Insurance

Insurance... It used to be a taboo topic for Muslims. But over the years, when more and more Muslims become more educated, they study, they research and some have even become theology experts and consider the act of buying an insurance policy as a Fardhu Kifayah and the one selling it also gets to reap the benefits (pahala) of Fardhu Kifayah too. I am an insurance agent since 1996. I have done a lot of claims, ranging from travel insurance claims, minor accidents to cancer claims. To-date, I cannot count how many accident and hospitalisation claims I have done for my clients. There have been simply too many. And to-date, I have done two cancer claims. No death claims so far and I do not wish to do this claim while I am still alive. May every client of mine is blessed with good health always. Amin... Nobody wants to be injured, nobody wants to be sick but as the Malay saying goes, "SEDIAKAN PAYUNG SEBELUM HUJAN"; which literally means, prepare an umbrella before it rains... Insurance... I am passionate about it. I talk to anybody about it. I help to create awareness to those who are unfamiliar about it. I help to create a listening pair of ears for those who have had issues about it. But just like any other sales job, I also look forward to new business all the time. So, to those I am comfortable and happy to take my acquaintance-ship and friendship to the next level, I ask them if they too are comfortable and happy with me. If yes, I will encourage them to embark on the agent-client relationship with me. I will walk through with every individual on his/her needs and aspirations. Some people are concerned only about protection. Some people are only concerned about how to save with discipline in order to achieve a lump sum amount after X years for their children's tertiary education, for their children's wedding banquet, for their long vacation, for their Haj. Most of the time, they are comfortable to tell me what their existing commitments are, what their salaries are, thus, how much they are willing to set aside to embark on their insurance journey with me. I have never done any hard-selling to anyone. My clients and friends who are non-clients can confirm this. If you tell me you only want to use your Medisave, I will propose policies that use only Medisave to pay for the premiums. If you tell me you want to do wealth-accumulation but do not want to use cash, I will ask you to log in to your CPF account and walk through with you the available options for investment-linked policies. If you tell me you only have $50 cash to spare every month, I will propose for your needs based on $50 per month. I am happy whenever my clients are happy, and that is most important to me where my work-life is concerned. From strangers, they become clients, from clients, they become friends; and some even become my good friends and family friends. Alhamdulillah :-) I do not follow-up closely with people whom I do not wish to have the agent-client relationship with. Call me judgmental but after almost two decades in this business, I more or less know what to look for before I want to serve a person as his/her insurance agent. Yes, we would talk about insurance whenever we bump into each other or whenever we have class reunion dinners but I stop short of setting an appointment for business. Simply put, I do not wish to have that person as my client, eventhough he/she would text me to ask when we could meet for the policy sign-up. "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill.