There are many theories about what defines a distinguished salesperson, but at HSBC, a key emphasis is on customer needs - and the customer experience.
The five HSBC employees who excelled in this year's Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) Distinguished Salesperson Award are united in the belief that in order to do so, it is vital to have a customer-service mindset and the willingness to go the extra mile.
The concept is strengthened by mentoring and training programmes that focus on thinking about sales and service from the customer's perspective: how customers are treated, what they need and expect, and ensuring these expectations are met.
This was uppermost in HSBC senior business development officer Vera Cheuk's thoughts when one of her customers enquired about cancelling an insurance policy. Determined to make certain her customer understood the policy benefits and details, Cheuk explained to him and his wife why it was tailored to meet the family's wealth-management goals.
Not only did the customer decide to continue the policy, he invested in five more policies for additional family members. 'This experience reminded me how important it is to understand our customers' needs and always provide clear communication,' she says.
Cheuk and her HSBC colleagues joined competition participants from different sectors and organisations in being assessed against stringent criteria including presentations and interviews. The assessment and judging were conducted by a professional judging panel representing a cross-section of expertise and industries.