Amy B H Liu

Most people instinctively feel they’re not cut out for sales. My take is: if you never try, you’ll never know and if you enjoy talking to people and the opportunity for a career in sales presents itself, give yourself the chance to find out. Ask yourself, “What could you possibly gain in comparison to what you might lose?”. I’m a strong advocate for sales because of how it has propelled my career and enabled me to lead the life I want, and I love seeing others benefit from it too.

Fast-tracked growth

Twelve years ago, I embarked on my sales journey immediately after university by joining HSBC as a Primary Banker at my local branch in Sarawak, Malaysia. When I relocated to Kuala Lumpur in 2019, my career took off quickly, leading to a promotion to Premier Relationship Manager and my recent transition to Premier Relationship Director.

What was your career progression experience like?

HSBC has a transparent career progression system. As soon as I met the promotion criteria, I was eligible to advance to the next level, regardless of my tenure here. I believe the same can be said about my sister’s journey too, she joined HSBC as a Primary Banker in 2020 and in just a little over four years, she has progressed to a Premier Relationship Manager role.

Success is a work in progress

Though growth can be swift, there’s no overnight success in sales. You must hang tight, be patient and stay the course. It’s important to set a clear goal for yourself and work hard towards it. It also involves building up your self-confidence. It’s a vital life skill that lets your integrity, credibility and reliability shine through in the way you communicate with others, making it easy for your team, peers and customers to place their trust in you.

“Test your potential in sales, even if you always thought it’s not for you. Who knows? It might just spark a rewarding lifelong career”

Another tip is to open your eyes and ears to observe people around you. Anyone could be an informal mentor. You can enhance your conversational skills by observing the techniques employed by your seniors or drawing inspiration from the approaches your colleagues take in various situations.

Explore your options

My current career goal is to continue honing my skills as a Premier Relationship Director and expand my customer base while building long-term relationships with them. Wealth management is a great path for me, but at HSBC, I know that I can also explore other pathways if I choose to at any point. The company supports internal mobility, and I can openly discuss my next steps with my line manager.