Shhh. I've apparently got a secret!

There was a funeral today. One of the nicest, hardest-working people I know died from injuries sustained in an accident last week. He was a little older than me, a little shorter and a little heavier, and his family will miss him very much. I don't think he really knew much about me, or considered me one of his friends, but we got along when we saw each other and always had something to talk about. What bugs me the most is that I could've done so much for him and his family here at the end, but I never told him anything about what I do. Why is that? Ignacio was a well-respected local contractor who was always busy. He died from injuries sustained when he fell off of a ladder and struck his head. He never recovered, and died in ICU. Why did I never mention to him what I do? Why did I not be more assertive and ask him for an appointment to see if there was a way I could help him and his family. Obviously, three things I do come to mind: 1) Disability. Had he not struck his head and simply fell off a ladder, he probably would have been out of work for several weeks. Disability coverage could've bridged that income gap that he would've encountered. 2) Critical illness. Falling from a ladder almost always leads to a hospital visit. This valuable coverage would most certainly have helped alleviate some of those costs. 3) Life insurance. Today, especially, his family is reeling from the immediate expenses of his final care, and scrambling to figure out how they'll live without his income. Giving that family a check to continue their lives in the way they are accustomed would be one of the best things to happen to them all week. This illustrates my point. The things I can do with the products I offer are so fantastic, that there must be some reason I never bring them up in conversation. There has got to be a reason that my 1,000+ facebook friends, 550 LinkedIn contacts, and the 355 Twitter followers I have don't all know instinctively know what I do. It must be that I want to keep this to myself, and just assume that everyone I know knows what I do, and how the products that I offer work. From now on, I will not keep this passion of mine a secret. For Nacho, I am going to bring up my business to the people I know, meet, and work with. I think that's a great way to honor the man that I knew.

the casualties of government programs

One of my clients called me today. He's been with me forever, and is a great friend as well. Now that I think about his predicament, I'm afraid there may be more calls like this in the future. With the new increase in payroll taxes, his paycheck has taken a $495 monthly hit. Now, he's not overly wealthy, but he has a good job, a nice home, and great kids. However, this cut in his income is forcing him to do away with the one thing that could protect his family in case something happens; his life insurance. What we're forced to do, at this point, is to reduce his coverage into a more manageable monthly premium. I can still provide some relief to the family should something happen, but at what expense? Do his daughters go to the college they have to, or the one they want to? Do they go to college at all? Does his wife have to work 10 more years past normal retirement, or can she look forward to her golden years? These all seem like vague, dreamy questions, but they're the questions we answered when he originally bought his policy. Now, the ball is in his court, but that is why I'm so grateful to play the role of the broker. My multiple companies allow me the flexibility to offer solutions to problems like this. I could not have had these options four years ago, and would have recommended to him to drop his coverage. Now, we both have options.

I suppose that by now most everyone has heard what everyone else is thankful for; God, country, family, friends, health, and so on. However, being an entrepreneur, I am thankful for those things, but I think I'd like to be thankful for them from the business side. Please bear with me...

GOD. Enough said. He allows me the wisdom to be a professional, and provides enough opportunities to make this venture successful. I think He also allows me enough room to make mistakes that I learn from.

COUNTRY. Where else could I do what I do?

FAMILY. Some would say an endless supply of prospects, but my family is gracious enough to bear with me and give me the time I need to be successful.

FRIENDS. I have enough pats on the back and attaboys to last a lifetime, but I never have enough friends that give me constructive criticism and let me bounce ideas off of them.

HEALTH. Have you ever worked through a day while fighting a head cold? Kidney stones?? Stomach flu??? Health is grossly underestimated in this business! Were it not for a clear head and a strong back, the work day would be impossible to get through.

As that is the last of the common list, let me add one more: compassion. If I could not see my customers for the people they are rather than the potential commission they represent, this would be a pretty sour business. An agent friend of mine in Colorado has this statement on the back of the hats he gives away: "SELLING COVERAGES, NOT PREMIUMS". Well stated, my friend.