Practical pointers; various phases of field work discussed in a manner designed to afford aid and suggestion to the man with the rate book
; Clas ss Book. ^-_ LA ££ GpightW <Q CDPiRIGHT DEPGSm PRACTICAL POINTERS VARIOUS PHASES OF FIELD WORK DISCUSSED IN A MANNER DESIGNED TO AFFORD AID AND SUGGES- TION TO THE MAN WITH THE RATE BOOK. by ORBES- LINDSAY Author of " Efficiency,' ' "The Psychology of a Sale," etc. PRICE: LEATHER, $1.50 THE SPECTATOR COMPANY Chicago Office: 135 William Street INSURANCE EXCHANGE NEW YORK ■ Fsz COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE SPECTATOR COMPANY NEW YORK NOV -3.5916 >CI.A445495 FOREWORD IN my previous books, "Efficiency" and "The Psychology of a Sale," I have presented con- densed statements of the fundamental principles of Life Insurance Salesmanship, with the design of furnishing a sound foundation for field work. The present volume is intended to supplement the former in rounding out the education of the agent. "Practical Pointers" treats essential phases of the Life Insurance agent's business. It is an aid to self-improvement and increased efficiency. The directions given are thoroughly practical and have been extensively tested in successful agen- cies. In my personal observation scores of com- mon-place agents have developed into first-class salesmen through the adoption of the principles and practices advocated in these pages. I have no hesitancy in affirming that, by this means alone, the majority of Life Insurance agents may increase their productiveness from fifty to one hundred per cent in the course of a year. Someone has said : "Men of achievement are not so often those of the greatest intellect or abil- ity, as those who turn their knowledge and talent to the best account." Experience proves that in our business the agent who enjoys exceptional natural gifts is frequently surpassed by one of ordinary parts, who makes the most of his limited ability. The principal purpose of the following papers is to point out practical methods by means of which the average Life Insurance fieldman iii PRACTICAL POINTERS may enhance his efficiency and increase his bank account. It is believed that managers and superintend- ents of agents will find this volume of service in supplying subject matter for agency "talks." The greater part of the material has, in fact, been so used with results that encourage me to recom- mend it to others charged with the duty of in- structing fieldmen. Los Angeles, July 1, 1916. F. L. IV CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER I Efficiency — Definition of Efficiency — De- mand for Efficiency — Methods of Effi- ciency— System as an Essential to Ef- ficiency : . 1 CHAPTER II The Efficient Agent — Description of the High-Type Life Insurance Agent — Qualifications and Conditions Funda- mental to Attainment of Efficiency — Essential Elements of Success. . . 4 CHAPTER III Life Insurance as a Vocation — Latter-day Standards of Qualification — Demands and Rewards of the Business — Methods of Securing Permanent Success. . 10 CHAPTER IV To the Beginner — A Brief Expression of Advice and Encouragement. . . 13 CHAPTER V Purpose — Absolute Necessity of a Definite Aim — The Stimulus of Ambition — Going Forward Step by Step. . . 16 CHAPTER VI That Blockhead Word — Nothing is Impos- sible— The Force of Determination — A Practical Resolution Suggested. . 19 CHAPTER VII page Habit — Its Force and Effect on Character — Some Desirable Business Habits — The Value of Forming Good Habits and Suppressing Bad Ones. ... 22 CHAPTER VIII System — Its Place as a Factor of Success — The Essential Elements of an Efficient System — Practical Suggestions for the Agent — System Should be Simple. . 25 CHAPTER IX Prospects — 1. Where to Look for Prospects — The Straight Canvass as a Source of Supply. 2. Definite Standards for Gauging Prospects — Utilizing Policy- holders— Various Methods of Finding Prospects — 3. The Use of Form Letters and How to Make Them Effective — 4. Specimen Form Letters Which Have Been Successful — 5. Testing Prospects and Eliminating Deadwood — Closing at the First Interview 29 CHAPTER X Policy Illustrations — The Disadvantages of Using Policy Illustrations — How to Avoid Their Use — The Forcefulness of Personal Presentation 48 CHAPTER XI Competition — The Faults of the Novice — How to Treat Competition — Mistakes to be Avoided — Tactful Side-Stepping — Hints as to Conduct in Competition — Difficulties and Dangers in Using Ratios. 52 CHAPTER XII Delivering the Policy — Duties Involved in It and Opportunities Afforded by It — vi When to Make a Detailed Explanation page of the Contract — How to Secure Extra Issues — Forestalling the Twister. 58 CHAPTER XIII Settlements — Getting Paid for the Business — Three Favorable Occasions for Se- curing a Satisfactory Settlement — Ar- gument for Cash with Application — How to Make the Business Renew. 62 CHAPTER XIV The Blues — Typical Temperament of the Salesman — Worry and Anxiety to be Avoided — Remedies for the Blues — Re- wards of Salesmanship. GQ CHAPTER XV The Viewpoint — The Dignity and Nobility of Our Business — Life Insurance as a Vo- cation for the Young Man — Why More do not Succeed — The Proper Mental Attitude 70 CHAPTER XVI Waste. Waste of Time — Causes of Waste Time and How to Remedy Them — Waste of Words — How to Economize Speech and Make it 'Effective — Putting Thought Behind Words — Excessive Verbiage Creates Confusion — Waste of Energy — Importance of Conserving Energy — Ways in Which Energy is Wasted 73 CHAPTER XVII Sentiment in Business — Its Presence Often Unsuspected — Can be Made a Factor in Securing Our Object — Tact Neces- sary in Appealing to Sentiment. Pointed Talk in the Approach — How to Overcome Excuses — Creating Interest by Curiosity and Suggestion — 5. Talk Derives Force From Feeling — Simplic- ity in Stating the Proposition — Proper Regard for the Prospect's Interests — The Mental Attitude Will Determine the Effect of Talk. ....... 100 viii PRACTICAL POINTERS Practical Pointers CHAPTER I EFFICIENCY THE object of these papers is to promote what should be the chief desire of every Life Insurance agent, — the desire to increase his efficiency. It will be well, therefore to begin with a brief general discussion of Efficiency. Efficiency is the ability to do things effectually, it is the essence of success. Efficiency is fitness, ■ — adequacy. It is the justification of endeavor. If you can not do a thing efficiently, there is no excuse for doing it at all. In this day the highest Efficiency is demanded in mechanical and human service. Poor work will not be tolerated in man or machine. Our particular business affords evidence of this. The companies and the public require a considerable degree of knowledge and ability in the Life In- surance agent, and the more capable he is, the greater recognition he receives in patronage and promotion. The time is fast approaching when there will be no place in our business for the in- efficient man. There is one road to success in any vocation. It is Efficiency. It is open to every man who realizes the need for self-improvement and is willing to make the necessary effort. The only 1 2 PRACTICAL POINTERS obstructions to advance on this highway are cranial elephantiasis and hypertrophy of the ego. The man who is self -sufficient and omniscient must be allowed to "gang his ain gait to the deil." There is no man of ordinary physical and mental calibre but can become a first-class Life Insurance agent if he will. It may take years of hard work and diligent application. More than anything else it will require incessant effort in the direction of increased Efficiency. But a rich result will surely follow honest endeavor. The ranks of Life Insurance solicitors are filled with mediocre men. The "hundred thousand dollar" class seems to be the limit of attainment with the majority. This is because they cease to aim at self-improvement after acquiring the ability to earn a modest livelihood. Just as soon as a man relaxes the effort to in- crease in Efficiency, interest in his business be- gins to wane. He gradually falls into a rut and becomes a common drudge. His work is twice as hard as it need be and not half as profitable as it might be. Is it worth while to master a business which will secure to you complete independence — a business in which the demand for high class men is infinitely greater than the supply? Are you willing to devote five or six years of constant endeavor to that object? If so, you may be as- sured of ultimate success. Now as to methods of Efficiency. The first and most important is the formation of correct habits of work. In order to do this you must adopt certain broad principles and the details of your business must be regulated by certain fixed rules. The mechanical inventor first makes sure that his engine is sound in its basic construction. EFFICIENCY 3 Then he improves it with a view to producing the utmost Efficiency. He knows that if there is any flaw in the fundamental features, the dynamic results will disappoint his calculations sooner or later. So you must be sure of your foundation before you proceed to make your methods more effec- tive. I shall offer you a basis on which may be built a structure of efficient personal habits and business practises. Suggestions for the forma- tion of these will also be given. Nothing will be proposed to you but what is perfectly practicable, nor anything but what has stood the test of ex- haustive trial. The general aids to Efficiency embrace every kind of improvement of which you are capable. Mental and physical culture, all sorts of accom- plishments and every variety of knowledge, are such aids. The specific aids to Efficiency are theoretical and practical knowledge of our business. When you turn this information to account in your field work its value will be measurable in money. System in your business is essential to Effi- ciency. The former will be greatly promoted by the use of the card index and the "Time Record." The adoption of these helps has been known to increase production from 50 to 100 per cent in numerous instances and I doubt if any man selling insurance would fail to derive appreciable benefit from their use. CHAPTER II THE EFFICIENT AGENT THE high-type Life Insurance Agent of today- has a broad view of his business and a sense of its responsibilities. He realizes that the esti- mate of his company entertained in the commu- nity depends mainly upon the impression created by himself as its representative. He is no longer a mere salesman, actuated solely by the desire to secure commissions. He performs the role of ex- pert adviser to prospect and policy-holder, and accepts the obligation of Efficiency entailed by that position. As an exponent of the principles of Life Insurance and a supporter of the Institu- tion of Life Insurance he appreciates the bene- ficial effects of competition and respects the rights of his competitor. His conception of Life In- surance leads him to see in it opportunity, not for a job, but for a career. This elevated attitude of the Agent toward his business is reflected in the general attitude toward the Agent. He is now welcomed where formerly he was tolerated, at best. He is now the subject of confidence where formerly he was the object of suspicion. The insuring public is be- ginning to look upon him as an important factor in social and commercial economics, and to treat him with the degree of trust and respect accorded to the lawyer and the physician. The extent to which this regard for the Life Insurance Agent is enjoyed in any particular 4> THE EFFICIENT AGENT 5 case must depend upon the character and effi- ciency of the individual. You may qualify your- self to exert a wide and strong influence in your community. You may become the counselor and authority in Life Insurance matters to a numer- ous clientele. At the same time you may pro- mote the general interests of your profession by aiding in the important work of educating the people. The attainment of Efficiency by you depends upon certain fundamental qualifications and con- ditions which we will now proceed to discuss. It is essential that you should be possessed by a serious purpose and an adequate sense of the dignity of your business. In the present age salesmanship is recognized as a profession, and Life Insurance as the highest and most lucrative branch of it. It affords scope for all the talents that a man may bring to bear upon it. Its re- wards are practically unlimited. Its achieve- ments entail a satisfaction which can not be de- rived from selling goods or cultivating land. There is no calling in which a man's work is more productive of benefit to his fellows than it is in Life Insurance, honestly and industriously pur- sued. The spirit in which you prosecute your busi- ness must be one of whole-hearted devotion to your work and determination to make yourself as efficient as possible in it. This is a matter of creating the right mood or attitude and main- taining it habitually. The papers which follow will assist you in doing so. Efficiency is the quality of fitness and the ability to do things rightly and adequately. Though we have long striven for mechanical Efficiency in the machinery and appliances em- ployed in the industries, it is only within com- 6 PRACTICAL POINTERS paratively recent years that attention has been paid to the Efficiency of the human factor. The first discovery in this connection was that the average man does not exceed 60 per cent of his potential Efficiency in his work. It was then ascertained that, with scientific training, the Efficiency of an average individual may be in- creased to a degree approximating 100 per cent of the possible. And finally came the realization that the efficient man has more practical ability than an inefficient man of greater natural talent. That is to say, a man of mediocre qualities who knows how to turn them to full account is a more effective workman than another of much greater qualities who does not know how to apply them. The latter-day demand of the public for in- creased and better service has stimulated Effi- ciency in every direction, but especially in that of salesmanship. The old crude methods of sell- ing passed away with the drummer whose worth was measured by his ability to "mix" and his capacity for liquor. Today, salesmanship is re- duced to a science and an art. To make his mark in it one must be a man of exceptional parts. The salesman is the most valued man in the com- mercial community. The demand for his class is greatly in excess of the supply. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS So many elements go to make up the Efficient Salesman that, although we shall touch on most of them in the course of these papers, we may at present consider only those which are essentials, — those without which he cannot hope for any considerable degree of success. Success in salesmanship is impossible without a foundation consisting of thorough knowledge of THE EFFICIENT AGENT 7 the goods, belief in their excellence and confi- dence in the concern putting them out. This foundation should be built on lines broad enough to embrace all the interests affected by the operations of a sale. The salesman who has no thought beyond his commissions is not supe- rior to a peddler. He will have developed into an Efficient Salesman only when his considera- tion extends to the interests of his employer and of the purchaser. If you would become an efficient agent of your company you must saturate yourself with the conviction that there is no better company nor any better contracts than its. You must know its special points of excellence and be familiar with its policies. You must have that pride in your Company that will prompt you to guard its prestige jealously, and that sense of affiliation with it that will lead you to promote its interests energetically. You must entertain a feeling of loyalty toward your manager and a genuine re- gard for the welfare of the agency of which you are a member. You must have a full apprecia- tion of your obligations to prospect and policy- holder, and rigidly perform them. Acquire this attitude — work in this spirit — and you need have no concern for your own inter- ests. They will flourish as surely as grass will grow on watered ground. Be square — not merely honest, but strictly fair and just. You can create no more valuable as- set in your business than a well-founded reputa- tion for integrity and square-dealing. Life Insurance has been truthfully described as "the best paid kind of hard work in the world." Success will require the exercise of energy, but you may be sure of ample reward for every hour of earnest and intelligent effort. Cultivate earnestness. It will afford you mo- 8 PRACTICAL POINTERS tive power and give you balance. Let earnest- ness characterize your work. Maintain an earnest interest in Life Insurance and everything per- taining to it. Join your local Life Underwriters' Association and take an earnest part in its pro- ceedings. Make an earnest resolve to embrace every opportunity of increasing your efficiency as a Life Insurance Agent. Confidence is essential to the end you have in view. You must believe in yourself and count on success as an ultimate certainty. If you have confidence you will not lack perseverance. With- out it your progress will be uncertain and by stumbling steps. You must be confident of your- self before you can influence others, and nothing will beget in you this feeling more surely than honesty of purpose, consciousness of ability and conviction of the worth of the thing you have to sell. ABOVE ALL THINGS,— BE THOROUGH! Be thorough. Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well — is, in fact, worth doing as well as you can possibly do it. Genius has been described as "the faculty of taking infinite pains." The man who is faithful in the performance of details may safely be entrusted with the greater tasks. Precision in minutiae is the very essence of Efficiency. The mathematician's minor calcu- lations must be correct; the logician's premises must be sound; the mechanic's adjustments must be perfect; the artist's hair lines must be true; otherwise the final result will not represent Efficiency. And so, the salesman who is pains- taking and conscientious in the least of his pro- cesses is he whose efforts are most effective in promoting his own interests and whose services are most satisfactory to his employer and to his patrons. THE EFFICIENT AGENT 9 Efficiency is the faculty of doing things rightly and effectively. It follows, then, that in order to exercise this faculty we must be, ourselves, fit and equal to the demands of our task. The mechanic who would neglect to keep his drill or his lathe in good order could not produce high grade work. The machine which the sales- man employs is composed of his body and his brain. He must develop these to their utmost capacity and maintain them in a constant condi- tion of fitness, if he would be Efficient. This desideratum depends upon fixed habits of living, founded on correct principles. These habits must embrace such matters as exercise, food, sleep, and mental occupation. No man may hope to be efficient unless he has a healthy mind in a sound body. These form the bases of attrac- tive and forceful personality. This is an age of keen competition and expert service. The salesman who would make a marked success must be master of his business. In order to break through the ruck and gain a position in the van, a man needs to be a specialist. These requirements demand that a salesman stick to one particular line of business — better still, to the service of one concern. He must devote himself whole-heartedly to learning all that he can about his line, and he may never cease in this process of self-education if he wishes to keep pace with the procession. The ranks are filled by mediocre salesmen because the majority abate their efforts at improvement as soon as they have attained a moderate degree of Efficiency. Most of these men are not barred from higher stages of skill by lack of ability, but by lack of persistency. Make Efficiency your lode-star ! Aim at it con- stantly ! Strive for it tirelessly ! Every step you take toward it will bring you nearer to success as a salesman. CHAPTER III LIFE INSURANCE AS A VOCATION THE man who treats the Life Insurance business as a makeshift and a field of temporary em- ployment should not expect to get a great deal out of it. Nor will it yield much to the "part-time" agent, unless he is moved by the serious purpose of making it his sole occupation as soon as practicable. This is addressed to men who are considering the adoption of our business as a vocation and to those who not long since entered upon it as a career. Now-a-days the companies and the public demand Efficiency in the Life Insurance Agent. In order to achieve any considerable degree of success he must take his business as seriously as he would the pur- suit of one of the learned professions. Whatever natural talents he may bring to bear upon it will give him an advantage, but his ultimate success must de- pend upon technical knowledge and training, — upon the attainment of business Efficiency. Somewhat tardily perhaps, the companies are beginning to rec- ognize this truth. A number of the most enterpris- ing now give their agents courses of instruction, a measure which will be universally adopted at no distant day. While Life Insurance salesmanship presents a splendid field of endeavor to the man of exceptional parts, it offers to the man of ordinary ability and education a better opening than he can find in any other business. There is no calling in which the re- turns for labor are so sure or so great in proportion to the effort. 10 LIFE INSURANCE AS A VOCATION 11 Is there any other business or profession, of equal dignity, which you may enter without expense for training or stock in trade? Here you are furnished with office facilities and all the material necessary to your work, absolutely free. You have the standing and influence that arise from the representation of one of the leading corporations of your country. You may do a business netting you $5,000 in a year — or $10,000, for that matter — without any cash outlay on your part. The sole investment that you are called upon to make is time and energy. Furthermore, Life Insurance affords you an ex- traordinary opportunity to build up a permanent business. In contrast to almost all other branches of trade and finance, a sale binds a customer to you for life, or for a long term of years. Under a re- newal contract the effect of your work is cumulative. Each year's commissions, whilst producing a present profit, contribute to a constant increment. With moderate success for eight or ten years you will be assured of an income sufficient to sustain you com- fortably, irrespective of the returns of your future work. It is of the utmost importance that you plan the constant upbuilding of your business on a perma- nent basis. A little extra pains in your present work will produce great future results. Aim to make each of your policyholders a satisfied client and a personal friend. Embrace every opportunity to ex- tend your acquaintanceship among the better class of citizens. Exert some influence in your commun- ity by taking part in civic movements, but beware of allowing yourself to be placed in a strongly par- tisan position. You will derive moral gratification and material profit from the expenditure of a rea- sonable amount of money and time on altruistic ob- jects. Above all, strive to establish a deserved repu- 12 PRACTICAL POINTERS tation for probity, reliability, good-nature and busi- ness ability. A large proportion of men who engage in business fail. Few reach prosperity and maintain it to the end of life. Many, who make fortunes in their best days, lose all in their waning years. You need have no apprehensions of bankruptcy or loss. The mar- ket for your goods is stable, with a constantly grow- ing demand. Has the surgeon or lawyer any such prospect? On the contrary, he usually strives for five or six years before his living expenses are cov- ered by his fees. And when his hand begins to lose its cunning or his brain its vigor, his income begins to diminish. Life Insurance is not without its difficulties. If it were, the ranks of solicitors would be crowded with incompetents, and the remuneration would be no more than commensurate with the ease of the work. In the first place, Life Insurance is a technical business. You must master its principles and prac- tice. You should be willing to devote as much effort to developing Efficiency as you would if engaged in a profession. The attorney or the physician cannot progress far or fast on the increase of skill acquired exclusively from experience. It is no less necessary for the Life Insurance agent to study and gather knowledge from every available source. CHAPTER IV TO THE BEGINNER EVEN though we term Life Insurance a busi- ness, that branch of it which pertains to the direct educating of the public and the soliciting of applications may properly be called a profession, and is quite generally beginning to be recognized as such. Estimated by its beneficent effects and by the ethical standards maintained in it, Life Insurance Sales- manship ranks with the highest professions, — those of the Ministry, the Law, and Medicine. This is the vocation which you have chosen. It is no easy walk in life. If it were, its ranks would be crowded with loafers and incompetents. Life In- surance Salesmanship has been described as "the best paid hard work in the world." Success in it demands extraordinary effort and the possession or acquisition of extraordinary qualities. But in no field of endeavor are the rewards so great or so cer- tain as in this. From bottom to top the rungs of the ladder are broad enough to afford footing to every man who will exercise sufficient strength and agility to climb them. There is no competition or struggle for place. Forty-nine in every fifty men admitted to the Bar or the practice of Medicine are doomed to comparative failure by reason of the limitation of their field of activity. Yours is boundless. Every agent carrying a Rate Book might write $200,000 13 14 PRACTICAL POINTERS yearly and leave scope for the operation of many more. The opportunity for the Life Insurance solic- itor is practically limitless. If we were asked what single business experience or qualification is the most valuable to its possessor, we would unhesitatingly reply — Salesmanship. You are learning this science in its highest form and in the best school. The knowledge and exper- ience which you acquire in the practice of selling Life Insurance will prove a valuable asset to you through after life whether you continue in your present line of work or not. Without special educa- tion you could not have chosen any calling which would have offered you equal opportunities, facili- ties and rewards. Earnest, persistent effort, di- rected toward Efficiency will bring rich results. In the entire range of business activity is there any field that presents so vast and varied opportun- ity to the individual as does the business of Life In- surance? Darwin P. Kingsley, George W. Perkins and Danford M. Baker are living examples of its possibilities. To paraphrase Napoleon's oft-quoted saying anent the marshal's baton: "Every fieldman carries a president's position in his hip pocket." The Rate Book has been the stepping stone to wealth and place for thousands. Do you appreciate the opportunities of your pres- ent field of labor? Are you completely utilizing them ? Are you making the most of your personal powers? Are you turning your time to the fullest account ? The responsibility rests with yourself. The issue depends upon your capacity and industry rather than upon our position and environment. The latter, no matter how favorable, are worthless unless the TO THE BEGINNER 15 former are applied to them. On the other hand, the largest success may be attained by energy and per- severance, despite the heaviest handicaps. In the business of Life Insurance there is no royal road to success — no short cut — no easy path. As in any line of worthy endeavor, a man must work hard, must plan intelligently, must persist courageously. CHAPTER V PURPOSE IMAGINE a ship without a compass. It may have high power engines and every other facil- ity for navigation and yet ply hither and thither about the seas forever, like Vanderdeken's phantom craft, without making port. Now and again it may derive some direction from the fixed stars, the rising sun, or a distant landfall, but what it gains in head- way at such times will be lost in leeway at others for lack of permanent guidance. A man without a purpose is in the plight of a ves- sel without a compass. He may have the capacity for great achievement and accomplish nothing. His fluctuating course will be marked by alternating stages of forward progress and drifting backward. He will have spurts of energy and fits of enthusi- asm, only to be neutralized by spells of vacillation and stagnation. The most energetic efforts must prove futile un- less inspired by definite aim. Just as the men who spend the most money frequently do the least good with it, so the busiest man is often the weakest in execution. Napoleon, whose capacity for effective action was almost superhuman, attributed this great power to the habit of always having his mind made up — of constantly keeping a precise purpose before his view. I believe that it was Landseer — the won- derful animal painter — who said that the production of a picture would occupy little time if the artist 16 PURPOSE 17 knew exactly what he wanted to do when he took the palette and brush in hand. A Bishop of Exeter— I forgot which one — said something to this effect : "Of all work that produces results worth while, nine-tenths must be drudgery. The secret of the true workman's success consists in dauntlessness in the face of commonplace labor, and persistence in the pursuit of purpose." Baudelaire declared that "inspiration is the sister of daily labor." He might have added, with truth, that pur- pose is the parent of inspiration. And inspiration is the instinct of success. The purposeful mind has a clearly conceived track for advance from which it will allow no devia- tion. Purpose is the rallying point around which it assembles all its faculties, then marches toward its goal with direct motion under the impulse of de- termination and with the force of massed resources. The man without an aim in life is a sorry crea- ture, of little more account in the economy of things than the mollusk, the plaything of chance, the tool of stronger personalities, a mere pawn upon the chess- board of the work-a-day world. To revert to our metaphor of a ship. Its hull is fashioned from the stout planks of Courage and Confidence. Ambition is the fuel that generates the steam of Inspiration and this supplies the Energy to the machinery which drives it, guided by the compass of Purpose, to the port of Success. And the Captain of our craft is the Will. AMBITION You may be working hard, but are you doing the best of which you are capable ? You are moved by a desire to increase your pro- duction, but have you any higher motive ? Do you entertain any definite Ambition for the future ? 18 PRACTICAL POINTERS Do you wish to become a General Agent of your Company? If so, make it a definite aim, and strive for its attainment. There is none but may succeed if he will. Or, perhaps you have decided to remain in the ranks of field men, and that is a very sensible de- cision, because you can find no more profitable and independent position. But if you intend to remain a salesman, form some definite idea as to the kind and degree of successful salesman you propose to be. Are you going to be a five thousand dollar a year or a ten thousand dollar a year salesman? What sort of house are you going to live in ? What kind of machine will you drive? What will you do for your family ? What social position will you occupy ? Form definite ideas about these matters. Crystal- lize them into a definite plan, and seriously aim to carry it out. Keep your goal constantly in mind. Move toward it step by step. Are you earning a surplus? No? Then strive to increase your business to a point where it will yield more than you need for living expenses. Save the excess and aim at a further increase until it enables you to buy a home. Go forward again from that point, always remembering our ultimate object. Maintain a cheerful discontent. Strive for greater and better results. Don't admit of any limit to your attainment or capacity. What if you do not realize your ambition? What if you fall short of your ideal ? Should you do your best with the ability at your command and the oppor- tunities available to you, the claim and the reward of success will be yours, for, mark you ! Out of every honest purpose, earnestly pursued, a man must emerge stronger and better for his effort, even though the result may fall far short of the accomplishment of his undertaking. CHAPTER VI THAT BLOCKHEAD WORD SO MIRABEAU characterized "impossible." Cowley said : "Impossibilities ! Oh, no, there's none." There may be logical impossibilities, but many a man has converted a logical impossibility into an actual possibility. We confound difficulty with impossibility. We measure our capacity by our experience of achievement. There's the rub! Be- cause we have never done a certain thing we con- clude that we cannot do it. This is auto-paralysis. There is something more than a joke in the Irish- man's reply to the inquiry whether he could play the piano — "I don't know. I never tried." We don't try. We underrate our powers. There isn't one of us living up to fifty per cent of his potential effi- ciency. We are fearful of failure. The man who never failed never attempted anything worth while. It is not the man who fails but the man who falters that falls. To him who comes back with set teeth, again and again, if need be, all things are possible. Wellington was not comparable to Napoleon as a military genius. And yet, Napoleon was doomed to defeat from the moment Wellington took the field against him. This, simply because the Briton en- tered into the contest with a determination to beat his adversary. There were no "ifs" and "ands" in his calculation, but just one set idea. Had Water- loo been won by Napoleon it would have been mere- ly to postpone his downfall. He was opposed by an 19 20 PRACTICAL POINTERS indomitable Will, against which his battalions could not prevail. Without an adequate effort nothing is possible — not even the simple act of raising the hand. Difficult objects can only be attained by hard striving. We may not know what we can do until we try. InJ deed, few of us suspect the extent of our latent ableness. Can you conscientiously declare to yourself that you are making an honest effort in your work ? Have you any definite goal or ambition which you are pur- suing with persistent determination? Or is your daily labor no more than an endeavor to gain a few dollars? If so, you are stirred by no very high mo- tive. Surely, you and your calling are worthy of a nobler incentive than this. It were a sad pity to allow your inherent faculties to become atrophied through disuse, and your powers to waste untested. Is there any man in your profession whose position appears enviable to you? (Don't hesitate to cast your thought upon the highest.) His place and his achievement are within the scope of possibility. Nay, more — they are positively attainable by you. And this, though you be at present the poorest producer and the rawest beginner in the Agency. Nor would the transition seem so extraordinary, but that we are contemplating it in one encompassing view, instead of as a graduation of steps. I will suggest a comparatively light task on which to test your powers — a task easily bounded by pos- sibility. If you are a beginner, start from today with the determined purpose of writing $100,000 or more within the next twelve months. In case you are an experienced agent, set your mark at not less than fifty per cent increase over your last year's business. THAT BLOCKHEAD WORD 21 Make this a resolution. Keep it before you con- stantly— daily — hourly — and support it with good, honest work. Bear in mind that desire is the in- competent man's substitute for Will. A determin- ation made and carried out creates increased strength for greater effort. Step by step, Develop- ment and Evolution keep pace. A few years hence you may discern in the Resolve of today the first stride in a career of great Success. CHAPTER VII HABIT A TEACHER of languages was endeavoring to illustrate to a foreign pupil the applica- tion of the word miraculous. "If a man should fall out of a fourth story window to the ground without hurting himself, what would you call it?" he asked. "Accident," replied the foreigner. "That is not what I mean," rejoined the teacher. "Suppose that he did it a second time. What would it be?" "Coincidence," answered the pupil. "That's not it, either. Now, let us say that the man did it a third time. What would you say it was?" The pupil pondered awhile and finally answered : "Habit." We may form any sort of habit even that of fall- ing from a fourth-story window, providing we per- form the act a sufficient number of times, with regu- larity. The method is simple, but sometimes diffi- cult. It consists of resolving upon a certain mental or physical action and adhering to it persistently until it becomes habitual. In the early stages of this process no exception whatever should be allowed. After a habit has become confirmed, wisdom and expediency may justify occasional deviations from it. Habit of thought and action is at once the seed and the outgrowth of character. A man may not be fairly judged by isolated actions, but by his cus- tomary conduct. Every habit which we acquire is like a branch) grafted to a tree. It is a permanent 22 HABIT 23 addition and will affect the entire tree. This thought should influence us toward fostering or checking a habit at its very inception. Habit is the essence of economy. The man whose life is regulated by good habits moves along the lines of least resistance. Habit makes action easy and, as a consequence, saves time, energy and thought. But for the facility derived from ac- quired habit we could not accomplish one-tenth of what we do each day. If the hundred-and-one acts which we perform between the time of rising and reaching the office were not mostly mechanical we would hardly get down town before noon. I have said enough to indicate that habit may be made a powerful agency in the promotion of your business. We shall not dwell upon the self-evident value of good personal habits in this respect, but will confine ourselves to a few remarks upon strictly business habits. Habitual regularity of hours is of the utmost im- portance to us. Most especially should we make a point of starting work at a fixed time every day. Upon the accomplishment of this will depend the establishment of other desirable habits, such as regu- lar rising, and laying out at the close of each day the work for the next. In the canvass, sale and delivery of a policy there are certain essential things to be done. Decide upon the best way for doing each of these things, and make a habit of doing it that way every time. The pains you may expend on the acquirement of these habits will yield rich compensation in increase of ease and effectiveness. By way of illustration, let us take the matter of securing settlements with applications. This is largely a matter of habit. If you determine to make a settlement the rule, instead of the exception, in a few months you will experience no difficulty about 24 PRACTTCALPOINTERS the matter. When it has become a habit, it will save you an immeasurable amount of money, time and trouble. Make a habit of calling upon each of your policyholders at stated intervals. Here is your best source of new business, if you exploit it intelligently. Let me remind you that it is greatly easier to ac- quire a habit than to eradicate one. You must be no less careful to guard against bad business habits than active in forming good ones. The beginner, in particular, should be watchful in this respect. By falling into faulty methods at the outset he may cause himself endless future trouble. He had bet- ter make slow progress, picking his way with cir- cumspection, than have to retrace his steps later. Many a promising man has owed his failure to the early acquisition of a few bad habits. On the other hand, there is no surer foundation for success than sound personal and business habits. Make a habit of forming good habits. CHAPTER VIII SYSTEM IN" its application to business the word SYSTEM conveys the ideas of order, method, rule and arrangement. A system may be described as a comprehensive plan of action and the operation of that plan. System is the balance wheel of thought and ac- tion. System is to Success what the works are to a watch. Each part is useful — perhaps essential — but the effect is produced by the co-ordination and co-operation of individual pieces. So with one of us, he may be possessed of intelligence, energy, ex- perience, foresight and other valuable qualities, and yet be a failure as a practical salesman. To secure Efficiency from the various factors at his command he must bring them into harmonious and economical working order. The basic requirements of achievement are: 1. A definite conception of the purpose. 2. A definite plan of action. In order to do anything worth while you must have a clear-cut idea of your object. Set that up as a goal post. Use a liberal piece of hardwood for it. Paint it in glowing colors so that it may always stand bright and attractive to your vision. When- ever it becomes tarnished by the storm of adversity and battered by the impact of difficulties, repair it and repaint it. Keep it ever fresh. It is not sufficient to know what you intend to do. You must know precisely how you are going to 25 26 PRACTICAL POINTERS do it. You must have a well-considered and fea- sible scheme for the accomplishment of your pro- ject; and success depends upon pursuing it with the pertinacity of a blood-hound. Your plan of action will necessarily be limited by the resources available. The important thing is to turn those resources to the best account It is here that System plays its part. It enables you to avoid waste effort and to employ your energies in the most profitable directions. It makes possible a constant and intelligent control of your operations. It keeps you moving steadily and surely toward your goal. Now, the man who is addicted to haphazard pro- cesses will find it difficult to adopt methodical prac- tices; but the result will fully compensate for any pains that may be entailed in securing it. Once ac- quire the habit of systematic work and your labors will be immeasurably lightened, whilst their effects will be greatly enhanced. To the individual must be left the formulation of the main lines of his System. Opportunity, tempera- ment, talents and other conditions will influence the matter. There are, however, certain principles and practices which may be laid down as essential ele- ments of any efficient system of Life Insurance salesmanship. You must decide upon a specific minimum amount of business to be paid for by yourself in the ensuing year. This is your immediate goal to be aimed at with all the determination you can maintain. Let us assume that this mark is $120,000. Then you should start each month with the accepted task of paying for $10,000, or, better still, each week, with the purpose of paying for $2,500. Personally, I have found it advantageous to re- duce this unit period of effort to the working day. When I carried the rate book regularly I made it a SYSTEM 27 rule to do something each day that definitely ad- vanced my interests. If, at noon, I could not look back at such an accomplishment my efforts were in- creased in the remaining hours. Occasionally I found it necessary to work during an evening in order to avoid a break in my rule. That, for the sake of discipline and moral effect more than any- thing else. The advantage of regular hours is obvious, and few of you need admonition in this respect. I am not quite so sure that we all appreciate the oppor- tunities that are to be found at unusual times of the day. In every community there are business men who may be most favorably interviewed before nine o'clock, after five, or on Saturday afternoon. A few enterprising agents reap rich harvests by specializing in these comparatively neglected cases. Most agents use the calendar card system. Let me urge upon any man who is not employing it to do so without delay. It is the easiest and most ef- fective way of keeping track of your business. It enables you literally to place your hand on all your prospects in a moment. If properly kept it makes the oversight of an engagement impossible. In con- nection with this system I strongly recommend the habitual practice of reviewing on the preceding evening the cards for the following day and pre- paring by thought and calculation for the ensuing interviews. The value of system depends upon its observ- ance. There is the widest difference possible be- tween a theoretical system and a practical system. 