[caption id="attachment_1940" align="alignright" width="120" caption="Photo from Patrick's Blog"][/caption] Today, I received an unexpected and unsolicited call from a ms x and our conversation went like this: ms x: mr patrick lim? myself: speaking. ms x: someone spoke highly of u and recommended me to u. m : thank u. may i ask who recommmended u to me please? ms x: well, the person who recommended me to u told me to keep this confidential. m : ok, i should not insist then. may i ask what may i do for u please? ms x: i was told u are an insurance guru, and that is why i seek your expertise to recommend me insurance products. m: : thank u for your kind words. and yes, we can have an informal meeting to ascertain your needs. ms x: what are your charges? m : i do not charge for my services. ms x: really? when can we meet? m : is monday afternoon of the following week good for u? ms x: ok, say at 3pm? m : can meet in my office at keypoint? ms x: fine. m : fine. in case of any change, may i have your mobile number please? ms x: 8xxxxxxx m : thanks. l look forward to our meeting then. ms x: one last thing, i spoke to another adviser earlier and he offered me rebates because i will be buying many policies. do u give rebates also? m : with due respect, i have NEVER offered discounts and or rebates in my 12 years in the financial industry. and i have to respectfully tell u no. ms x: why? i promise to take up many policies from u. m : with apologies, but my answer is still no. ms x: then i'm not going to meet up with u. m : it's ok. all the best to u. my comments: From time to time, I do receive similar telephone calls with the caller identifying himself/herself to be referred by one of my existing clientele. And the theme is almost always the same, either buying many insurance policies or taking up large sum assured plans with premiums running into 5 figures. Very mouth watering, right? Read more...