In my last article, I mentioned that my sister and I are in the life insurance industry. We have been in this business for almost a decade. We are now starting to build our own agency with a company that’s over a century old in the Philippines... We have both resigned from our employment and we pray to keep it that way.
We are no longer employed. (But that doesn’t mean we are bums! Haha!) We have found our ultimate freedom! I even named our branch, Team Ultimate…because that’s just what it is. It is the ultimate thing…to be FREE. I have more time for my growing family, be there beside them when they are sick, I will not have any problems asking for permission to be off from work early or ask my boss for an emergency leave. When my sons have activities in school it used to worry me, how do I tell my boss I need to attend my son’s Recognition Day because he is in the honor roll?
Yes, we are not employed and we don’t get a fixed, consistent monthly income but the chances in getting twice or thrice your salary is an ultimate possibility. (Sorry, I keep using Ultimate, I’m in love with the word. Ultimate Fighting Champions, AHOO!!) Inconsistent income is not so bad after all when you know that it’s inconsistently huge.
I am not saying that it’s easy. It’s quite the contrary. There are going to be days where you’ll have to eat rejections for breakfast, why not throw in lunch and dinner as well. But what a challenge! You will not have to sit in your desk and do the same old routine every single day. The president of my former company said, for a career to be fulfilling, it has to have three things: AUTONOMY – To a certain extent, you can dictate your work input. No person (boss, immediate superior) looking over your shoulder constantly. Second, CHALLENGE – To encourage and motivate you and lastly, REWARD – what’s in it for me if I work harder and achieve a goal?
All of those three things are in being an insurance agent.
We are not required to be in the office from 8 to 5, no timecard, no overtime with limited pay. You are your own boss here. This is your own business, no capitalization, or an outrageously expensive franchise fee. The crucial thing here though is discipline. If you’re used to going to work early because you’re paid, in this business, you push yourself to get out of the house, make appointments, talk to people about insurance day in and day out. Make a list of all the people you know and importantly, the ones with children. They will be the most affected when the breadwinner dies. Structure and organization of your day must be in place. You have to put your mind and heart at it.
Putting your mind at it is sitting down and planning your course of action. Work hard, work smart. How many people you need to see, let us put it this way: How many lives do you want to be insured or how many families do you want to be covered?
That is also where your heart comes in. You have to be sincere. You have to sincerely want to help families and think about your rewards last. Think of what you can do for the client firstly. After all, relationship and trust are the main ingredients for success in this business. Your client expects you to be there for their families up to the end of the line. When God finally calls them back home, you are expected to be there.
Now that I have taken on the challenge of creating my own team of competent life insurance agents, I remember my own experience. I was 24 years old when I got my 1st life insurance policy. I actually called the insurance company because of an ad I received from the mail. The agent who took my call is still my agent, 14 years later. She has been there and witnessed my different life stages. She was very diligent in collecting my premium payments. There were a number of times I missed my payments but she was there to help revive my policy. In the insurance industry, the correct term is “reinstatement”. She made sure the policy did not lapse that in case something happened to me, my children will be taken care of and that they will get the benefits of my insurance policy. For me, she was the epitome of a true insurance agent!
This industry is not for everyone and most especially not for the weak-hearted. As I say to my team-mates, you have to be a little crazy to be in this industry. Of course I say that with a little humor. Again? A little crazy and… a lot of bravado! Till the next article! Be safe, be insured.
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