ONLY SRI LANKAN TO CELEBRATE A 24 YEAR MDRT TRIUMPH

Q: What have been the key achievements during your career at AIA?

A: Throughout my career with AIA, I’ve achieved numerous milestones that hold a special place in my memory. Winning the Best Wealth Planner award at AIA for 10 consecutive years between 1997 and 2006 stands out prominently in that list of recognitions.

Additionally, I take pride in being the sole Wealth Planner at AIA to qualify for the prestigious AIA President’s Club award for 11 consecutive years from 2013 to 2023 while also being the first Sri Lankan to be awarded Life membership and Honor Roll recognition by the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT).

Notably, I was recognised as the first Sri Lankan to receive the International Quality Award (IQA) from the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) in Boston, USA, an accolade that underscores the high quality of insurance sales.

Furthermore, being acknowledged as the Sri Lankan with the highest number of MDRT titles totalling 24 – including my most recent achievement in 2023 – fills me with an immense sense of achievement.

I’m also privileged to be the only Wealth Planner to have clinched the Eagle Quality Award for two consecutive years.

As a culmination of these achievements, I was honoured with the first and only prestigious AIA Legend award in 2019.

Q: Can you share some key strategies that have contributed to your remarkable success in the insurance sector?

A: Delivering exceptional service is paramount in earning the trust and confidence of clients, which are two fundamentals in the life insurance sector. Achieving optimal efficiency, fostering genuine personal connections with clients and promptly addressing their inquiries are key attributes of successful salespersons.

Personally, my continual self-improvement through participation in training programmes, mastering comprehensive product knowledge and leveraging the invaluable resources provided by MDRT membership have significantly enhanced my performance.

Furthermore, implementing the insights gained from interactions with world-class professionals within MDRT has been instrumental in refining my skills and expertise.

Referral marketing serves as another cornerstone, ensuring sustained growth through repeat sales and referrals from satisfied clients to their families and friends.

Life is a financial journey and by providing solutions to meet the evolving needs of clients, one can effectively assume the role of a portfolio manager for their life insurance investments over time.

To aspiring life insurance professionals, my advice is simple yet profound: strive to make your life insurance clients your clients for life!

Q: AIA is known for its commitment to customer-centric solutions. How do you align your sales approach with the company’s values to provide optimal service to clients?

A: AIA is well-equipped to provide and maintain the highest standards of service to its clientele. Its brand purpose, focussing on helping people live ‘Healthier, Longer, Better Lives,’ deeply resonates with the client base.

Over my 28 years with the company, AIA’s core values have become an integral part of my professional ethos and I leverage these values in all my client interactions.

AIA not only provides an exceptional work environment but also hosts the sector’s largest training academy to deliver topnotch training that not only motivates but also rewards Wealth Planners, empowering us to reach new milestones consistently.

At the end of the day, our competencies gained through learning and practice help keep the wellbeing of our customers at the heart of everything we do.

Q: How has the sector evolved during your career, and what do you foresee as future challenges or opportunities for insurance professionals?

A: The life insurance sector witnessed gradual changes from 1995 to 2010; but since then, the pace of transformation has surged dramatically. The market has shifted from having few players to a multitude, intensifying competition and ultimately benefitting customers.

In this competitive landscape, only the strongest entities endure – and AIA stands out with its robust financial strength and the solid backing of the AIA Group, which has over a century of industry experience.

Employing cutting-edge technology has also become a strategic imperative for advancing in this dynamic sector.

– Compiled by Yamini Sequeira
CONTACT DETAILS

Telephone: 2310310 | Email: lk.info@aia.com | Website: aialife.com.lk