Eyes & Ears: Monett adviser's persistence nets Wall Street Journal ink

The story starts, "At least three times a week, Jim Haston puts on a suit and tie and goes door-to-door in this town of 7,500."

I read this edition of The Wall Street Journal like any other, scanning headlines, reading the first few paragraphs of stories and gleaning what I can from the related charts. But in this article, I failed to immediately notice the dateline. I wondered what town Haston worked in and quickly glanced above: "MONETT, Mo."

I blinked, shook my head and opened my eyes wide to see if I was imagining this hometown coverage at the bottom of WSJ's Page One. Not that the nation's preeminent daily business newspaper couldn't report from southwest Missouri; it just doesn't happen every day.

I was caught completely off guard. The headline didn't exactly scream Monett. "School of Hard Knocks: Edward Jones Still Sells Investments Door-to-Door" was buried below the fold.

With the bigger news of this Jan. 10-11 weekend edition blaring "Citigroup Takes First Steps Toward Breakup" and "Yearly Job Loss Worst Since 1945," I wondered what prompted WSJ to investigate business activities in the small town on Highway 60 between Springfield and Joplin. I continued reading, "In the 13 months since he started working the streets, Mr. Haston, 41 years old, has had dozens of doors slammed in his face. ... He has also attracted $2.1 million in new assets."

I wanted to get the inside scoop: how Haston became the lead source for this story that could have been written from any town in America; how his life has changed since it ran. I just wanted to talk with him to get feedback from this national exposure.

I called Haston's office, and after giving "Vickie" my name and employer, she asks:

"Is this about the Wall Street Journal article?"

I said it was, and she explained Haston was heading into a conference call. She took my number.

I didn't hear back the next day, so I made a follow-up call.

"He's not going to be able to do the interview," Vickie tells me, now firm yet still polite. "You need to call Edward Jones home office and ask for public relations, and they would visit with you about that."

I explained the premise of the column and my interest in learning how the story had impacted Haston's personal and professional life.

"OK, he can't just have a conversation with me?" I made my plea.

"No, it would be better if you went through Edward Jones' home office."

Ugh. There I was, left high and dry. The deadline clock was ticking, and having jumped through corporate PR hoops before, I knew it couldn't happen.

So now my plan had taken a turn. I went back to the article.

Inside on page A7, a photo appears of Haston driving his "gleaming green 2001 Chevy pickup" around Monett. A few more inches in, reporter Mary Pilon introduces another surprise to readers in southwest Missouri: Josh DeTar, of Joplin, a young, new Edward Jones agent.

The story underscores St. Louis-based Edward Jones' tried-and-true investment sales program. Investors, including Haston and even managing partner Jim Weddle on occasion, knock on doors to round up clients and assets to manage. The old-school effort requires an army - 12,000 brokers strong, including nearly 1,000 added in the last year - Pilon reports.

Here's the kicker: The story wraps with a teaser to www.wsj.com/video, where viewers can watch a day in the life of Jim Haston. In a two-minute clip, Pilon tags along as Haston zigzags through the streets of Monett. "Knock-knock-knock."

It's too bad my knock on his door went unanswered.

Springfield Business Journal Editor Eric Olson can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.

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