Ms Agassi Wang is not just the winner of the first-ever regional Insurance Agent of the Year Award but truly a legend who lives and breathes the pride of victory which she seems to surround her so effortlessly.
She has won several awards in her lifetime and it is easy to understand why as she is truly a very gifted PR person and very devout about client service. So successful an agent is she that she has a whole long list of A-star clients and even organises special soirees for her clients at which she personally chooses the performers for the evenings with no qualms about paying a few hundred thousand dollars for the singers. For her 20th Anniversary party, she even produced a coffee table book that is the stuff legends are made of. No wonder that she has a 99% persistency rate.
In love with insurance
Hers is an easy story to write as Agassi just loves her job selling insurance as she believes in what she does and, more importantly, convinced that she does make a difference in the lives of the people she touches.
And so infectious is she as a salesperson that when she won the inaugural Award as Insurance Agent of the Year under the Asia Trusted Agents and Advisers Awards in Singapore, she was met on arrival by her fans and teammates with a banner hailing her as Queen of Insurance. And that she really is. She is regal in everything she does and pays particular personal attention to minute details to ensure that everything has a perfect ending.
A PR whizz
And so tireless a PR-whizz is she that after each party – whether she is host or guest – she will spend another two hours at home uploading her pictures onto Facebook and Instagram. This has become a legend now and many Manulife managers actually expect to see Agassi’s social media updates the very next day as a matter of course. And she said “I have to do this myself to get the most tasteful shots up”.
A leader with a magic wand
Having grown up in Korea and having won awards as a screen actress in Taiwan, Agassi is no ordinary Hong Kong gal. She is glamourous and generous too. She said as a leader, she has nurtured several of her team members from ordinary ducklings to lovely swans. And she is so confident of achieving this that one suspects this fairy godmother has a secret magic wand to add glory to every agent she nurtures.
And so caring a leader is she that she paused to share the pains that these “ducklings” face after becoming glamour queens, especially back home with their spouses who sometimes cannot cope with these beauty transformations. She said: “I urge them to spend more time and attention to their spouses who might feel left behind in the success story of my agents. I do this because a good marriage and happy family life are important to being a motivated agent who is out there revving to help others.” She sees herself as personal coach and trainer to her teammates and she confesses that her working hours are dictated by them. “I am available to them at all hours, not just 9 to 5.”
Focus on hard work
Her team of some 200 loves her as they have seen her convert complainants to buy more. And her choice of teammates is simple. “I don’t go for looks or hot shots. I look for whether he or she can work hard. If they are hardworking, the rest I can handle to make them great agents.” She spreads success throughout the team, though she readily admits that she has made a couple of mistakes in selection. Her biggest regret as leader is to see a good agent quit for personal or marital reasons.
A tribute to Manulife
Despite being a success and winner for Manulife as Top Advisor of the Year 2010-2012 & 2014, and a Senior Regional Director at Manulife Hong Kong, the first-ever female leader climbing to this top agency management ladder, the top post for agency managers, Agassi has the grace and humility to always pay tribute to Manulife and the support it gives her as the critical reason for her success.
She said: “They guide me always, coach me and challenge me to excel even beyond my belief. So I owe it to them. Plus they have good products that my clients need.” Her loyalty to her company is bien evident and salutary in this age where people jump ship so easily.
In that same vein, she speaks of her spouse as always being there for her and understanding the nature of her work and her passion for insurance without feeling threatened by it. He even attends several of her Awards ceremonies and business trips overseas. She also makes it a point to spend time with her most “supportive spouse as he really is special”. And she so casually remarked: “Perhaps it is easier for me as we don’t have children and we are each other’s special.”
Read more about the Awards and get the latest on this year’s launch at http://events.asiainsurancereview.com/asialifeawards/