I went to a client’s place to collect a claim form for Critical Illness. He is a client I took over from in 2006 from a colleague who had left the industry. Since then, I had provided financial advisory service to his wife who had bought some products from a bank during the financial crisis and his children’s hospital claims.
He handed over an envelope to me when I reach his place. I took the envelope because I thought it was his claims documents. Then he said,” Kim Heng, before I forget, this is for you.” I felt the envelope & know it is a little stack of notes. He said the money is a token to thank me for my service & help offered to him over the years. I rejected his gifts and told him I am just doing my job but he insisted that I take it.
After numerous failed attempts to reject his kind gesture, I guess the only way is to accept it. I think rejecting it is also not giving him “face”. So I decided to take his cash offer and then donate the money to Singapore Cancer Society to return his kind gesture back to those who might need it.
There are many rejections and down time in our business. It is these appreciation from our clients that keep us going and knowing what we have been doing is right.
My IFA@Sg 