Fraternity-Testvériség, 1949 (27. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1949-10-01 / 10. szám
10 TESTVÉRISÉG JUNIOR SELLING By JOSEPH A. MARINO, F. I. C. — Reprinted from The Fraternal Age — You have the heart on your side when you sell insurance for children and I hope to prove just that. Have you ever had that feeling of love for a child? That pride and pleasure that comes when your child is born? Have you experienced that thrill when he utters his first words or when he begins to crawl? Have you ever felt that funny feeling in your throat when your child performs before an audience? You watch your child as he grows, and each illness, each bump, each fall hurts you. Yes, I say you have the heart on your side when you sell junior insurance. Not only are you doing the parents a big favor but you are giving the child a start in life that will be beneficial in years to come. For example, let’s look at this case. A baby is insured at birth for one thousand dollars of twenty pay life. The total rates that will be paid for that certificate amount to $408 in my society. Now, let’s say this child lives to age sixty-five. His cash value on that same certificate is $719, thus leaving a clear profit of $311, plus the cost of protection for 65 years. Best Investment in the World But that is not all. We must also think of the convenience because rates are not paid beyond the first twenty years. The young man will have about the best investment in the world, all bought and paid for. Most young men in these circumstances only wish that the certificates could have been $5,0000 or $10,000 instead of $1,000. A man with a new-born baby is one of the proudest creatures on earth. He gives cigars to his friends and beams when he receives congratulations. He goes out to conquer the world for his child. His heart is full of love; his mind full of great plans, and that is where we come in. We have the means by which his child can be started on the road to success. We have thrift and loyalty to offer. We have the knowledge and experience of our work and its great advantages. He needs help to make his plans mature. He thinks of his child’s future, his education, his hardships, but he also thinks of his own capabilities to do the things he wants to do. Can’t you see how much is in your favor when you approach a father in the interest of his child? The father was once a child. You have that also in your favor. His past can very well be an asset to you. I think of my own past when I sell insurance for children. I was one of twelve. Father wanted the best for us. He worked hard to give us the necessities but we did not have insurance. He was lucky. I often think and shiver at the thought that one of us might have died. What a spot for poor dad. But we lived. How much harder it would have been if he also had to pay funeral bills. The members of my family are grown now and we all have families of our own. We have insurance now but we are paying much more for that insurance and we will be much older when it matures. Therefore, our profits will not be as great. We are buying insurance for our children because we have that feeling and because today we have help from capable insurance men who show us how to make some of our dreams materialize. The people I sell are usually hard-working people and my experiences help me to help them prepare for emergencies as well as to save. Adult Applications Follow My society insures juniors from birth and with our many plans it is easy to win a new member, and he in turn opens the door to other prospects. I have sold many an adult after I have become their friend by insuring the children properly. Last year I sold $235,000 of junior applications, which was less than half of my adult business, but nevertheless, many of my adult applications were written after I had first written the child. Usually I interest a man in insuring his family before approaching him on insurance for himself and wife. I do this for several reasons. First, I know that in my field most of the working class of people were covered by a blanket group plan. Every man was insured from $2,000 to $7,000 and the rates, of course, were very low since it was on a group-term plan. Most men felt this coverage was sufficient and, of course, I had to work on what was left until I had a chance to prove that a permanent type of insurance is necessary and wise. Second, insurance on children is cheaper and a man first considering an insurance program will feel he can afford it. Since the man does have group insurance, which is sold at low cost, he has to be shown the value and possibilities of a permanent plan. Third, most parents are interested in saving for their children, and to convince them that insurance is one of the best forms of saving is not a difficult job. A good certificate sells itself, once it is properly explained. No Cold Canvass I have been asked many times on the basis of the volume of business written if I cold-canvassed for prospects. The answer is no. In the beginning I interested my friends and the people I worked with. From them I branched out to write people they recommended. Practically every person written can think of someone who might be interested in some insurance. A good word from a satisfied customer gives me a foot in the door of a new prospect. Using this method it is also possible to obtain information about a prospect that will help me to approach him on common ground. Information, such as the size of his family, his occupation, in some instances his insurance program — even his hobbies. When interviewing the prospect, the mention of a friend or another member of the family who has a certificate is a good opening wedge for talking business. In writing juniors I accept the signature of either parent, although, whenever possible, I try to make my
