It always surprises me when I hear someone hasn’t seen “Dead Poets Society.” The. Movie. Is. Truly. Amazing. The film, starring Robin Williams, is about an English teacher named John Keating who inspires his students through poetry. It might sound pretty boring, but I promise you – it’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll make you want to be a better person in everything you do. If you’ve never seen it – you need to. But regardless, take heed of the advice below from the teacher, John Keating, as it applies to pretty much everything in life, including disability insurance sales.
“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”
I hope that none of your clients ever become disabled, but, as the statistics show, it’s likely one or more of your clients will suffer a disability at some point in their working careers. If the worst should happen, you want to be able to call your client and say, “Don’t worry – your disability insurance has you covered.” For many of your clients, the “idea” of becoming disabled is just that – an idea. But it’s not an idea, it’s a strong possibility. And the words on a DI contract could mean the difference between going bankrupt or maintaining financial stability. Whether or not you have disability insurance could very literally change your world.
“There’s a time for daring and there’s a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for.”
I get it. Being daring is exciting and fun. At least that’s what I told myself when I chose the riskiest route for my 401k plan. But when it comes to your income and your ability to financially survive in the event of a disability, you want to err on the side of caution. Just ask Ty Kailey from our New England Branch (or read his story here. Remember, when it comes to your client’s insurance and financial coverage, YOU need to be the wise man.
“Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the heard may go, (goat sound) ‘That’s baaaaaad.’ Robert Frost once said, ‘Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’”
I scroll through insurance news websites and forums like it’s my J.O.B. (Because, it is.) While it’s encouraging to see so many people embrace new digital marketing strategies like blogging and social media, it’s equally discouraging to see veteran agents ignoring or even speaking against on all things digital. Don’t listen to the haters! If you think a new social media site is the next big thing for reaching new clients, then go for it! You do you!
When instructed to rip out a page of their textbook, the class hesitated, prompting their teacher to say, “It’s not the Bible, you’re not going to Hell for this.”
As I mentioned before, you do you! What do I mean by that? Don’t be afraid to be different, choose your own path and be unique in your approach to DI sales. In this particular scene, the students were nervous to rip out a page of their text because it would be breaking the rules and it felt like they were doing something wrong, just because it was different and unusual. You won’t get in trouble for being a little different. If anything, you’ll set yourself apart from your competitors. Doesn’t that sound nice?
“Oh Captain, my captain.”
Anyone who’s seen the film knows that you can’t talk about “Dead Poet’s Society” without mentioning its most famous quote. Similarly, you can’t (or at least you shouldn’t!) talk to clients about financial security and insurance coverage without mentioning disability insurance. Now, go watch that movie and become the brilliant sales people you were destined to be! Seize the day!
While you’re at it, download our Business Bonus Kit, which tells you exactly how to seize increased DI sales!
