Building an effective team is a matter of choosing people with complementary strengths and skills, says Louis Paquet, vice president with National Bank Financial Ltd. in Quebec City.

Paquet is senior advisor on a four-person interdisciplinary team. His team includes both a financial planner and a fully qualified portfolio manager.

The team also includes a wealth of experience. Paquet himself has 40 years in the business; collectively, the team has 100 years in the financial services industry.

Even if you divide your clients among team members according to the services the client receives, incoming clients should meet the entire team, Paquet says, regardless of the clients’ financial needs.

“When a client walks in for the first meeting,” he says, “we are all at the table.”

— KATE BETTS-WILMOTT