Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:05 pm Post subject: Age and Success?
Is there any correlation? I am a new and realtively young (30 y.o.) L&H agent - going independent. I will be working online and over the phone.
One concern I have is the age factor. I know alot of "more mature" people won't take me seriously - and I have factored that into my marketing plan - however, what if anything has anyone done to prove their worth...
As a new agent - I think this feeling of myself could be my biggest stumbling block. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!
I feel if you are confident enough and have that much enthusiasm, no power can stop you.
Only thing is you be focussed and more oriented towards your strategies.
Plus as an agent you must be aware of your client's side needs .. Approach should be more Client Satisfaction Oriented rather than initially focusing on number of clients
Lay stress on providing good servicing ...All the best for your career?
Well that is my goal, of course... provide excellent service. However, I really want to add LTC and possibly MedSups to my portfolio some time in the future, and my concern is - no matter how helpful and service oriented I am - I am still young - and many see this as a very negative thing.
I just wonder how some of the younger agents fair with this issue.
this all requires u initial hit .. dass wat i laid stress on.. even i knw many young guys rockin in dis field.. plus point is Enthusiasm and passion which clients see sometimes...See try to get minimal clients and serre them to the best.. Lay a strong foundation and den promote urself..its not dat tough bro... Plus you can also generate gud presentations (e.g carry Nice Presentation Cards wid u wherever u go and present ur model wid full confidence)
I myself have trusted a young guy who is almost as old as u r...
WEll I can see someone "in the business" trusting someone that is younger becuase they were once young too - but I wonder when I am dealing with a client for the first time if sometimes their ears will be closed becuase I look younger than I really am, and some feel that young=immature/arrogant. Which of course I am not... (unless I want to be !!!
Ur point is valid too. may be its d experience thats mor valuabe in every field... no doubt.. but i still cant figure out..people cant be too lame not event o give u a chance.. why dnt u give demo service for no charge initially and en go for a perfect business... may be it work fo yaa.
I am sudhir verma frm India btw...
I had the same out look when I started in this business when I was 21 years old...talk about young. I thought that same way. I am now 27 and I do not think that way any more....here is why:
I am a professional.....I take the time to learn as much as I can so that I know alot and people who meet with me can see that.
I am confident...your clients will sense if you are confident or not. Age is nothing but a number. You are selling yourself...if you know what you are doing and gain your clients trust you will be fine.
Of course the older people will prob already have thier financial planner or insurance person that they deal with...go at it like this...what if their current person retires or something happens to them? Ask those people if you could possibly be the "2nd stringer" another resource. It works!
Another good point is you are young and not going anywhere so you are going to be around, where the older agents are going to retire soon....this is another good way to at least get your foot in the door...remember the older generation also has children...as if you can speak with them... _________________ ~Monique~
If you're interested in an "older" agent's perspective on age, I can tell you a story. Disclaimer: You might not like what I tell you _________________ Funny Insurance T Shirts
When I was starting out in the business, an "older" agent told me this after I told him I was going to work the affluent business owner market. I'm paraphrasing, but this is pretty close to his words.
Don't bother, you won't succeed because he's doing business with me. He's my peer. We live in the same neighborhood and we belong to the same golf club. I went to his daughters wedding. He convinced me to trade in my BMW for a Mercedes. I convinced him to go to Belize instead of St. Martin. You'll never get your foot in the door. If you do, he won't take you seriously because you don't have the knowledge and wisdom and experiences to talk to him at his level. If you're really good, and you do finally get him to meet with you and listen to what you have to say, you know what he's going to do? He's going to catch me the next time we're at the club or a cocktail party or a fundraiser and ask me about what you told him. And you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to sell him. Don't waste your time.
He then said something about "prospect to your peers" and "they will grow with you" and "smaller sales but more sales" but I was so pissed off by what he said I didn't hear it.
After a couple of years struggling to be an "estate planner" and "business advisor" and a "financial planner", in desperation, I started selling life insurance to people like me. Young people having kids, buying houses, getting started. I wrote a lot of term insurance and built a good base of clients and grew with them. We haven't quite made it to the "older / affluent" class yet, but we're getting there fast. Our kids play lacrosse together and we moved into the same, nicer (more expensive) neighborhood, and we have the same accountant and .... well, you get the idea.
I'm not convinced the old arrogant agent I met was entirely right, but there was a whole lot of truth in what he said. And I'm not an old arrogant agent yet, but I've got a little gray now and I've been playing this game for a while. Don't give up trying to get those older more affluent clients, but remember to keep focused on people like you, your age, your neighbors. If this is your career, they are your older affluent clients. _________________ Funny Insurance T Shirts
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 3:34 pm Post subject: MrStan
Your age is your greatest asset. You have more energy and enthusiasm than alot of the older agents. Work hard, work long. You can do that when you are younger.
It's an asset!
*System Edited : Link moved to Signature as per TOS
I do not believe that age is an issue. As long as you are professional and you attend to your Insured's needs, then you will be taken seriously. I started in this business at 17 years old and am now 29 and have moved my way up to office manager. Yes, at times I think, why me? I'm still so young, but I have proven myself.
!!!
