Many people will have these same kind of intimidating fears when they go to speciality stores — auto parts, outdoors/sports, etc. Certainly for some people, their introversion drives their fear of talking to a sales rep. But for most people, I’d assume they are afraid of talking to a sales rep because they don’t want to ask a dumb question, or look stupid in front of other (more seasoned) customers. So maybe they do some research online or talk to some friends before they head to the store. Or maybe not. Maybe they just walk in, grab the first thing that looks like it will do the job, then get the heck out of there.

However you want to look at it, financial services firms could learn a lot from this psychology though. People feel intimidated, and are afraid to ask questions. How do you help them feel comfortable enough to ask the right questions… so they end up with the right answer/solution/product/service?

Regarding “financial relationships”… Personally speaking, I have zero interest in having a “relationship” with any financial institution. As long as they don’t screw up and don’t annoy me, I’ll do just fine. Banking doesn’t interest me in the slightest, so the less time I spend doing it, the better. (Note: It’s almost impossible to have a relationship with an entity that one spends no time with.)