Financial advisors can come from all walks of life. Besides requiring a fundamental set of professional skills and traits, it is also important to consider how one’s life experiences or previous career can help to add value to the way you service your clients. Ibrahim Sanusi, a five-year MDRT member with one Court of the Table qualification from Singapore, shares how he combines skills gained from previous careers to help service his clients better and achieve greater success for his practice.

Customer service is of essence  

Throughout his career, Mr. Ibrahim has worked in both front-end and back-end roles in the financial services industry and has risen through the ranks from the bottom rung of the corporate ladder to the other end of the spectrum. This has given him the opportunity to interact with a wide diversity of both internal and external clients from different backgrounds over the years. One of his biggest takeaways he gained is the importance of delivering excellent customer service. “One thing that I realized after all these years is that all clients are good clients,” he shared. That isn’t to say that he hasn’t had his fair share of challenging clients. Instead, he approaches each encounter with his clients as a unique experience; focusing on things within his control, such as the actions he can take to better service them.  

After years of experience in different client-facing roles from operations to management, he noted that simply, “by ensuring that I always give my best, it is usually reciprocated with my clients showing me the best side of them.” This belief serves as a reminder and a motivation for him to consistently deliver excellent service to all his clients, which has in turn enabled him to achieve several sales and service accolades across his previous careers and qualifying for MDRT consecutively. 

Using existing knowledge as an advantage 

Besides the soft skills that are transferable to his current role as a financial advisor, Mr. Ibrahim also actively leverages knowledge gained from previous careers to value-add to what he can offer his clients. “Amalgamating what I have learnt from the banking industry, I (am) able to provide my clients with holistic advice from both my banking and insurance experiences, this has definitely helped me shape a more holistic view for my clients,” he said. For instance, the banking industry focuses primarily on investments, whereas the insurance industry places more emphasis on risk management. Mr. Ibrahim’s past experiences from both industries have enabled him to understand the nuances and intricacies of the different industries. “Having accumulated experiences from both industries have allowed me to advice my client holistically on both risk management and wealth management. This has definitely given me an edge as I utilize my past experience and knowledge to give my clients the best that they can possibly have through one financial advisor,” he shared.

The differentiating factor 

Lastly, it all boils down to having the right attitude and mindset. “I realized the best way to differentiate myself is through my attitude towards the business. I make sure that I always provide the best service possible and the most relevant knowledge to my clients’ financial planning journey,” he shared. Solely leveraging on past experiences is insufficient, and it is also important to constantly learn and pick up new skills to keep your practice relevant and successful. A useful tip Mr. Ibrahim personally recommends is: “End each day with a reflection on the day and list down what has been done well and what can be done better and gain a new knowledge every day. Thereafter, make it a point to practice it within the next 24 – 72 hours. Compound this and you will definitely see changes in yourself in as short as one week to a month.”  

Already an ingrained habit for him, this practice is something that Mr. Ibrahim makes conscious effort to do each day. By reflecting on how he could have done better for the day and constantly expanding his knowledge either through reading or watching videos, this enables him to constantly improve and better service his clients. He added, “However, what’s most important is that I will make sure that I apply what I have reflected on, on the very next day.” This ensures he is best able to internalize his learnings. 

This positive mindset has served as the foundation for the way Mr. Ibrahim approaches his work and has also helped him transition between careers successfully. Now in his role as a financial advisor, he gets to service his clients from a new angle while leveraging the existing knowledge he has gained over the years. What motivates him is knowing that while, “existing experiences is important but whenever I meet a nasty client, I always tell myself that this is one in a million and each encounter is a unique one and by providing the best, I can definitely go home at the end of the day to a good night rest.”  

Contact: MDRTeditorial@teamlewis.com