You will be able to introduce yourself and your role in a way that is accurate and builds trust.
You have probably been on the receiving end of this. A message from an unknown number: "Hi, I'm conducting a short survey on financial planning for young professionals. It'll only take ten minutes, and you'll get a free gift." Ten minutes later you are being asked about your income and shown a policy. Most people who have had that experience remember it, and they remember how it made them feel about the person and the industry.
The first thing a person should learn about you is what you are and who you work for. In your first contact, by any channel, say your name, the title your firm allows you to use, and the firm you represent.
Titles matter. Firms and industry bodies have rules about which titles representatives may use, and some titles suggest qualifications or independence that you may not have. Use the title your firm approves, exactly as it gives it, and nothing grander. If you are not sure what that is, ask compliance.
Daniel used to introduce himself as "a financial planner". His firm's approved title is different, and he works for an insurer's agency, which is worth saying because it tells the person whose products he advises on. Now his opening is: "Hi, I'm Daniel, a financial services representative with [firm]. I'm an insurance agent, so I advise on [firm]'s life and health insurance plans."
The second rule is to describe the meeting honestly. If the purpose is to understand someone's situation and possibly recommend a product, say so. Do not present it as a survey, a free gift or a general seminar.
The disguised approach is common because it works, in the short term, to get a meeting. It also starts the relationship with a deception, and the person usually realises within minutes. Some will leave. Others will stay but stay guarded, which makes an honest fact-find much harder. A few will remember it when they have a choice between you and another representative years later.
The honest version is not hard. "I'd like to understand your situation and see whether there's anything worth looking at in your cover. If there is, I'll tell you. If there isn't, I'll tell you that too." For a seminar that includes product content, say that the seminar is run by your firm and that you will mention products. For a genuine educational talk with no products, keep it that way.
If your firm runs lucky draws or gifts at roadshows, follow its rules on how they are described and what the person is agreeing to. A gift should never be the reason someone thinks the meeting is about something else.
Tell people they can check you on the MAS Register of Representatives. It costs you nothing and does a lot.
Most people do not know the register exists. Telling them about it shows you have nothing to hide, gives them a way to confirm you are who you say you are, and teaches them a habit that protects them from scammers who pretend to be representatives. That last point matters, because a stranger claiming to be from a financial firm is exactly what a scammer would say too.
Daniel adds one line to his first messages: "You can check my details on the MAS Register of Representatives on the MAS website." A few people do check. Several have told him it was the reason they replied.
The last rule is about scope. If you advise only on some product types, say so before the client asks about others. It is better to say it early than to find, halfway through a fact-find, that the client mainly wanted help with investments you are not notified for.
This also builds trust. "I advise on life and health insurance. If you're looking mainly for investment advice, I'm not the right person, but I can suggest how to find one." The person learns that you are straight about your limits, and lesson 1.3, Where your licence stops and a referral starts, showed how to hand off properly when it happens.
Your introduction will look different on the phone, on WhatsApp and on LinkedIn. A phone call is spoken and needs to be short. A WhatsApp message should be brief and should not feel like a template. A LinkedIn message can say a little more, and your profile already carries some of it. Lesson 2.2 of Sales foundations, First impressions in person, on the phone and on WhatsApp, has more on the tone of each.
But the facts are the same everywhere: your name, your approved title, your firm, what you advise on and that the person can check you on the register. In the activity below you write your introduction for all three channels, each one carrying those facts in its own length and tone.
Write your first-contact introduction for phone, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, each naming your firm and what you advise on.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).