Verhovayak Lapja, 1946 (29. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)
1946 / Verhovay Journal
Page 6 The Verhovay Album of Branch Managers JOSEPH POCS — BRANCH 27 — TOLEDO, O. Due to circumstances beyond his control Joseph Poes resigned as manager of Branch 27, Toledo, O., at the end of 1945. However, in recognition of his great contributions to the progress of the Verhovay, his story is made part of this Album. Mr. Poes, a wheelwright by trade, was born at Rees, Heves county, Hungary, on February 19, 1885. He opened his own shop in 1908, and married the former Elizabeth Toth on Oct. 10, 1910. In 1914 they came to the United States and immediately joined the Verhovay at Branch 33, Windber, Pa. Between 1914 and 1922 he served this branch for one year as recording secretary, two years as vice-president and one year as president. Moving to Toledo in 1922 and transferring to Branch 27, he was elected comptroller of this branch serving for three years until the end of 1925. Then he was elected secretary-manager holding this position for twenty years until his resignation in December, 1945. His achievements in the promotional field are marked by such successes as the winning of a $50 prize in 1941, a $100 prize in 1§42 and that of a grand-prize in the 60th anniversary contest in 1945-46. He is credited with having secured more than 250 members for the Association. In March, 1938, he was awarded the Verhovay “Acknowledged” title with the Silver Medal and he represented his district at the National Convention in 1943. ' Mr. and Mrs. Poes have four children: Elizabeth, Mrs. Hanes, 30, a registered nurse, Pearl, 24, also a registered nurse and supervisor at the gynecologic clinic of St. Vincent’s Hospital, Joseph, 18, a graduate of St. Benedict’s High School in Cleveland, O., who joined the army shortly after his graduation in May, 1946, and Veronica, 16. iamaiiii];Li[iiiimiiii!iii;iiiiiiffi(niuiiiii:!Liiiiiiiiiiiiii!iiiiii[iii[ii:i!i‘[!iiaii;ii!!iiii[ii!iiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiUi]iiiiiiiiiaiiiiiiiii!iiiiiimiiimHiiiiiimiiiiii:iiirii]i By Don’t wait for opportunity; seize it.”—Unknown. GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY The current membership drive of the VFIA provides each and every member, branch manager, local organizer and district manager with a gofden opportunity to show just what can be done to promote the growth of his fraternal organization. There are several ways of looking at the value or impracticality of membership drives, and since your Ferret has given this matter a great deal of thought in the past few years, I’d like to take this opportunity to expound some of my views. To go back to the birth of the 'er who told friend and soon, about VFIA ... In the old days, when the benefits which could be de-Mrs. Jolán Lucas \ stant devotion to the organization and its ideals, the value of fraternal insurance caught hold with our elders and the VFIA grew and grew and grew, until now the bouncing baby which was born sixty years ago has grown to sturdy manhood, with its feet solidly planted among the leading fraternal organizations of the country. The securing of new members in those days, however, was made easier because brother told broththe association was just a bouncing baby, timidly but courageously grabbing a toehold on the modern business world, the task of securrived by becoming a member of a great little organization. They spoke a common language and had a common purpose to unite ing new members was just as dif- . them. ficult as it seems today. Compe- Today, the task is more diffitition between fraternals and i cult because the children of these straight line insurance cofnpanies I founders are living in a different may not have been as keen as it is today, but there was a stronger competitor in that every cent saved by a prospect was used to buy land or maintain a family in the Old Country. Little thought was given to the protection of the individual, with the result that oftentimes friends and Good Samaritans had to be called upon to bury the lonesome stranger. This is just one instance of the many battles which had to be fought to put across the idea that mutual aid societies were necessary for the preservation of mankind’s future welfare. After years of struggle and con. era. Their thoughts and lives have assumed a wider range. They are constantly approached by the large straight line insurance companies; collectors call for their monthly payments; and to make it tougher for hopeful branch managers, they readily admit that they have no need for the fraternal angle to make and keep friends. Those of us whose parents have stepped in the traditions of helping each other and carrying on the work of the VFIA, find ourselves facing a - gigantic problem . . . we have to compete with tried and trained insurance salesmen of every variety. Verhovay Journal July 31, 1946 BUFFALO GIRLS WIN SECOND PRI ZE IN NATIONAL TOURNAMENT * Cheered by hundreds of spectators the girls from Branch 383, Buffalo, N. Y., won second place in the Verhovay National Bowling Tournament, Women’s Division, with a grand total of 2,276 pins. Excellent team-work and a great deal of practice did the trick! Good work, Buffalo! Since the majority of the nearly four hundred branch managers have full-time jobs of their own . . ." such as eight hours a day in shop, factory or office, or the greater full-time job of caring for a home and children . . . the few hours a week which are dedicated to branch work and the securing of new members cannot be wasted by using HIT AND MISS METHODS. We have to face cold prospects with little idea of how to proceed when excuses of every nature are thrown at us. For instance, let me give you a few examples of what we are up against . . . Returning veterans tell us they have sound insurance protection with the government companies. There »are others who make quick come-backs such as, “I’m too young to think about insurance yet. See me in about ten years.” Then of course we are constantly faced with the eternal problem of the almighty dollar, ‘Wes, we’d like more insurance, but at present we cannot afford it.” WHAT ARE THE ANSWERS? HOW DO WE GET AROUND THESE EVASIONS? WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO MAKE THEM SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE? For some time now, I’ve toyed around with the idea of probing our district managers and local organizers to give us articles— pep talks, lectures, short cuts in' salesmanship, etc. Who, in our organization today, is better fitted to give us this help? Right now, with a new and greater membership drive on, is the most suitable time for these sales discussions. Every large firm has its sales department with periodical get-togethers to discuss current problems and create mutual co-operation. Why can’t we? Why can’t we get our District Managers and Local Organizers to give us the same benefits which are passed out elsewhere? Tell us how to go about counteracting the many versions, the numerous excuses which we meet daily? Tell us ytsur sales secrets . . . help us to be good salesmen and we will ALL gain in the long run. There are nine District Managers, and about eight Local Organizers, and any number of oldtimers who are doing a magnificent job of securing new members, who can give us plenty of good tips on selling insurance. Let’s have ’em! If you cannot write your articles in English, we have an expert Editor in Henry Rettmann who will translate your write-ups into glowing English. Give your field workers the cooperation and help which will make the job just a little bit easier. Yes, even, now, I can hear those few old-timers who say that they are doing a good job without any help. But they are in a minority. We, who are your children, DO NEED HELP and an entirely different sort of approach than that which was satisfactory 15-20 years ago. Think of us... we have to take your places eventually, HOW ABOUT FITTING US FOR THE JOB? Well, folks, here’s to plenty of good luck and many dollars worth of good business in the current drive. Let’s reach and SURPASS that goal of 60,000 members by the end of the year. It can be done with the cooperation of each and every one of us. Forget personal ambition for the time being and work as a team, as a group of good sports, which after all is the AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE. Adios, amigosl EDITOR’S REMARKS: The boosting of the Anniversary Gold Ring Contest by our Ferret is sincerely appreciated and her thoughts concerning Verhovay’s promotional system should be given due consideration. It seems necessary, however, to add a few remarks to the presentation of this most important subject by the Ferret, lest seme of our readers get the impression that the Vejrhovay is doing too little for the training of our field workers. First, of ail, we would like to call your attention to a booklet now under print and to be distributed during August. . This booklet contains a fair and thorough discussion of fraternal insurance from the Verhovay point of view. It is not only a handbook for our managers and local organizers but a door-opener to be handed out to the friends and the prospective members of the Verhovay. . Our managers will find in this booklet answers to a great many questions likely to be asked by their prospects. . . Then, too, we would like to remind our readers that the Verhovay Journal regularly features articles pertaining to. such questions and evasive arguments as our managers may run up against. During the last few months the Anniversary and the Contest prevented us from dealing with problems of this kind but a great deal of material of this type was printed in the Journal during the last two years equipping our managers and the boosters of the Verhovay with facts, proofs and arguments which had been used by many of them to great advantage. .For instance, Ferret mentions the National Service Life Insurance of our veterans. .Yet, in anticipation of the arguments to be expected from veteran prospects this problem had been thoroughly discussed in the December 26, 1945, issue of the Journal, under the title: “You should know all about National . Service . Life . Insurance.” There is hardly any sales situation that has not been presented in that study and anyone having read it, should be well equipped with the right answers.................. . . Naturally, we are not satisfied with a once-for-all discussion of these problems. . They are taken up again and again as the- need arises. .Quite a number of these “educational” . articles . were . reprinted by national fraternal magazines which ought to be taken as a proof of their usefulness. . . The Journal is the foremost promotional organ of the Association and our most efficient means for training and equipping our managers. As we have previously suggested at one of our District Managers’ meetings, managers and organizers ought to clip these ar(Continued on Page 7)
