Hard work works

Varneah Hartung is the Home Loans Sales Consultant at Nedbank Namibia
Wetumwene Shikage
Hartung was born in South Africa, Cape Town, where he spent his early childhood. He later moved to Namibia where he completed his primary and secondary education. Hartung matriculated from P.K de Villiers Secondary School in Keetmanshoop.
Academically, he has completed a Credit Development Programme as well as a Management Development Programme, he is currently studying towards a BCom in International Business.
“I started my banking journey in 2007 as a Waste Clerk at a local bank back in Keetmanshoop. I realized my passion for working in the banking industry after I saw the positive impact we had on clients. I then went to work three other financial institutions before my tenure with Nedbank,” he said.
Hartung is married and blessed with two children who he spends most of his time with if he is not gardening. He says his family is his biggest motivation.
As a Sales Consultant with extensive Sales and Service exposure of more than 10 years in the Banking industry, Hartung is also part of the support unit which services the Nedbank Private Wealth team for Asset Financing. His daily workload involves maintaining and servicing existing client relationships while developing new business relationships through the sale of the bank’s retail products such as home loans, vehicle Loans, TechLoans, and Llfestyle loans.
During these unprecedented times, Hartung says he resorted to upping his game when the pressure strikes. “Last year was the toughest year I have faced in the sales industry however; it was also my greatest sales yearly achievement. One should remember that when a client grants you the opportunity to assist them, it is an absolute honor,” he said.
Hartung says there are four things he has learned throughout his career. These are: Hard work works,- remain humble and honest throughout your journey; Attitude is everything; and finally, that being lazy is disrespectful to the people who believe in you.
Accomplishments and challenges
Being awarded in 2019 and 2020 as Nedbank Top Sales Individual and Nedbank Top 4 Achiever is a career high for him. He acknowledged that these achievements would not have been possible without the support of his team and the platform provided to him by Nedbank Namibia.
Operating during lockdown without having the opportunity to sit down and interview a client and develop a relationship was one of his biggest challenges. “I approach each client differently and identify their specific need prior to completing an application. Covid-19 restrictions limited our access to have physical consultations with clients. This did not stop me, I made sure to develop a system that enabled me to have access to clients so I make sure they receive our stellar product offerings,” he said.