Fall is just
around the corner, and this time of year has AppMan© thinking
of his family and how they never forget the basics. Yes, Adam Manning, the
AppMan©, is speaking of his Uncle Archie and cousins Peyton and
Eli. Uncle Archie would hold the football in his hand every year and say
to his sons, “Boys, let's get down to the BASICS - this is a football. And
remember, you never lose a game, you only run out of TIME.” “The price of
success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand and the determination
that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the
task at hand.” -- Vince Lombardi. And remember, “Individuals win games,
but a TEAM wins championships”
So my goal of getting back to the "Basics of Life" (as Waylon and Willie
would say) is to help you make bigger sales, faster. Basically we want to
sell people, not impress them with our complexity. Too often we try to
make things complex just because we have this need to impress people with
all the knowledge that we’ve learned over the years. For the most part,
they’re not that impressed. They get confused and don't understand, and
when they don’t understand, they don’t want to be around you. So let’s
simplify things as much as possible.
One idea can change a lifetime - perhaps yours, perhaps that of a client.
You make a difference in the lives of people. As the AppMan©, I
would like to help convert some of your careers to a mission because when
you have a mission, you have a purpose. You know why you’re here. People
dream dreams. You help them convert their dreams to reality. You help them
keep their dreams alive. If they die without enough life insurance, their
dreams are going to die when they do. So make a big difference in their
lives.
Life insurance is a combination
of caring, common sense and character. Not only does it take caring,
common sense and character to buy life insurance, it also takes caring,
common sense and character to sell life insurance.
Life insurance is like a parachute - you must have it before you need it.
Noah had to build the ark before the flood, didn’t he?
As the AppMan©, I would like to ask a question of the readers.
How many of you have a dog at home? When your doorbell rings, does your
dog go running to the door? Is it ever for him? Does your dog take it
personally? No, your dog’s tail keeps waging. He is figuring that next
time it is probably going to be for him, right? “Lord, let me live up to
the standards my dog thinks of me!” The next time you think you’re getting
rejected, remember the little story I just told you about the dog.
Rejection is not personal.
A few words about attorneys and CPAs. If your client does not have enough
life insurance, I’m going to suggest to you that this is proof beyond a
reasonable doubt that his or her attorney or CPA is not a specialist in
life insurance. Is this a fair statement? How many of you have an attorney
and an accountant? How many of you have received a call within the last
six months from your attorney or your accountant with a really great idea?
Do you think they’re singling you out for abuse? Probably not. The fact
is, they’re not planning, they’re reacting.
People are best convinced by reasons they themselves discover. How do you
get people to discover reasons themselves? Ask questions! What I just
said, “People are best convinced by reasons they themselves discover.” Ask
questions and listen to the answers.
Let’s look at an example of simplicity. Write down two numbers. The first
number is based on the following: if you had been in a car accident last
week, and you had been killed, and someone else had been responsible for
your death, how much would your family sue the responsible party for? This
is the first number I want you to write down. Now, what do you think the
second number is that I want you to write down? How much life insurance is
there on your life? “How much are your tomorrows worth?” That’s what we’re
talking about here. Here's an example. If your average earnings over the
next 30 years would be $100,000, that number times 30 years is $3 million.
An attorney would probably try to sue for more than that because they
would anticipate your earnings going higher, and then they would take some
discounted present value. But for someone to have $1,000,000 of life
insurance wouldn’t make sense, would it? Okay, let’s put that in
perspective for people.
Here's another example. A child’s world is basically comprised of his
father, mother, home and school. When the father dies without enough life
insurance the child not only has lost his or her father, but his or her
mother also. Because the mother, if she was already working outside the
home, is probably going to have to work even longer hours. And if she
wasn’t working outside the home, she’s probably going to have to start
working outside the home. So the child has now lost a father and also a
mother. If they didn’t have enough insurance, they’re probably going to
have to sell the big home and move into a smaller one, aren’t they? So now
the child has lost a father, partially lost a mother and lost a home. If
they have to move to a different neighborhood, the child probably has to
go to a different school. So the child’s entire world is gone just because
they didn’t have enough life insurance. Something that costs nothing.
There’s no cost for having it, only a cost for not having it. The father
reasoned that he needed the insurance, not for him but for them.
In my heart I, as the AppMan©, know I made a difference in this
man’s life. I helped his children. That’s what you do. You make a
difference. You help keep people’s dreams alive. You help convert their
dreams to reality.
Convert your career to a mission, and you’ll make even more of difference.
And remember, “Individuals win games but a TEAM wins championships”. Put
Financial Markets, Inc. on your team to ensure a championship season!
Written by: AppMan© |
