Dear colleagues!

As 2008 draws to a close, I wanted to wish you all the best in 2009. I am sure for some of you, 2008 was a great year, for some it was a good year and others not as good as you expected. I had a good year with many important milestones. My 4th book - The Passionate Service Recipe Book was printed, book 5 - Another Flippin’ Change Book was finished, I added two new languages for my first two books, Russian and Lithuanian. My books are in 9 languages. On a personal note, I celebrated my 35th wedding anniversary and will celebrate my 62 year (December 30) in this world. Most importantly I met and worked with some very interesting people from many cultures which includes you. As well, I have been working with two top teams in Slovakia and one in Greece. These teams are leading in their respective companies and countries.

It is very stimulating and encouraging when the individuals in those teams adopt the ideas I present and therefore lead. Remember these are not all my ideas. I gather the systems, processes and tools from around the world. What is obvious to me is that these ideas work in every culture, if the individual or team is courageous enough to try them. Unfortunately many individuals are afraid or unwilling to try them. As you know, success is a choice. In this business we get out of it (meaning success, money, recognition, whatever) what we put into it.

Individuals can always find excuses not to change their behaviours. This does not only apply to our industry, it applies to every industry; culture, race and person on this planet. We can easily find discouragement everywhere. There are those people who tell us it is not possible and won’t work, whatever we suggest. Those people who do not grow and develop, do not adopt new ideas and are the same people who follow rather than lead. Those people work for others. The leaders work for themselves.

The end of the year and the beginning of a new year is a great time to assess what is working and what needs to change in your business and your life. I encourage you to be honest and assess what you have accomplished in 2008. Then look at what you believe is possible in 2009. Look at your capacity. Can you do more? I believe each of us can do more. The question is … are you willing to do more. Maybe being mediocre is enough for you. Strong words, I know! I have hope and a vision for every person I meet, you included. I see potential and capacity in all. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, some never see their true capacity. Please take advantage of the gift God gave you, your capacity!

This is your wake up call. Wake up and get involved in your business. Take control of your potential. Commit yourself to doing more rather than doing less. You only pass through this reality, this world, once. Why not make the most of it.

For the past 3 months I have written to you on almost a weekly basis. You know how I feel about you. You know that I only want the best for you. You know I see capacity and potential in you. I continue to wish you well. Thank you for listening and thinking about my messages. Hopefully they have some affect upon you.

Have a happy holiday season with your loved ones. Until we chat in 2009, I wish you the best.

Warm regards,
Jim

Good day my friends!

Winter has arrived in my part of Canada. The ground is covered with snow and the temperature is hovering around 0 degrees Celsius. This must be difficult for you to imagine when you do not even get rain in Cyprus. I love the seasons in Canada and the weather changes makes it very interesting and a positive experience. Generally I love change.

Even when I have to deliver the same seminar to different groups, I never deliver it the same way. Now you may assume that some participants get a better seminar than others. Well, because I pride myself on my professionalism, I make sure every group of participants get value. I acted this way when I was an advisor just like you. I constantly looked for ways to add value to my customers. I think most MDRT members think this way.

My desire to add value gave me a competitive advantage and a competitive edge. It allowed me to reach the top ranks of our profession. I worried about how I could add value and what would that value look like. The first policy I adopted was to ‘under-promise and over-deliver!’ When asked to do something by one of my customers, I would be slow to accept, generous in my response commitment, and then I would always respond sooner and ‘wow’ the customer. Here is an example … the customer asks me to get some information … I would say … humm, I might be able to get it to you in 3 or 4 days, okay? The customer would say ‘okay!’ Then I would get the information right away or the next day and call them back with it. I would say to the customer, that I really valued them and made it a priority to get back to them. The customer would feel special. If gave me a competitive edge.

Another way to gain a competitive edge or advantage was to be more professional than my competitors. I memorized my scripts, practiced and role-played until I knew the word-for-word. Some advisors think memorization is too hard or they feel it is unnecessary. Actually memorization is hard until you get in the habit of doing it. then like anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it. As well memorization allows you to be creative in how you respond to the customer. Memorization empowers you for you always know where you are going and what to say. Most advisors who are struggling don’t memorize or role-play! Remember success is a choice!

As well, my competitive edge is not what I say, it is what I do. As we have talked about before. People do not trust words. They do trust your positive behaviors, actions, gestures and what they can actually see. Are you truly listening to them? They can tell, just like your spouse or child can tell if you are listening by watching your behaviours. Remember to show them and me the money. Don’t promise, don’t say I will try, don’t say I hope, Just do it! As the Nike ads say, just do it!

Soon you will see a video from me. It is a very basic one but hopefully you will get and understand the message loud and clear. Your success, happiness and future is entirely in your hands.

By the way December is a wonderful time to sell insurance. In my next note I will talk about it.

All the best,
Jim

Dear colleagues!

Recently I reviewed your activity and results for the past period since we spent time together.

Some of you are doing extremely well. It seems you are using some parts of the material I presented in the seminar. Remember I told you success is a choice and is based on hard work, no excuses, no blaming and no complaining it is working for some of you. Your business and results have improved. Wonderful!

Some of you are not doing so well. You seem to be blaming your manager or the company for your lack of success. Maybe you are correct, or maybe it is just an excuse. I see this trait all around the world. Unsuccessful people tend to look for reasons outside their own behaviours. It is time for you to toughen up! Remember life is not perfect, s**t happens. Get over it! Move forward. Make sure you are doing everything you should before you point your finger at others. Look at your self first!

Complaining, Blaming and making excuses are unhealthy behaviours. I don’t care about your manager, I care about you. The world is in a recession and you need to survive it. Cyprus is not isolated from the world economy. You will be affected. Those of you who are strong will survive! Others … well it won’t be pretty.

Your strength is in your knowledge, skills and abilities. This is a time to pick up the pace and work harder, not sit back and rest.

I feel a sense of urgency. I am really concerned about my own skills, my own attitudes and my own competitiveness. I realize I am going to have to work harder to maintain my current results. I realize my customers will expect more from me rather than less. If I don’t add value in each interaction, then they will find other companies who will provide the services and products they need. You need to develop this same sense of urgency.

I know as you read this, some of you are feeling you don’t have the energy or the time to invest in your business. You don’t have a choice. Your survival depends on you finding the energy, time and making the effort. Your future depends on it.

You know what drives me crazy. People who do not put in an honest effort drive me crazy. People who do minimum work and expect maximum return drive me crazy. People who have a lot of time to make excuses but never put in an honest effort drive me crazy. People who think they have all the time in the world and therefore do not have a sense of urgency drive me crazy.

A question … Are you one of these people who drive me crazy? Well, I am not alone, for you are driving others crazy like your spouse and your family. You have the capacity and you know what you should do it. Your family knows you have greater capacity. why aren’t you using your capacity? So as they say in the Nike ads, Just do it. Work harder, smarter and put in the extra effort required.

As you can tell my messages are getting stronger and more direct. I see your results. Many of you are doing better and at the same time, many of you are driving me crazy. I can see if you are honestly working or not. Get working! Then you, your family, your company and I can be happy. Don’t do it for me, do it for you!

Survive, then you can thrive again!

Thanks for listening,
Jim

Dear friends!

You may be surprised that I am still writing but a number of your fellow students wrote me and told me they like my messages and share them with their fellow advisors. So I will keep writing a little longer. As you enter your 10th week since our training experience I was thinking about believe versus disbelieving. I found this great quote from one of the most creative people in our history.

“It is better to believe than to disbelieve. In doing so, we open everything to the realm of possibility!” Albert Einstein.

He is responsible for over 300 scientific journals and the winner of the Nobel Peace prize. Einstein’s name is synonymous a genius. He definitely believed in what was possible. Now not all of us can become a genius, but it would be fair to say we often do not live up to, or reach our capacity. Every day, each of us is given a specific amount of capacity. Unfortunately many of us look for ways to do the minimum rather than the maximum with that capacity. Many of us float through life.

I choose to charge through life. I never wish to be accused of doing the bare minimum in any aspect of my life. Recently I had a financial set-back. Yes, even I have challenges in my life. Was I frustrated and anxious? Absolutely, for a about 2 hours. Then I took control of my thoughts and moved forward. During the first hour I wallowed in my anxiety, thinking negative thoughts. Then in the second hour I began the process of replacing my impossible thoughts with possible ones. I know if I am not careful with my negative thoughts they will control me. I know from experience that whatever I tell my self will become my reality.

What are you telling yourself? Are you saying you cannot work harder, get better results, lead, make more money, do a better job or be a better parent/ husband/wife etc. Be careful! Change your thoughts, then you will change your behaviors, then you will change your results. It starts with you. Does this make sense to you? (hehe!)

If it does, then start today.

Warm regards,
Jim

Dear associates!

I am not sure you are finding value in these messages. I am also not sure they are having any effect upon you. Can you please do me a favour! If you find value in these notes, please tell Michalis or Zacharias! If I do not hear from you this week, I will assume you are not finding value and I will stop sending them. Yes, that is correct, this is my last message unless I hear from you.

I have been watching the world economy with great interest. In particular I am looking for best practices. What are the successful advisors and managers doing to survive the recession and thrive after it. I expect and believe 2009 will be a challenging year for many customers and advisors. We are now seeing a large number of layoffs and plant closures. Reported earnings of the major top 500 companies of world are beginning to fall. It will take a few years, not months, to recover from the current global crisis. If you expect it is business as usual, you are sadly mistaken. The economy is a mess and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

This is not a time for you to hide under a rock and hope it all goes away. In fact, inactivity is the worst thing you can do. As well, if you act like you did before this crisis that is another mistake. I am sure some of you are very concerned about the messages I am conveying in this e-mail. If I have gotten your attention, then great my job is half-done. Are you shocked? Yes, then great! You should be! This is not a time for complacency! Do not think for a moment that you can survive this period if you do not change your tactics.

Now for the good news. This crisis is survivable. No question and no doubt about it! BUT you must change your approach. As I said in previous e-mails, our customers are in shock and they have lost faith in most financial organizations and the advisors who work for those organizations. Regardless of the reason for this current global economic crisis, it is real and it does apply in Cyprus. You will find in the coming months that your customers will become more unsettled and more cautious when they deal with you. The potential market will shrink.

How do you survive! Below I have some basic suggestions how you can gain your share of the available market.

1. Change your thinking - It is not business as usual, it is business as unusual. You must accept that you must change your thinking.
2. Get up off your ass - I know this is strong language - but many of you are too complacent. This is a time to work harder, not slow down. Increase your energy!
3. Add value - look for ways to add value to your existing and potential customers. Do not give the the bare minimum of service. Wow them with your service. Under promise and over deliver.
4. Focus on the core activities - Prospecting, Approaching Prospects and Behaving correctly in the Meeting with the customer.
5. Increase by 10% - in all aspects of your efforts do 10% more - 10% more prospects, 10% more calls, 10% more appointments, 10% more self development, etc. If you increase your effort by 10% you will increase your income by 50%.
6. Lead in the marketplace by your integrity - focus on honesty, truthfulness and transparency. Make sure all your customers, co-workers and managers see your integrity above all else.

If you do not follow my simple advice then you will fail! It is that simple. If you want to truly survive and thrive, then get up off your ass! If I have offended you by my language, then great. I am so tired of people who make hollow promises and don’t deliver. This is a time to deliver. If you don’t think it is necessary, then I hope you enjoy the results of your lack of effort.

This is my last message (unless you tell me to keep going)! I wish you the best always.

Warm regards,
Jim

Dear friends!

As we enter week 8, I have been thinking a lot about the evolving economic crisis facing you and I and the rest of the world. Many advisors in the world have become catatonic in response to the fears they feel. What I mean to say is they have allowed their fears and concerns to cause them to become inactive. I believe we need to change our thinking.

We should not worry about what is happening now, what we should worry about the day after! The day after is when all this chaos and confusion ends and we go back to work. When the economy settles down. When society replaces fear with hope. The day after!

We need to understand and accept that how we behaved before this current crisis is not an acceptable way to behave the day after. The trust we previously had with our customers has been seriously damaged. The banks in the US have misbehaved (zero prime mortgages), precipitated a world-wide economic crisis, and therefore damaged the reputation of anyone working in the financial services industry. It does not matter if you are working in the insurance business, a general agent, a loans office, a bank employee or whatever other financial position, all will be ‘painted with the same brush!’ What I mean is that all of us will be lumped together and blamed for the economic crisis we are currently experiencing.

It you think is it business as usual, if you think you do not need to change, if you think Cyprus is different than the US or England or China, you will be sadly mistaken. This is a globally interconnected and interdependent world. What happens anywhere in the world can have an affect on how you do business in Cyprus. This is not a time for you to be complacent. This is a time for you to lead. Lead through your behaviours.

This is a time for you to re-commit yourselves to the profession. This is a time to focus on your professionalism, productivity and profitability. It will be really important that you decide today what the day after will look like for you and your customers. Will you be like everyone else? Will you behave like you have always behaved? If you do not change you will slowly become less and less effective. The customer’s expectation of you and your services will be different. The real question is will you be different.

Today is when you decide what the day after will look like for you. The choice is yours. Don’t wait until it is too later. The day after is approaching! Good luck!
Jim

To the Team!

Dear friends!

Currently the world is facing a severe economic recession. Most politicians and economists are afraid to use the ‘R’ (recession) word. They fear use of the world will cause an even greater down-turn in the economy. What is unusual in this reality is that the depression is not limited to a few single nations but is dramatically affecting the majority of the producing nations. One could say, it is because it is because all country economies are linked. I think it is much more than that.

I think the reason we are seeing the same financial failures and bail-outs around the world is because the model upon which our economies are based is flawed. The model is based upon greed. The chasm between rich and poor is widening. The number of people in the world without basic food and water has increased dramatically. The number of rich people has not increased dramatically. There is a fundamentally inequity between the haves and the have-nots.

The governments of the world are applying a bandage to a patient with a severed leg. They are trying to save the old model by printing money and going into horrendous debt. This greed mentality is the cornerstone of capitalism.

A new model will be needed! We must find a balance between capitalism and communism. In capitalism, the needs of the group are sacrificed for the individual. It is the me-first mentality. In communism, the needs of the individual are sacrificed for the group. We need to find a balance between the needs of the individual and the needs of the group. We need to break down the old world order and build a new world order.

The current changes in the economy and the economic model is putting enormous pressure on the leaders and workers of each country. People are losing their jobs and their homes. The next years will be a positive and negative experience for us all. Fortunately mankind has proven its tenacity, vitality, enthusiasm and resourcefulness to overcome adversity.

We will survive this period if we chose to do so. Each day, when faced with all the challenges of this economic reality, we have a choice. One choice is to find a ways to work our way through this mess. The other is to feel victimized and do nothing but let it overwhelm us. The choice is yours. I have given you simple, yet relevant systems, processes and tools to help you cope with change. Be a leader not a follower!

You can survive and thrive in these challenging times. It is up to you.

Good luck!
Jim

(To the Financial Advisors)

Hello my colleagues!

It has been a number of weeks since we spent time together. Remember in the seminar we used a model to gain a larger number of quality referrals to people who matched our profile of the ideal customer. Of course I am talking about the 6-5-4-3-2-1 Chart coupled with your personal Profile Form. I have been training this all over the world and the old record was 49 quality referrals in a single appointment. The new record is now 50 quality referrals! Wow! This is amazing. Is it possible to gain a large number of quality referrals in Cyprus? Absolutely! If you ask!

The Profile Form and the 6-5-4-3-2-1 Chart are just tools in your insurance practice tool box. If you chose not to use this tool, then you acting like a carpenter who tries to do his job without a hammer. How can you effectively build your business without using the right tools? If you don’t use these simple tools then you are acting really unprofessionally and your ratio between prospects and sales will be horrible. Your choice, my way or your way. I know my way works really well everywhere in the world, including Cyprus. I know yours does not work as well.

As I said before a steady stream of quality prospects is like gasoline in your engine. If you do not adopt the habit of gathering prospects on a daily basis, then your engine will starve for fuel and eventually die. You are bright people and you should be able to see and understand this! Don’t let your fear of failure or success, or your current comfort prevent you from using your capacity wisely. Each of us is given a measure of capacity each day, use it wisely. Build your inventory of prospects and you will move one major step closer to success and leadership in the insurance marketplace in Cyprus. You can do this!

It is time for you to re-commit yourself to these tools. Go back to your notes. Role-play with a colleague. Practice and master these tools. Remember the principle of 22! It takes 22 times of doing something to make a habit. Your current and future success depend on this habit. Hard work equals good luck! Start today!

I wish you continued success!
Jim

To Advisors!

I thought I would share something that motivates me in those morning when I don’t want to work as hard as I should.

R.G. Bannister did what was thought impossible and ran a sub-four minute mile in 1954. Once he accomplished what was previously considered to beyond the reach of man, other runners were motivated by his performance, and new records were set. All these runners, and everyone who breaks records and does what was thought impossible, look past the present to “when.” - Michael Ramundo

So what does this quote mean to me? No matter what anyone says that you can or cannot do, you are the only person who sets limits on your achievements. Do not let anyone determine your success or your failure. You have absolute control and great amounts of unused potential. I determine my success and my failure, so do you do! By the way, the world record for running the mile now … is held by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, who set the world mark at that distance with 3 minutes 43.13 seconds in Rome, Italy on July 7, 1999.

It is easy to give up on the changes you must make in your business. Don’t give up! Keep working! Each of us can become a R.G. Bannister if we choose! Success is a choice!

Have a great week!
Jim

Good day gentlemen!

I hope the results are still encouraging and the advisors and managers are doing their respective jobs. Here is a message for each audience. Please share this with the managers ASAP. Thank you, Jim

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For the Managers

Please meet with your advisors on Monday and ask them these questions.

1. As you look back over the past weeks since the seminar with Jim, what are you doing differently or better in your insurance practice? (Listen without interruption!)

2. This is what I see that you are doing differently when it comes to your activities. (Share with them what you have seen!)

3. What has changed in your attitude regarding your customers? (Listen without interruption!)

4. What has change in your results in the past weeks? (Listen without interruption!)

5. This is what I have seen. (Share with them what you have seen!)

6. Finally, what are you going to focus on this week? (Listen without interruption!)

7. Can I help in any way? (Listen, then make a promise to help, then keep your commitment to help!)

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For the Advisors (Managers, please print this off and give a copy to each advisor!)

Good day my dear associates!

It has now been two weeks since we spend time together in the seminar. You have had a chance to apply some of the systems, processes and tools we practiced. I have seen the reports and heard the stories and I am very pleased that some of you have had the courage to apply these methods. I hope you are sharing your successes with each other. Remember your only competition is what happens in your own mind, not what some other advisor is doing. Please encourage and motivate each other. You have had some success! Excellent!

This is a critical point in your change process. You have started to make changes, but you can easily go back to your old habits that have not worked so well for you in the past. Please be courageous. Please trust me and the processes I shared with you. You have the capacity to grow and develop great skills and therefore greater results. Please keep changing!

Now is a time to re-commit yourselves to the changes you know you need to make. Please take some time to go back a review the notes you took during the seminar. Now is the time to add one or two new systems, processes or tools into your daily behaviors. Now is the time for you to prove to me, your manager, your leaders, your company and most importantly to yourself that the week we spent together was not a waste of time. I am confident you were the right person to attend the seminar. We all invested a lot of time in the seminar to help you become the advisor you wish to become. Please prove that we were right in selecting you. Now is the time for you to take action!

If you have problems, questions or comments you wish to share with me, then please write me and I will respond!

Warm regards and remember ‘Success is a choice!”
Jim