Verhovayak Lapja, 1950 (33. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1950 / Verhovay Journal
February 15, 1950 Verhovay Journal PAGE 11 his decision to his friends claiming “Sam talked me into it . . .” Indiana Verhovayans “Sam Talked Me Into It”... Good advice is seldom taken and that is what the life insurance salesman is up against in his profession. Because whatever shape or form he may give to his sales talk, in the final analysis it is no more, nor less, than advising a prospect to provide for the future in the only way of which he, the advisor, approves. Of course, no capable insurance salesman of today would think of giving such advice straight from the shoulder unless he’d be prepared to take the prospect’s answer straight to the chin, which is something only Joe Louis could risk. It just isn’t done that way anymore. Psychology as applied to the art of selling in general and, then, specialized in the field of insurance, has developed various techniques for sugarcoating advice. The idea is to create in the prospect a desire for life insurance and the smart salesman is supposed to lead the discussion in such a subtle way as to mák© the prospect think that the suggestion of buying life insurance originated in his own mind. Now if psychology also would provide a proper drug producing in the prospect such a state of mind, everything would be alright. As it is, the average prospect refuses to assume responsibility of having fathered the thought of buying life insurance. Fact is that even when he buys, he prefers to disown responsibility for this particular act as is shown by his shamefaced attitude when explaining LET’S WRITE TO THE HOME OFFICE (Continued from page 10) Office •: .- . If some of the .contents drop eat on the trip — as did happen in more than one instance — the Home Office gets the blame for not acknowledging part of the contents...) Sufficient postage should be put on the envelopes. Insufficient postage delays the delivery of the letter. COOPERATION REDUCES COSTS, INCREASES EFFICIENCY These may sound like petty rules, but they are not. The owner of some small business or a private individual may get along without them but not an organization of the size of the Verhovay corresponding with more than 300 branches and thousands of members. These rules are time savers and time saved means increased efficiency as well as lower operating costs because loss of time inevitably results in — “overtime” work. The managers and members of the Association have it in their power to help reduce the operating costs of the Home Office. By properly' attending to their end of the Association’s business, they will relieve the Home Office of unnecessary time consuming and unproductive tasks (like the tracing of requests mentioned above and the writing of innumei’able letters for information that the correspondents have failed to include in their letters,) and thus increase the efficiency of the Home Office by enabling it to render prompt and satisfactory service. Adherence to the rules of business and cooperation are the sources of satisfactory working conditions. Th’s, however, cannot be accomplished by the Home Office alone. Cooperation is a two-sided affair. The Home Ofice is ready to do its part at all times. The purpose of this article is to show' our managers and other correspondents w'hat to do in order to get the prompt and satisfactory service to which they are entitled and which the Home Office desires to render at all times. Now people never say “Sam talked me into it” when they have bought! a new car, a refrigerator, a television set or a corner lot on the bottom of Lake Okeechobee. Whatever the purchase, they invariably pride themselves of having acted independently, free of persuasion, interference and influence, even though most any outsider would lay ten to one that 90% of all their shopping is done -.either because they try to “keep up with the Joneses” or because they are acting under mass-hypnosis induced by advertising, or both. But, when it comes to buying life insurance, 9 out of 10 people feel the act needs some excuse and “Sam talked me into it” is just as good as saying “Sam bound me and gagged me and hit me over the head and pulled ai gun and threatened to kidnap my wife and children.” So now Sam :s responsible and the friends hearing the excuse nod sagely as if saying “well, the poor chap can hardly be blamed for sinking as low as buying life insurance if Sam talked him into it . . .” People will spend hundreds of dollars for the most harebrained schemes, from playing the slot machines to buying a sailboat conces- „ sion in the Sahara, and they never see a necessity for defending their actions, but when they buy life insurance, then “Sam talked me into it . . .” And somehow, notwithstanding the claims of sales psychology, we have a feeling that Sam will' be successful in the insurance business only if he does not tr$ to deprive the people of the excuse that it was he who “talked them into” buying life insurance. People who bought shares in undiscovered gold mines, stocks in defunct companies, bonds of non-existent municipialities building fictitious bridges over illusory fivers, invariably say they bought because at that time it looked like a good proposition. Promoters of “golden opportunities” have a never ending heyday, especially around bonus payment time and the poor insurance salesman can’t ever hope to beat them at this game, for the simple reason because he Endorse Judge Gonas For U. S. Senator — John S. Gonas, Probate Judge of St. Joseph County, Member of South Bend Branch 132, Has Outstanding Record In Indiana Legislature. — Verhovay’s many thousand members will be delighted to support the candidacy for United States Senator doesn’t operate with opportunities. There are no bargains, wonderful chances for “a select clientele” in the field of life insurance. There are no month-end sales, fire sales, flood sales, lost-our-lease sales, inventory sales, year end sales, anniversary sales. In the life insurance business you get what ypu pay for. The face value of a policy, its non-forfeiture values, the general provisions, the conditions of premium payments, the future security of your insurance protection as reflected in the strength of the organization — these and similar factors taken together represent the value of your policy. The same combination of factors invariably calls for the same rates. That’s meant when we say, you get what yoú pay for. And that’s why the sincere insurance salesman cannot operate with an illusion of opportunities. The word ‘illusion’ is advisedly used because most so-called opportunities in the commercial field are illusions. What a bargain is really worth is found out only when it breaks down. Looks don’t mean anything. The worst lemon on the used car lot often has the nicest appearance. The bargain price tag may be more sincere than the looks of the body. And so the sincere insurance salesman has no other way of selling insurance but by convincing the prospect of his need for this protection. And that sounds very much like advice. And advice is seldom taken. If it is taken, the client at least wants the satisfaction of being able to say: “I didn’t want it, I didn’t need it, I can’t afford it, but Sam talked me into it ...” So why not let him have it . his own way? Talk him into it. Some day his wife and his children will bless you - . . on the democratic ticket of the Hon. John S. Gonas, Probate Judge of St. Joseph County, not only because he is n member of the Association’s fastest growing branch, 132 in South Bend, Ind., but also because he has made himself a record that has earned him the wholehearted confidence of all democratic voters including those of Hungarian background. Local newspapers calling him “one of the most active legislators that ever served in the Indiana State Senate,” relate that he “came up from the ranks the hard way. As a boy, he worked in a factory and coal mines. After graduating in Law and Civil Engineering, he commenced practicing law in St. Joseph County. His first political office was that of Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. Later, he was elected State Representative. He has a record of sponsoring many measures in favor of the farmer, laborer, veteran, old age pensions and the veteran bonus. As a State Representative, his record helped to elect him State Senator. In his first term as State Senator, he served on the Budget Committee and other important committees, and was elected by his Senate colleagues, Caucus Chairman. Not many legislators can boast of such a record as his. He kept1 his promise with his constituents. Among the many bills he sponsored are: Workmen’s Compensation, Drainage, Compensation Laws, Pensions and many others. After a successful two terms in the State Senate, he was elected Probate Judge of St. Joseph County. From h‘s past experience as a legislator and judge, he has developed an understanding of human personalities and the philosophy of life, which has brought him knowledge and wisdom. He can stand on his record.” We predict that he will win on his record. Indiana Verhovay members certainly will back' him-, because he is a man after their own heart. ; r-Lincoln’s Letter To His Brother... FULL OF TRUTH FOR VS November, 1851. Dear Brother: i When I came into Charleston, day before yesterday, I learned that, you were anxious to sell the land where you live and move to Missouri. I have been thinking of this ever since, and cannot but think suph a notion is utterly foolish. What can you do in Missouri better than here? Is the land any richer? Can you there, any more than here, raise corn and wheat and oats without work? Will anybody 'there, any more than here, do your work for you? If you intend to go to work, there is no better place than right where you are; if you do not intend to go to work, you cannot get along anywhere. Squirming and crawlingabout from place to place can do no good. You have raised no crop this year; and what you really want is to sell the land, get the money and spend it. Part from the land you have, and, my life upon it, you will never after own a spot big enough to bury you in. Now do not misunderstand this letter. I do not write in any unkindness. I write it in order, if possible, to get you to face the truth, which truth is you are destitute because you have idled away all your time. Your thousand pretences deceive nobody but yourself. Go to work is the only cure for your case. —Abraham Lincoln. Brother Airmen The brothers Lewis who fought in World War II as aerial gunners in the same plane crew, still work together in the United States Air Force. S/Sgts. Oran (left) ond Doran recently told newsmen that they prefer the more quiet life of a peacetime administrative job which they now hold at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
