How to stay long enough in the life insurance business...

Selling tips... Specially written for rookie agent Rexmond and another agent Pee who is in the business for 18 years.

When I was a rookie agent 30 years ago, I got excited with the business mainly because of the income. Sky was the limit they said. There was no barrier to stop me in earning as much as I liked. I controlled my own destiny and I chose my own fate to do well or not. Sounded simple but it wasn't that easy as I wrote now. I had to learn the trade and had to work extremely hard at the same time. There was no day or night, nor any weekend break or public holiday for me. I was like a bulldozer, moving from one prospect to another. I hardly had the time to eat with the family, and I felt bad to have neglected my best time with my growing children then. When I  awoke in the morning, my children had left for school and by the time I returned home, it was always late in the night when the children had already gone to bed. I did very well in securing many cases as rookie agent by working hard and prepared to accept rejections endlessly. Yes! I was highly motivated to work by the income and incentives given then.

For Rexmond who might be reading this title today, I ask..."Are you prepared to give your best shot and are willing to give sacrifices to this new found career?" If your answer is an affirmative Yes, then I'm sure you would succeed.

Pee who is not a new comer in our business is a little sad recently. She had repeatedly qualified the company's Million Club incentives for the past 18 years. But last year out of some confrontation, she failed to make it to the league. She felt very embraced when she was asked why she didn't qualified. 

For Pee I sincerely advised her. To stay long and be fruitful in our business, one cannot depend mainly on motivation by money and rewards all the time. Money alone could be evil, it leads to temptation which might change your character. Forget the rewards and the challenges given by the company. As a true professional, you sell because your clients need your integrity and honesty. Not because you need those sales to earn your pride and recognition. Learn to have fun out of your selling, enjoy meeting and solving people's problems, understand what is true love, develop the passion in your career, be a giver rather than to be a receiver, be kind and sincere, be an entertainer to make people laugh and smile, be humble and nice to everyone you meet, including those who aren't your clients, be generous and have the heart for everyone and remember to smile with a happy heart even when you are down. These are the secrets to last in our business and not by thinking of qualifying incentives given by the agency or the company events. 

Rexmond and Pee... I speak from my heart here.

How true this proverb - "There is no greatness without a passion to be great, whether it's the aspiration of an athlete or an artist, a scientist, a parent, or a businessperson" - Anthony Robbins

Superstitious belief came true......

When I was a little boy, I made my mum angry. Mischievous and playful, I hurt my emotional poor mother. She said several times to me. Warning me, a disobedient child would be punished later in life. Tit for tat, I would be irritated by my own child when I have my own children one day. It was just superstitious belief and I didn't bother to listen.

Later when I got marry and my mother had already left the world, her story came true until I had to write this belief for my readers to believe. Out of my three sons, my first son gave me the hell of life when he was a young teenager. He was intelligence but was very mischievous and even more playful than me when I was his age. He kept me worried all those years and I had to sacrifice a lot of time, effort and money to bring him up.  Thanks God! Today he is my hero of my heart. He is smart, kind and full of richness in heart. I bet you! All of you will like him.

Next! Today he is married and has three children. His eldest son is 14. This child beat the two of us in term of behaviour and character. He isn't afraid of the father and the father is too soft to use the cane. I have to help by offering my encouragement to my son. I kept reminding him, son, though you are a super salesperson that could almost sell anything on earth, you are at lost in selling love to your boy. Be patience and have tolerance, shower him as much with your fatherly love and the magic of love will appear gradually. 

I can be motivating him with words but deep down in my mind, I still remembered my mother's story. A disobedient child would be punished later in life by your own children. It's called 'Tit for Tat' and believe it or not, it had happened in my family. From me to my grandson now, a three generations episode that is beyond my control. I wished... I should have listened to my mum. "Mother I am sorry! Can you forgive me and let my son and grandson to be able to live happily together".

Flat stomach Joke ....

Sunday Laugh....

A little boy walks into his parents' room to see his mom on top of his dad bouncing up and down.

The mom sees her son and quickly dismounts, worried about what her son has seen.

She dresses quickly and goes to find him.. 

The son sees his mom and asks, 'What were you and Dad doing?' 

The mother replies, 'Well, you know your dad has a big tummy and sometimes I have to get on top of it and help flatten it..' 

'You are wasting your time,' said the boy. 

'Why is that?' the mom asked puzzled. 

'Well when you go shopping the lady next door comes over and gets on her knees and blows it right back up again!!

Faith healing......

Yesterday I visited two good friends who were admitted to the hospital. The first friend is himself a Medical Specialist, who is only 47 years young. His wife called me earlier, telling me he was admitted to the ICU for heart failure. Luckily he was treated much earlier and currently his condition is more stable. During the five minutes with him, I gave him a pep talk to motivate him. I reminded him doctors can get sick too if they don't take care of themselves. Right in front of his face I said, "Young man, I'm sure you will recover. When you discharge, please love yourself more coz everyone needs you at home, including your patients. I'm going to see you for another 30 years together. Deal?" In his low tune he replied, "Yes Mr Foo!"

After I left him, immediately I drove to another hospital to see Albert. He is a real estate agent and is only 51 years young. Two days ago in his sleep, he was attacked with a fit or an epilepsy which he had never experienced before. On admission, he was found to have a small tumour in his left brain on scanning. Without further delay, he was advised to be operated two days later. Over the phone with him earlier, I could sense my friend was rather worried. The operation is going to take five hours. Upon reaching his room, I told myself I have to help my friend. I was given the privacy to talk personally with him. I told my good friend, the world has two types of energy. They are the positive and the negative forces. If you had the positive thought, the believe of recovering will be strong, but if the thought is negative, then the hope of making it might be weak. I hold his both hands when I kept repeating to him that he will make it. I asked him to promise me that he would see me again. I am already 65 today, and I am prepared to walk another 25 years with my good friend. Promise me you would? Albert raised his voice and said, "Yes! We meet for coffee soon."

The next day at 6 in the evening, Albert's wife called me on the phone, informing me that his operation was a successful one and he was able to murmur a few word to his wife. I said... Thanks God for helping my friend.

Though I'm not a doctor, I think I am pretty good a faith healer. When one's heart is pure and sincere, words  spoken has power in healing. 

“I will bring back your health and heal your injuries,” says the Lord,” - The Bible, Jeremiah 30:17a (NCV)

Poor child not happy........

Each birthday, Christmas, Chinese New Year or any festivals, "B" will insists gifts from his parents or from his near relatives. B is only a young child of 14. To him a present will be the best way to make himself happy. But mind you, it has to be expensive items, otherwise he might not even want them. He tells everyone, if you love me, buy gifts I like. Can't really blame him because he was brought up in a broken family. The father and mother were separated when he was only two. And both parents remarried and are staying apart, leaving the poor child alone most of the time. To him, he felt the world owes him, blaming both parents for not loving him enough.

My belief... "The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched but can only be felt from the heart". 

So sorry for "B"! To this poor child I know, his most beautiful things are those he needs to see and to be touched. And these are temporary happiness which might not last long. In order to chase for his happiness, B has to continuously seek for presents and gifts. I only wish if his both divorced parents could understand and are prepared to spend more time with him. What he really needs isn't those seeing or touching but the true love of being wanted. Perhaps the three magical words of "I Love You" could be the most beautiful things for him, if only the parents could translate the feeling to his aching heart. The three of them are equally very close to me. I wish his parents could be enlightened by this post. 

The first kiss has magic.......

Shirley from Manila, a relative visited my home recently. A sweet charming lady of 77 with a lot of love. When her husband was alive, she was a devoting wife who showered her man with romance. I always termed them as love birds till death. During her stay here she quoted three meaningful expression of "kiss" to our family.

What is kiss? 

The first kiss is magic

The second kiss is intimate

and so sad the rest is merely routine all the way till the end.

Our first kiss to our lovers is always magical which leads to intimate and romance. I wonder how long this intimacy would last. Gradually the following kisses are just routine in nature, trying to make our partners happy for the short moment together. Agree?

Happy New Year 2013

HandBOOK 2013 :

HEALTH :

01. Drink plenty of water

02. Eat breakfast🍌like a king,lunch like a prince an dinner like a beggar.

03. Live with the 3 E's--Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.

04. Make time to pray.

05. Play more games.🚴

06. Read more books  than you did in 2012

07. Sit in silence🙉🙊 for at least 10 minutes each day.

08. Sleep for 7 hours.😴

09. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

PERSONALITY:

10. Don't over do. Keep your limits.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

13. Dream more while you are awake.😇

14. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

15. Forget issues of the past. 😑Don't remind your partner 

with his/her mistakes of the

past. That will ruin your

present happiness.

16. Life is too short to waste

time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

17. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

18. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

19.Smile and laugh more.

20. You don't have to win every argument,😐Agree to disagree

SOCIETY:

21. Call your family often👪

22. Each day give something good to others.

23. Forgive everyone for

everything..

24. Spend time w/people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6..

25. Try to make at least three 😇people smile each day.

26. What other people think of you is none of your business.😑

LIFE:

27. Do the right thing!

28. GOD heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..

30. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

31. The best is yet to come..

32. When awake in the morning, thank GOD for it.

33. Your Inner most is always  happy. So, be happy.

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST:

34. Please Forward this to

everyone you care about,

I just did.