Branch Consultant/Financial Advisor

Who are we?
Sanlam Developing Markets [SDM] (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanlam Life Limited) is one of the top financial services providers in the South African entry-level and emerging middle market. It aims to understand the unique requirements of clients and offers a wide range of simple and affordable financial solutions that cover needs such as funeral insurance, savings for education, life cover and personal accident plans. In terms of the Sanlam Group Governance Policy, SDM is managed by the SA Retail Mass cluster, which is part of the Sanlam Life and Savings cluster within the Sanlam Group. The cluster focusses on retail products, as well as group schemes.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• To promote Sanlam Retail Mass (SRM)'s products and increase market share through:

• Providing sound financial advice and a high level of client service in a Branch context.

• Creating opportunities for client optimisation and cross selling of value-added services.

Key Responsibilities

• Sales delivery
• Gain and maintain an in-depth understanding of SRM product ranges.
• Gain an understanding of the customer's needs, financial goals and means, and provide the right product (or selection of products) that will satisfy the goals of the customer in the best and most affordable way possible.
• Continuously update and inform customers of new products, or changes in existing products. Manage, review, and incorporate the implications of product changes on the customer's portfolio accordingly.
• Validate client details in line with product and regulatory requirements. Submit new business through the right channels.
• Conduct due diligence on clients to identify and flag risks.
• Manage own capacity to ensure daily appointments are being prioritised while allowing time for and capitalising on walk-in / non-appointment clients.
• In-branch client service and client retention

• Responsible for servicing and managing all client profiles to ensure clients remain on the books.

• Send payment reminders, conduct follow-ups, and remain in contact to address potential queries or to provide support.

• Manage and report on NTUs (clients Not Taken Up) by putting controls in place, and taking corrective actions where required.

• Manage persistency of client payments in favour of both the branch and the client.

• Gain insight into client risk profiles to proactively identify where support will be required.

• Consult with clients on alternative payment arrangements and ensure it gets processed through and noted on the right platforms.

• Responsible for in-branch servicing in line with client experience standards:

• Apply product knowledge to accurately guide clients through policy cancellations and provide alternative options.

• Resolve various types of client queries in the branch as far as possible or escalate queries to the right stakeholders by using the existing escalation framework. Follow up on the status and continuously provide feedback to the client.

• Quality, compliance and continuous development

• Remain up to date with and continuously adhere to compliance and quality standards.
• Keep up to date with own registration, product knowledge and maintenance of own CPD points.
• Identify risks and flag potentially fraudulent activities.
• Keep and store relevant records of advice.
• Log all activities as per regulations and standard operating procedures, and provide data to relevant stakeholders to inform reporting and decision making.
• Monthly planning and reporting
• Responsible for reporting on activities daily, through using relevant technology platforms.
• Collate data on activities to deliver on weekly and monthly reporting deadlines.
• Perform any ad-hoc requirements as requested by the Retail Branch Manager.

Qualifications

• Matric (Grade 12)
• RE5 advantageous
• FAIS Compliant (Wealth Management) as per DOFA requirements.
• Class of Business training (to be completed within 12-months of employment)

Knowledge and Experience

Skills and Competencies

Personal Attributes
Business insight - Contributing independently

Decision quality - Contributing independently

Builds effective teams - Contributing independently

Plans and aligns - Contributing independently

Build a successful career with us
We're all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

Turnaround time
The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers.

Our commitment to transformation
The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.