Coming into a new year seems to compel us to look back and to look forward. How was your 2017? What do you expect from your 2018? While we can’t change the things that are now in our rear view, we do get to envision and create what is in our forward view. As a MoneyTips contributor, I frequently mull over ideas that might become valuable content for you, the MoneyTips visitor. Looking back in order to go forward is the theme today.
Looking back – way back – I recall a conversation with a person who took it upon himself to help with my life insurance education. Stephen Landry, who was only a year ahead of me in training and experience, emphasized the importance of analyzing the needs that people have in their lives as the starting point for conversations that lead to better insurance planning.
At the time, many in my profession emphasized grand income strategies, or focused on the price as the “lead element” when presenting coverage to consumers. Think of it as a “sales focus” meant simply to produce more sales. At the same time, what was so valuable and enduring about what Stephen preached is this: people have needs, and until you offer professional guidance to help uncover those needs, their coverage may fall short in some way. That was true when he said it and it is still true today. That kind of focus automatically puts the client and their individualized needs first. Each person is different, so preconceiving what is needed doesn’t actually work. What works is listening to people, finding solutions that work for them, and applying professional guidance to help them. Skipping the “client-focused, listening-first” approach is a mistake. Why? Because it also skips getting the right thing done.
Looking forward, I see technology moving at a fast clip and changing many things along the way, but people are still the same as they were when I was first licensed. That means that they still have the basic set of needs that they’ve always had. With regard to life insurance, we still want financial security for our children. We love our spouses and want the best for them, and that doesn’t change for us if we aren’t around anymore. We want time and life to shape into something better than it was. We want the best advice from those we listen to, minus smoke and mirrors and silliness. We are selfish in the right way: we want the best and we are willing to work to achieve it. We want smiles all around, and we want to know that we have opportunity to do more for ourselves and others. Stephen said, “Where there is no love, there is no chance of someone buying life insurance.” It’s true. You have to love someone to trade your hard-earned dollars for a policy that will keep them happy if you leave the planet before your best work is done.
In the next few weeks, I will continue to look back at 2017 and then look forward to 2018. I am a consumer like you and I, too, want all of the good stuff mentioned above. The best way to make that happen is to live up to my promise to be the best advisor that I can be for all of you who touch base with me in the coming months. Our technology in the Life Insurance Quote Comparison Tool is top notch, and I hope you take advantage of it. Please note that behind every great piece of technology there are people who strive to bring satisfaction to other people. The quote and application software is a great starting point, but the real starting point is you, your needs, and helping you get what works for you. I hope to have a moment to engage with you in the year that we are all looking forward to.
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