Category Archives: time

02.07.18
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Thoughts circa 2005

Doing an audit/ clean up of my computer.  Lots of satisfaction in finding goal list and projects that were successful but forgotten.  Also, find lots of thoughts that I am thankful I had then and are still valid today.  Some from a goal list I had put together;

My mission is to continually provide my clients with the service that I would expect, the best possible.  Each relationship will be treated as though it is priceless.  My professionalism must always be visible and I cannot sway from my principals.  Purely on principle, I must always give the client everything possible all while being the person who I would want to deal with.  I must be a reliable source for information and provide those who I deal with the utmost of professionalism…….

It will never be about the money, it is the goal that will drive me and I cannot lose sight of the fact that the money can disappear and I have to appreciate the experience and wherever it may lead.  Since it is my clients who will fund my pursuits, they will be priceless to me and therefore I must be unflinching in my resolve to make their experience great enough to share.  Once this is shared I will be in the best position.  It is about the overall financial goal however my clients must know that they are people and not just numbers and I cannot lose sight of this, my production goals are merely the road map, it is the people and the relationships that must be my fuel.

It is simple I will give them the best to start and therefore cannot be questioned later one.  Accountability is extremely important and I will hold myself accountable for everything.

05.19.13
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Lifetime worth of lessons in two years

Two years ago I left a very large, now much larger, international company.  As part of my employment, each year all sales representatives chose to sign a “non-compete” agreement.  Well now those two years are up.  Here are some thoughts;

“Give people reasons to stay instead of leave and they will.”

Pathetic, seriously pathetic that any employer would want to use a non-compete or similar agreement.  I have seen many worse than mine as well.  Here is how I view it;   Yes, you will have to apply some effort and treat people like humans rather than “employees” but both parties will earn more money this way so why not.  What are you so worried about?

“it takes the same effort to burn a bridge as to keep it up”

Leaving any situation you quickly find out who is with you and who is against you.  Pretty simple, we all choose what we want.   I will never try and understand ruining a relationship but, awe well to each his own.

“loyalty is very underrated but also overpriced”

I am so thankful for the dozens of people that actively made an effort to hire me again.  As nice as money is, the basic human feelings that came with  it have way more value.  At the same time I am so surprised by the amount of people that have loyalty to a company.  Loyalty is meant to be a reciprocal relationship and I have yet to see this returned by a company.

“Way better to set your own success measures than trying to reach someone else’s”

Big mistake of mine was to try and reach company goals.  They are exactly that, company goals.  The things that are important to a large company are way different than what is important to an individual.

“There is always  another way”

 

In hindsight, oh how I wished I gathered more information on how other companies do business.  There is always something or someone doing things a little different or a little better.  Why wouldn’t you want to learn about a new way to do things?

Time to move on.   Learning is flat out awesome.  The lifetime value of all that I have learned in the last two years is huge.  There is not a course you can sign up for or a book you can read sometimes you just have to go out and do it.

Time to go, lots of people to reintroduce myself to 🙂

 

 

04.03.13
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Is time the best Insurance Discount?

It might be.  It might also be the most under used and least asked about.

If you are between the ages of 16 and 25 your lack of time on this planet is a reason why you spend more on insurance.  BUT what if you pay attention?  Maybe you start on your parents policy and make sure they have solid coverage so when it is time to switch you are in a better position.  Then, typically after three years of being licensed, it is time to shop.  Now just stay on top of things because you get a little older you can likely improve your rate, assuming a clean to fairly clean record.

What about the rest of us?

Ask yourself this, How much is your loyalty worth?  In my opinion your loyalty is priceless.  That being said, how many physical dollars is your loyalty to a company costing you?  Could be hundreds if not thousands of dollars.  How does this happen?  Well, many people get lulled into thinking that staying with a company for a long period of time is some how beneficial. **Please get this in writing and show it to me***

I appreciate your loss free discounts, deductible rewards, bonus checks and whatever else may be the hot marketing flavor of the day.  Key word in there is MARKETING.  These are ploys to get you to stay around so you are less aware of what you are spending.

FACT: YOU SHOULD BE REVIEWING YOUR INSURANCE EVERY 12-18 MONTHS

That remains unchanged.  So why would you trade your loyalty and time for a potentially higher insurance rate?  No idea.  Might I suggest an alternative;

Look at what your insurance costs, typically best to think of the policies that tend to go together; auto, motorcycle, home, boat, umbrella, RV, rental property.  Basically where you live, what you drive and the things that go along with that.  Now see what the whole package costs, this is important.  Once you know your bottom line lets see how that goes up against your budget or more specifically what you would like it to be.  Now you can take advantage of any leverage you may have because of the policies you have in place.

FACT: MULTI-POLICY DISCOUNTS CAN BE WONDERFUL……

BUT

FACT: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH USING MULTIPLE COMPANIES TO MAKE A SOLID PLAN

Now, it is important to know, just because a company can do a lot of advertising doesn’t mean they are worth you giving them more than a year or two.  PLEASE do not allow marketing to influence your bottom line.  Instead establish your own baseline for what your package should cost than make the company earn your dollars by staying consistent over time.

LOYALTY IS EARNED NOT BOUGHT

Just some suggestions.