In 2001, I was a regional channel sales manager. I worked in a corporate environment, looking after regional sales in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand. When the Asian Financial Crisis happened around that time, I ended up being retrenched by the company. I wasn’t alone, and a lot of my friends were also laid off, due to changes in management and office politics.

This was when I decided to join the insurance industry. Today I am a Financial Services Consultant for a leading insurer; I specialise in personal risk management, business insurance, and medical insurance. It turned out to be a good decision to make the change.

Retrenchment aside, the time was right for a change

In my previous role as a manager, I would spend about half the month away from home. I lost a lot of family time; I couldn’t attend gatherings, or catch up with friends. At this stage of my life, the time was right anyway to change the pace, and focus on my family.

Now I appreciate the time I can spend with my loved ones, and yet still earn a good income. I’m also able to cultivate more personal relationships with clients, and I’m happy to say many have become good friends over the years.

I do miss flying around the region sometimes, but I prefer being a family person to a corporate figure. As an added bonus, I no longer need to deal with all the long flight times and delays that were already starting to get worse since 9-11.

The transition wasn’t easy at first, but the rewards outweigh the sacrifices

At first, I was worried about the uncertain income, and it was tough to go out looking for business on my own. I made it through by setting a simple goal, to keep calling and meeting a certain number of people – I recall my director telling me that as long as I call and meet people, I will make it. 

I also came in with the assumption that anyone who is over 30 years old is insured already, so they wouldn’t need my help. And I was worried how others might see me, switching from my regional sales job to being an insurance agent. I had to accept that was my role before things started to take-off. 

In the end, a combination of time management, learning from more experienced agents, and staying positive paid off. I started to review the financial situation of willing friends, and I realised that – even if they had some insurance – some of them were not sufficiently covered, or lacked protection in key areas. Now I was in a position to help them.

One other thing that helps is that, in this line of work, the more you work the more you make; there’s a direct correlation.

It’s important to be clear on what we treasure most in life

If what’s most important is your family and loved ones, then I think the corporate world is not as suitable. In that line, you’re often forced to chase after numbers; the focus is on pleasing your upper management, whoever they are at the time. This tends to add political games to the equation; coupled with your job, this can really deprive you of the time needed to be a family person.

It’s also about the kind of relationships you build with clients. To me, the important thing is that I can be there when people are hospitalised or ill; the doctor provides the treatment, while I help provide the financial means to afford the best care. This provides job satisfaction that goes beyond numbers.