Sales, Marketing and Customer Service
What the exam tests
Sales, Marketing and Customer Service covers needs-based selling, product presentation, marketing compliance, objections, closing, and after-sales service.
Core rules
- Fact-find first: gather needs, objectives, financial position, risk tolerance, and existing cover before recommending.
- Suitability: the recommendation must fit the client's needs, not the agent's commission.
- Disclosure: explain benefits, risks, exclusions, charges, and cooling-off rights in plain language.
- Marketing rules: no misleading guarantees, no pressure tactics, no unapproved comparisons; keep records of advice.
- Service: handle queries promptly, process claims fairly, and route complaints to the proper channel.
Worked example
A client says, "I want the highest return; just sell me the investment-linked plan." The agent must still fact-find and explain that returns are not guaranteed. If the client's time horizon is two years and the product has a long lock-in with early surrender penalties, the suitable recommendation may be a shorter-term savings or protection product. The reasoning is that suitability overrides the client's stated product preference, and the agent must document why the recommendation fits.
Traps
- Promising guaranteed returns to close a sale.
- Skipping the fact-find because the client seems knowledgeable.
- Treating complaints as a nuisance rather than a regulated process.