Mr. Neeraj Kumar
Kalu Khera
We had a tète à tète with Neeraj Kumar, a big Partner from a small village. In this passage, we have narrated his story, his views, the factors which contributed to his success, and his plans for the future.
Basic Info
Mr. Neeraj kumar aged about 38 years lives in Kalu khera village of Unnao District, which is 40 Km form Lucknow. Kalu Khera is a small village with a population of around just 1 lakh. Until 2001, he owned a small shop in his village and his marriage was scheduled in 2002, but before getting married he wanted to do something which would accentuate his worth, so he joined LIC as an Insurance Advisor, and he was able to sell 93 policies in the first year itself.
His journey with NJ
In the year 2011, Kumar's mentor Mr. Sheetla Prasad (NJ Partner) advised him to start MF/Investment Advisory and to join NJ as a partner. Though Mr. Kumar was not very convinced, but out of respect for Mr. Prasad, he joined NJ as a partner – This was his defining moment. And since then there was no looking back.
Outlook on Wealth Creation through the SIP route
Mr. Kumar believes that SIP is the most convenient method to create wealth and achieve goals. He is aggressively promoting the idea of saving through SIPs. In fact, he started his MF business through SIPs only.
Educating Investors
Kumar believes in meeting new people and educating them about the basic difference between Investment and Insurance. He educates clients on concepts like Return on Investment and the importance of considering the impact of Inflation while calculating returns. Insurance is a very integral part of his business as the base of his business was created through LIC.
Role of E-Wealth
Being from a remote area, he could have fallen back and probably settled for a small scale business, because of the geographical constraints, but he did not give in, he accepted the challenge and veritably built a huge AUM of Rs 20 Crore.
Do you know how he has been able to build this level of AUM in spite from coming from a very small village?
So, his determination and E-Wealth Platform helped him. 100% of his business is on the E Wealth Platform.
Views on support provided by NJ
Sharing his views on NJ Platform, he is extremely satisfied with the technology initiatives. The Partner and Client Desks are very useful and also user friendly. In fact, his success and the level he has grown to, can largely be attributed to technology, as we already mentioned above that his entire business is on the E-Wealth Platform. According to Mr. Kumar, the only way out for a distributor to grow beyond a level is when he adopts Technology, because human capacity is limited, but it can be augmented manifold through technology.
Another thing that Kumar appreciates about NJ is the research material shared by NJ, this literature has remained extremely helpful for his advisory practice over the years. It has aided him in educating investors, supporting facts with figures, gaining knowledge on the industry, products, business development and personal finance.
The Path ahead for new Partners
We asked Kumar for his suggestions for new Partners, how according to him should the new Partners approach their business?
So, firstly, he laid emphasis on time and efforts. He said, like any other business, advisory business too needs your time. Do not treat it has a part time affair, it's only with your unending efforts and dedication, can your business grow manifold.
Also, he stressed on being humane. Advisory is a service oriented business, and one needs to be a people's person to be a successful advisor. Kumar adopts a parental approach in dealing with his staff, he is very soft spoken and he doesn't believe in client segmentation. He treats all his clients equally, irrespective of their size.
Business Goals
About his business goals, he has set a goal to create an AUM of Rs 100+ Cr. in the next 3 years and an SIP book of Rs 2 Cr, while creating wealth for approximately 300 families.