ended
right then and there. It was an interesting day to say the least.”
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TALKINGPOINTS
BORN: Elgin, Ill.
FAMILY: Wife, Stacey and
three kids –Lindsey, Christopher and Dusty.
EDUCATION: B.A. from DePauw
University, Greencastle, Ind.; MBA from Washington University
HOBBIES: Water sports
and old cars. Still owns a white 1970 Alfa Romeo Spider that
he bought in 1971.
CURRENTLY READING: “The
World is Flat” by Thomas L. Friedman
IMPRESSIONS OF ST. LOUIS:
A great place to raise your family. Wonderful sports and cultural
venues, as well as educational institutions. |
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