5 Reasons Why You Should Get An Insurance Policy Now

1. You can't just have an insurance policy anytime you want. Death, disability and diseases waits for no one.

Forgive your insurance agent if he is too determined to offer an insurance policy to you. He is not just after the sale (though this one of the motivations of the job). He is in competition with 3 enemies - death, disability and diseases. When any of these enemies gets you (God forbid), your insurance agent won't be able to offer the same policy to you anymore. These 3 enemies are exactly what your insurance agent is protecting you and your loved ones from. Sure he can't prevent these enemies from coming after you, but at least he can do something to lessen the disastrous effects it can bring to you and to the people who loves you.

So if your insurance agent is too determined to offer the policy to you, thank him. He is just after your welfare. Instead of ignoring his calls and seen-zoning him on Facebook, talk to him how he can help you make the policy fit your current budget and future needs. Communication is the key. You know this full well.

2. Tuition fees are expected to increase exponentially in the next few years. You can't just say sorry to your children if they turned out to be brilliant but you don't have the money to send them to the best schools in the land.

In the next few years, the projected total tuition fees of selected Philippine colleges and universities for a 4-year course will reach millions of pesos. (If you want to see the figures, call me now via 0917-838-7545 and let's talk.) If you plan to have your own family someday or maybe just support the education of your nephews and nieces in the future, you might wanna include the projections in your planning of your long-term goals.

3. Good investors begin with protection not properties.

I have a few friends who take pride in calling themselves "investors" because they bought condominium units and cars as "investments". But a good financial planner will tell you that any good investment begins with protection in the form of insurance policies and other similar tools. Be guided.

4. Time flies so fast. You are nearer your retirement age than you think. Do not be a victim of late planning or lack thereof.

I am 26 years old while I was writing this post. Sadly, I don't think that many people my age are aware that we only have 34 years before our senior year and that it will only be a breeze if we will only let time pass us by. The best time to start securing our retirement fund is now - while we are still insurable. I think that not too many of my peers know that once we are diagnosed with illnesses,it will be harder for us to avail of insurance policies. I will never forget the stories of people who turned down insurance policy offers in the past and then were diagnosed to be ill. No matter how much they wanted to get the insurance policies that was once offered to them, they were not insurable anymore.

5. We all want to accomplish many things before we reach our retirement age. The best time to plan for it is now.

Before we retire, most of us will say that we will want to give back to our parents and/or start our own families. But how can we actually assure that if (a) we are not prudently planning for it and (b) we have not actually saved anything substantial from the time we worked until now?

Thus, the best time to plan for those long-term goals is now. Investment can help you in building that dream house that you wish your parents to have while you are building the one that is meant for your own family. Talk to your insurance agent about your dreams.

To know more how can an insurance agent like me help you in achieving your long-term goals, contact me via 0998-367-0545. I will be more than happy to listen to you.

3 Important Things I Learned From My Senior Financial Consultant Teammates

(L-R) Jolly, Iris, Ms. Jhett, Me, Ms Camille, Eric, Ms. Lani,
Dar, Karen, Camille and Trish

Camille and Jolly are Senior Financial Consultants in my own team. It means they are ahead than me in years in Pru Life UK. While I was still barely on my first month, the two are already on their third and fourth years. They are living proofs that the career that I have chosen to pursue for the rest of my life is very promising.

Earlier, we had a quick chat over my second sale. They congratulated me and spoke words of wisdom that they acquired throughout the years of becoming Financial Consultants in Pru Life UK. They also shared the things that they learned from the MDRT training they attended that morning. (MDRT or Million Dollar Round Table is one of the highest honors being conferred to top insurance agents all over the world.)

These are my three best takeaways from that quick chat with my two inspiring teammates.

1. Focus on your daily habits far more than the rewards of the job.

The work of a Financial Consultant is very rewarding in the real sense of the word. In fact, I highly recommend it achievement-driven people. When I say rewards, I am not only talking of the extrinsic rewards such as commissions, incentive trips, recognition and others. The work of a Financial Consultant is also filled with intrinsic rewards such as making a difference in the lives of others.

Camille and Jolly told me that despite the many rewards of the job, we must not forget the foundation that we needed to step on in order to reach those rewards. The habits that we form everyday, they said, will form the foundation that will become the stepping stone of our success in this job. They said that the rewards are the fruits of our habits. If we form the right foundation, the fruits will follow. I agree to them.

2. Don't even think about giving up.

Challenges will certainly to come. These happen to everyone, not just to Financial Consultants. But the first ones to embrace the challenges are the first ones to move on and finish the race. The challenges are there not to make us surrender but to make us stronger.

Jolly's story is on my head while I was writing this. She had actually given up and said her goodbyes to her teammates last 2011 for not having delivered the minimum sales required to keep her license as an insurance agent. But our Unit Manager and Branch Manager did not give up on her. With only a few hours left before the cut-off for the year 2011, Jolly was able to close a sale and was able to submit it. That sale allowed her to keep her license as an insurance agent. Today, Jolly is one of the top agents in our team.

What if our Unit Manager gave up on her? It will be very unfortunate to not have Jolly in our team right now. So don't even think about giving up. That's what I learned from Jolly's story. And even if I give up, my teammates in Alexandrite 1 will definitely not give up on me just like what they did to Jolly. I am very blessed to have become a part of this team.

3. Celebrate the small wins.

"Post your 200-peso worth of Starbucks Gift Certificate online!", Camille reaffirmed that I was doing the right thing when I told them that I always make it a point to post my small wins on Facebook. It's not about bragging (and there's nothing much to brag about a 200-peso gift certificate). But that's because we know that closing a single sale is never easy. A 200-peso gift certificate may look small but it meant so much more than that.

Celebrating small wins allows us to focus on the blessings rather than on the challenges. Surely, there can be too many challenges before you can even get a single blessing. But if you change your mindset about it, the challenges become part of the blessing as a whole. Having this kind of perspective is important especially to the ones who are just starting - so that they don't give up. Celebrating the small wins helps us do just that.

My Top 5 Takeaways from Pru Life UK Alexandrite Branch Midyear Planning 2014

My very own unit, Team Lani, as we all try to fit in
Instagram frame during the recently concluded
Alexandrite Branch Midyear Planning 2014

Last July 12, 2014, the Alexandrite branch of Pru Life UK held their Midyear Planning 2014 at the AIM Conference Center in Makati City. It was attended by all the Financial Consultants of the branch. It was the very first big event I ever attended as a Financial Consultant of Pru. I would say that it made me feel more confident and proud of the company, branch and unit where I belong. I am only barely over a month in the business and I felt very thankful to know more about Pru Life UK, Alexandrite branch and my very own unit, Team Lani, through this wonderful event.

Below are my top 5 takeaways from the event. I hope that you, may you be an aspiring Financial Consultant or a client looking for a Financial Consultant, find this blog helpful in your decision-making .

1. Successful Financial Consultants believe that what they do make a huge difference in the lives of others.

There is one thing common among the many speakers who talked during the event. They all believe that their job as Financial Consultants allow them to make a difference in the lives of others. They said that during wakes, people bring flowers and condolences to the bereaved family but a Financial Consultant brings the "beacon of hope" that will help the family start a new life again. The same is true during times of terrible diseases and great needs. Because of them, I realized that Financial Consultants have a very unique role to play in the lives of others that one can't just succeed in this business if he doesn't have the heart to make a difference in the lives of others. 

2. We are actually friends with other insurance companies that we invite their Financial Consultants as speakers in our events.

The guest speakers during the event are from First Life and Manulife. As a rookie, I was astounded by the fact that we can actually invite speakers from other insurance companies during important events like this. Not so many companies do this and it made me glad that I am in this industry. 

I remember what my Unit Manager, Ms. Lani Robles, had always taught us, "Our competitors are not the other insurance companies. Our competitors are death, diseases and disability. Our mission is to get to our clients first before these enemies get them."

3. Financial Consulting is the most rewarding job ever - both intrinsically and extrinsically.

One speaker said that if you are a person who loves rewards, financial consulting is the best job for you. I totally agree with him. 

It had only been a month since I joined Pru Life UK but I have never experienced being rewarded like what I have experienced here. In just closing a single policy alone, I have received so many gift certificates and cash incentives already. Those rewards are still on top of my commission from that very sale. Every month, Pru Life UK and the different branches under it implement various ways to excite their Financial Consultants by giving them rewards for different achievements.

4. Alexandrite may be small but it is among the top performing branches of Pru Life UK.

I am very honored to belong to the group that is among the top performing branches in Pru Life UK. This is despite being relatively smaller in terms of manpower. I have seen the figures myself and numbers don't lie. The average age of the agents in Alexandrite is also very impressive - around 25 years old. I honor my Branch Manager, Mr. Henson Tan, for leading us to the right way.

5. Team Lani (the unit where I belong) may be small but is among the top performing units in Alexandrite branch.

Within the Alexandrite branch, I belong to a very small team led by Ms. Lani Robles. We are only around 40 agents and only 12 of us are doing the business full time. To be hailed as one of the top performing units in the whole Alexandrite branch is no small feat. During the event, I am very proud to say the 2 of the 3 selected agents who were honored and given the privilege to speak are from my very own unit. Ms. Karen Romero is hailed as the Top Recruiter for the first half of 2014 while Ms. Jhett Tolentino is the Top Agent. To say that I am "amazed" is an understatement. 

I am looking forward to seeing more achievements from Alexandrite and from my very own unit in the next Planning Session this coming October 2014!

To God be the glory!

For inquiries, please do contact me via 0998-367-0545.

7 Types of People Who Make Good Financial Consultants

1. The Influencer. In the technical sense, the work of a Financial Consultant is mainly about selling and recruiting. (In a deeper level though, being a Financial Consultant is about protecting and growing the income of their clients). If you have a friend who loves building relationships with people, actively recruit him. Do not be discouraged if he hesitates due to the technical side of the job. Tell him that those things can be learned. My Unit Manager who is already a member of MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table), one of the highest honors being conferred to insurance agents worldwide, is a former guidance counselor. Personally, I believe that Financial Management is for everyone and must be understood by everyone. Financial Management can definitely be learned.

2. The Achiever. If you know someone who is a high achiever, there is a fat chance that he will love the perks of being a Financial Consultant. Give him the list of all the possible rewards that he can get from Pru Life UK.

I consider myself as a person who loves having a sense of achievement and so far, the list of rewards for being a Financial Consultant is the most impressive one. Below are just some of the some of the many rewards being offered by Pru Life UK.

• Fast Starter Club - You will have the chance to join this awesome group of achievers if you were able to close a sale during your first month.
• Rookie of the Year - This award is being conferred to the "rookie" agent (agents who have worked for less than a year) who has the highest amount of sales for the year.
• Agent of the Year  - This award is being conferred to the agent who have the highest amount of sales for the year.
• Have your photo and name published in major broadsheets nationwide - This is being done annually in honor of the top agents of the company. 
• Incentive trips - Each set of destinations has different mechanics but as I heard from my Unit Manager, she travels around the world around 6-8 times a year. Others are even availing of the cash equivalences of the trips already because the traveling opportunities are just way too many.
• Weekly commissions - Commissions are being released weekly and it will continually increase as your sale and recruits increase.

These are just some of the many perks for being a Financial Consultant of Pru Life UK. There are indeed more! In my own unit alone, my Unit Manager gives away perks for every sale that we close. These perks are even separate from what our Branch Manager provides. Now, I'm speaking only for my own branch Alexandrite 1. Please don't seek these perks in other branches as they have their own sets of reward systems.

3. The Wanderlust. I have heard about some agents who became Financial Consultants because of the many incentive trips. As I mentioned earlier, my Unit Manager travels around the world around 6-8 times a year. If you have a friend who will go crazy about this kind of incentive, invite him over to our Build Your Business (BYB) meeting every Monday at Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City or every Thursday at Gloria Maris Restaurant in Greenhills. Both events start at exactly 6:00pm. Light meals shall be served too. To reserve your slot, call or text Mark Delgado of Alexandrite 1 via 0917-838-7545. (Note: Dates and venues are subject to changes every now and then.)

4. The Enterpreneur. Entrepreneurs are the salesmen, marketers, customer service representatives and accountants of their own businesses. If you have a friend who is an entrepreneur or a freelancer, convince him to become a Financial Consultant, even just as a part-timer. Pru Life UK offers unlimited income using limited capital. You only need to sell and to recruit. There's no need to take care of the marketing, customer service and accounting functions of the business.

5. The Model Employee. Model employees who are underpaid deserve better. If you have a friend who is a star in the corporate world but is not contented with his bi-monthly paychecks, introduce the opportunity to him as a part-timer. You might as well send the link of this blog to him! Seriously, great employees deserve equally great compensation packages. Being a Financial Consultant will definitely help them attain that.

6. The Freeman. If you know someone who believes that there is a bigger world outside their 9-5 jobs, becoming a Financial Consultant can be for them. As a Financial Consultant, I have the freedom as to where I want to work and what time do I want to start and end my work. This opportunity is perfect for parents who would like to spend more time with their children and also for people who have many activities aside from their jobs.

7. The Teambuilder. If you have a friend who loves working with a team, Financial Consulting is for him. I am very fortunate to belong to a team whose passion, aside from serving their clients, is helping one another. We don't need to compete with one another. We can do more if we will actually help one another. Only around 4% of Filipinos have insurance policies, we don't need to compete with one another for the 96%. There are indeed tons of fish in the water! Eventually, Financial Consultants are to be promoted to become Unit Managers, Branch Managers and so on and so forth. The values that were instilled to us while we were still starting are the same values that we will pass on to our very own teams in the future.