Mastering the Art of SuccessWRIGHT(^)
WRIGHT^
It seems apparent that Insurance and Financial Services have been
the genesis for all the other endeavors you feel passionate about. Is
there anyone like Mr. Robert who had a major affect on you in that
profession?
FORD
The name Ben Feldman jumps right to the front of the list. He
graced the Earth for about eighty years and was the most prolific Life
Insurance salesman in the history of the industry. He shared his
enthusi asm and te chniques with all who would listen.
He was once asked how he sold so much life insurance and he
replied “I do not sell life insurance. I sell money. I sell dollars for
pennies apiece. My dollars cost three cents per dollar per year.” He
would challenge the new agents by giving them a dolla r with the quote,
“Dream big dreams,” and his signature on the back. This practical
advice is certai nly transferable to many professions, but particularly to
life insurance. Among many things, I lear ned to look for the problem
an d understand the cost of doing somethin g versus doing nothing about
it, match solutions to the problem a nd, above all, keep the solutions
simple.
If we limit the list to most enormous, bigger than life influencers, I
should, out of total r espect, mention W. Clement Stone. His legacy
looms large in the industry. Not satisfied with being at the pinnacle of
the Life Insurance industry and while on his way to his one hundredth
bi rthday, he took time to write some of the best “ sales bibles” ever
penned. They include Success Systems that Never Fail, Believe and
Achieve: W. Clement Stone’s 17 Success Principles and Success
Through Positive Mental Attitude (with Napoleon Hill). One of the best
things he ta ught me was that to be more productiv e, you must limit the
time for your efforts and if a client cannot make a commitment in
the designated time, you must move on to someone who will act on
your advice. This should be the mantra of all those in a sales endeavor.