Ruan Stander.
Champagne, treats and non-stop laughter were the order of the day at the FMI offices in Durban on Wednesday, 17 January 2018, as the staff celebrated the winner of their #21Lives story-sharing competition, Ruan Stander.
Stander, a Cape Town resident and Independent Financial Adviser at Constans Financial Services, came out triumphant in the competition, which had advisers around the country sharing FMI’s 21 unique testimonial videos with their clients. The competition was an extension of FMI’s #21Lives – a campaign that was aimed at educating the public about the importance of protecting their monthly income and helping people to see life insurance in a way they hadn’t before, using real-life stories they could relate to.
“During the filming of #21Lives, it was incredible to go out and personally visit 21 policyholders who we’ve protected over the years, and that because of their income protection policy paying in their times of injury or illness, their lives weren’t turned upside down. To see how FMI assisted these inspirational people was truly rewarding. We then decided to use these personal, captivating #21Lives stories to help humanise insurance and provide a way for clients to connect to the need for this type of life insurance. We set out to change the way insurance was perceived and sold, and for financial advisers to use the stories and videos in their client meetings. Storytelling has an amazing power and that’s been proven since the inception of this campaign…” stated FMI’s CEO, Brad Toerien.
Stander was surprised with a celebration for his outstanding contribution to the campaign. The 24-year-old financial adviser was congratulated by Toerien for sharing his passion of helping people protect their future hopes and dreams by getting the right cover in place.
“Since establishing our brokerage… We have focused on servicing the post-graduate and younger market – which, traditionally in our industry, are largely ignored. Being considered a millennial myself, I’m passionate about educating other young adults when it comes to financial planning and wealth protection. I saw first-hand with the 21 Lives videos how the power of storytelling can connect with people and make them realise the necessity of having key policies in place to protect themselves. These videos showed real examples of people facing unexpected challenges that could happen to anyone, at any stage of life. They are an invaluable tool for me to share with my clients and friends, so to win this grand holiday prize was an unexpected bonus that I am thrilled about, and I’m very grateful for FMI,” enthused Stander.
For his efforts, Stander will enjoy a holiday to the value of R100 000 to a destination of his choosing.
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