The Red Umbrella

Like rain, we know that unwanted events can come anytime. But how financially prepared are we really? In life, we know that death, diseases and disability can come anytime and leave us and our families in shambles. Can we really prepare financially for these things?

Like rain, though we cannot prevent death, diseases and disability from coming into our lives, there is a red umbrella for each one one us that can help us stay dry until we reach our destinations.

Have you gotten your red umbrella already?

To know more about investing in Pru Life UK, please contact me at 0998-367-0545.

*Please feel free to share this blog post to your friends and teammates.

3 Mind-blowing Ideas I Learned From Leader’s Protocol Training by Mr. Tinton Deveza

The King of Training on his throne.

Mr. Tinton Deveza did it once again. 

Fortunate enough to become part of his new training module called “Leader’s Protocol”, I found myself being moved by his mind-blowing ideas on what leadership should look like. The things that he taught us are completely new to me – things that I didn’t learn in business school. Really, I thank Sir Tinton for being the very man that he is – constantly on a lookout for new ideas that not only resound to him as a financial consultant for more than 30 years but ideas that are also very practical and are scientifically backed up. I thank him for putting up this wonderful module altogether. I just know that he “gave his everything” on this one for he himself will not be happy if he won’t give his all. Thank you, Sir Tinton, for moving us once again.

Below are the top 3 things from the module that I’d like to share with you.

1. Leave your people alone.

During one of the discussions, some managers opened up that they wanted to make time to coach their people one by one. Sir Tinton’s response astounded me, “It’s a waste of time.” His idea is very simple. Build a business with people who are self-directing and then leave them alone. Did we recruit good people so that we can all hold their hands through the business? No! We recruit self-directing people who can act independently and own their own businesses. Do we send them to trainings? Of course. If they are self-directing, they will might as well send themselves to further trainings. Do we answer their questions? Of course. If they are self-directing, they will have many questions but don’t spoon-feed them nor make them dependent on you. Build a business of leaders, not followers. Building a business with followers in the Personal Finance industry is a waste of time, money and effort on your side.

2. Don’t look for the outliers.

While we celebrate the achievements of the outliers – people who have attained the spectacular in the business – Sir Tinton said, “Don’t waste your time and effort looking for them.” I agree with him. We don’t look for outliers, outliers find us. But for them to find us, we must be faithful with our regular tasks. I, for example, consider one of my recruits as an outlier. Even though he has a full time job, he was able to close a policy (a P60K APE PAA) within two weeks. He is also very diligent in passing his Weekly Monitoring Form. I believe he is an outlier because he can do all these things even with a full time job and finishing his MBA. He is a real gem! But looking back, I realized that I did not proactively recruit him. He was the one who sent me a message that he wanted to become a financial consultant. So, you see, outliers are self-directing. They know what they want and they have the initiative. If you do your business well, they will come to you naturally. I believe, though, that there are many ways to attract the outliers. One of them is using blogging and social media, which is what I am doing now.

Right now, I am seriously thinking of creating my own training module in Blog and Social Media Marketing for Financial Consultants. Is it something that will interest you? Send me your thoughts via markjosephdelgado@ymail.com or 0917-838-7545.

3. Mastery is painful.

Set your mind on this. If you want to become good in what you do, pursue mastery. And to master your craft, you don’t need to wait for 30 years. You can do it through constant practice in front of the mirror, through getting constant feedback from your trusted colleague and through regular monitoring of your daily activities. If you think mastery is just a walk in the park, think again. Mastery is actually painful. It requires grit and perseverance. If mastery doesn’t hurt, it will mean nothing. My ultimate lesson as a Rookie here is that I should readily embrace pain as part of the business. Every pain that I embrace must be considered as a stepping stone towards mastering this craft that I have chosen to myself – a financial consultant, a man from the Pru.

Thank you again, Sir Tinton, for the wisdom you shared with us! God bless you.

*Please feel free to share this blog post to your friends and teammates.

5 Radical Lessons I Learned From MDRT Builder Training by Mr. Tinton Deveza

Selfie with Mr. MDRT Builder himself, Mr. Tinton Deveza.
During the second day of training, he gave me a warm
welcome inside the class and told me how my blogging
gave him the adrenaline rush that he needed for the day
when he was feeling ill the past few days. A little kindness
goes a long way! Pay it forward. Please share this blog to
your friends and teammates!

Today, I decided to temporarily halt my selling and recruiting activities to process what had

happened to me yesterday. Yesterday, my life as a salesman and as a Man from the Pru totally changed. It was my first day of training with Mr. Tinton Deveza, a well-respected man in the financial services industry with more than 30 years of experience. I was enrolled to his MDRT Builder Training, a highly recommended course for financial consultants who would like to achieve MDRT status – as soon as possible. If there is one word to describe my experience with Sir Tinton yesterday, the word will be “revolutionary”. His ideas totally debunked all the myths that I used to believe in about selling. What I like about Sir Tinton is that, despite being more than 30 years in the industry, he still remains open to changes and is constantly on a lookout for new ideas as well as improvements of the old ones. He knows that changing times require different methods. He is not limited to thinking that everything that worked 30 years ago will still work today. I believe this is what made him different from among the many speakers I have listened to – he is humble, teachable and relevant.

Allow me to share with you some of the things that I’ve learned from Sir Tinton. If you are a financial consultant, it is needless to say that you should enroll to his class as soon as possible.

1. The Lost Art of Giving.

As salesmen, sometimes, we get too preoccupied with how we will be able to achieve – how to achieve higher sales, how to achieve this month’s promos, how to achieve this quarter’s bonus, how to achieve this year’s incentive trip and so on and so forth. We are too preoccupied with achieving – with receiving. Sir Tinton totally blew my mind when he said, “While the rest are focused on receiving, focus on giving. Then you shall receive.” Boom!

Like a farmer, we can only reap what we sow. How can we receive if we don’t know how to give? It’s the law of nature. If you are a salesman and your mindset whenever you approach someone is “How can I close a sale with this person?”, it’s time to change. Instead, think about “How can I be a person of value to this person?”. That mindset first, then the sale will follow.

2. Sell yourself first.

Mr. Tinton put it bluntly, “If the person doesn’t like you, he will not buy anything from you.”

As salesmen, again, sometimes we get too preoccupied with how good our products are. This is not bad. But most of the time, our clients don’t care – not yet. On their minds, “Why will I buy from this person?” Instead of becoming too preoccupied with what you are selling, think about how you will establish trust with your client first. They have to know you, like you and trust you.

Relationship first. Then, sell your products and services.

3. If you’re on time, you’re late. Be early instead. 

Be 30 minutes earlier than your agreed meeting time. Upon arriving at the venue, retouch and do some warm-up exercises. Think about how the meeting with your client will go while considering the 2 items I enumerated above. Finally, visualize closing the sale.

4. The “I am the greatest salesman in the world!” mantra is dead.

This is the end of the “I am (insert anything positive here).” self-talk as we know it. Mr. Tinton said that according to studies, this doesn’t work anymore. The new way of doing this is by asking ourselves the question, “How can I move this person?”

There’s a pattern that I recognized in his talk immediately. What works is that we should actually stop focusing on ourselves and start focusing on our clients. Instead of me, me and me, think about them, them and them. 

We should be more customer-centric than self-centric. After all, without our clients we are nothing.

5. Fact: You cannot sell to people without money.

At the start of the discussion, Mr. Tinton asked me how I do my prospecting. I answered, “Sir, being only 3 months in the industry, I still randomly select my prospects. But slowly I am recognizing a pattern that good prospects come from 2 industries – my 2 biggest clients come from there. I want to do it this way because I’d like to proactively pursue people in industries who have the ability to pay. That’s because the products that we sell require shelling out money for long-term.”

I was actually blown away when Mr. Tinton told me that what took others years to understand took me only 3 months. I am saying this not to give praise to myself but to thank Mr. Tinton for affirming my most recent realization.

When I was still starting, I used to believe that I should sell variable unit linked insurance policies to practically anyone. I believe everybody needs it. I mean, come on! Who doesn’t need life insurance policies? Americans have an average of 10 policies per person, while Singaporeans have 4 per person! Why does it have to be so tough to sell even 1 policy to a Filipino who has none?

But reality hit me when after meeting so many working professionals during my first 3 months, I am still not able to close my target sales of at least 10 policies. Now I get it. While everyone likes the products that I offer, not everyone has the capacity of buying it. It can be for a variety of reasons but still the bottom line is, personally, I believe that we should pursue clients who really have the capacity to avail of this kind of investment. And those people are the ones who readily have the money. When I say “readily have the money”, they are not the ones who still have to make adjustments in their finances or think about the offer for weeks or months before getting back to you. There are actually people who readily have the money and are currently on a lookout for ways to invest it. My suggestion is, actively pursue them.

All these things, only from Day 1 of my MDRT Builder Training with Mr. Tinton Deveza. Still more to come. Thanks, Sir Tinton!

*Please feel free to share this blog post to your friends and teammates.

3 Important Things I Learned From Build Your Business Events by Pru Life UK

My very own Unit Manager, Ms. Lani Robles (second from left), as she
shares her own experiences as a financial consultant to the other aspiring
financial consultants during the last BYB Event at Intercontinental
Hotel in Makati City on July 21, 2014

I am only about 2 months old as a financial consultant in Pru Life UK but I have already discovered the 3
important lessons that recur every time I attend Pru Life UK's Build Your Business (BYB) events. It's amazing how the message of the whole event remains consistent every week without sacrificing the "freshness" of the ideas being presented in order to fit the weekly target audience. Kudos to the team that holds the regular BYB meetings! Below are the 3 things I learned from the event.

1. Anyone can become a successful financial consultant.

From fresh grads to young professionals seeking fulfillment in their work, from executives earning 6-digit paychecks per month to entrepreneurs drowning in debt, there is one big message that the BYB event has for all its attendees -- anyone can become a successful financial consultant. During my first day of training as a rookie, I have heard about the story of a former "kargador" who became a successful financial consultant. It was said that he underwent the same training we all underwent and took the same exam we all took. The only difference is that he failed in the exam thrice. During the fourth attempt, he was able to finally make it. The former "kargador" is now a successful Unit Manager in Pru Life UK.

What, now, is your excuse?

2. The rewards for being a successful financial consultant are unmatched.

I used to work for a large multinational company that pioneered one of the early models of multilevel marketing. Companies in this industry are known for their unlimited earning opportunities and generous incentive trips. But when I discovered about the rewards in Pru Life UK, my jaw dropped. Below is the list of some of the rewards a financial consultant may enjoy in Pru Life UK.

• Weekly commissions
• Overrides from recruits' commissions
• 6-8 international travel opportunities
• Opportunity to be published in major broadsheets

Let it be known that these are just some of the rewards being given at the corporate level. This means that your branch and unit may have a separate reward system for you. I tell you, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

3. Financial consultancy is not just about selling insurance policies. It's about changing lives.

More than the extrinsic rewards of being a financial consultant, the intrinsic rewards also abound. There is a recurring statement that all successful financial consultants say as they are being interviewed during BYB events -- financial consultancy is about changing lives.

As a financial consultant, you do not only change the lives of your clients and fellow teammates. Your own life also changes as you go along. It was said that others may bring flowers to the bereaved family during the death of a loved one but a financial consultant is the bringer of hope to help the family start a new life again.

As a financial consultant, you may also have the chance to change the lives of your teammates and recruits as you share to them the rewards of the job.

Underlying all these opportunities is the opportunity for your life to be changed in the process as well. In my first few weeks as rookie agent, I learned how to dream again; develop patience and hard work; and seek a new heart that longs to be of service to other people.

I am definitely looking forward to attend more BYB events in the future.

If you are interested to become a financial consultant and/or attend a BYB event, contact me via 0998-367-0545.

8 Things You Need To Consider Before Getting Your Insurance Policy

1. Know that this policy is not only for you but also for the people you love.

One of the primary goals of an insurance policy is to protect the income of the insured. The income of a regular employee usually depletes or totally stops in times of death, disability or disease. When the income of a regular employee depletes or totally stops, the lives of the people around him are affected too. This is what insurance is for. It seeks to assist you and your family in times of great need.

2. We can't choose when should death, disease and disability strike us. But we can choose to be prepared when they come. 

We cannot choose when to die, get sick or become disabled. These things happen even to the healthiest people we know. Instead of ignoring this reality, why don't we choose to find ways to minimize their effects by being financially prepared and protected? Insurance policies have guaranteed ways to provide for you when these events come.

3. If you get critically sick or disabled, the same policy can never be offered to you. Worse, you may never be able to get any insurance policy at all.

Some clients delay getting insurance policies with the thought that they can get it anytime they want. But this is not true. When you get critically sick or disabled, it will be more difficult for you to get a policy. Worse, you may never be able to get one at all for the rest of your life.

4. If you get the policy at a much later time, the higher fees you'll need to pay. Invest while you are still young.

Before investing on anything else, invest on protection first.

Credits: www.financialplanninginfoguide.com

The younger you are, the lower the cost of premium that you'll need to pay. This is because there is less risk for younger people. The best time get an insurance policy is now.

5. Invest on protection first before you invest on properties.

Have you heard about the Pyramid of Investment? Any financial planner will tell you that before you invest on properties, you must invest on protection first. Protection comes in the form of insurance policies.

6. If you dream of sending your children (or godchildren, nephews or nieces) to big colleges and universities, know that a few years from now the tuition fees for 4-year courses will start to reach millions of pesos. You know you can't just settle for less for your children.

Education is said to be the greatest inheritance that parents can pass on to their children. In the Philippines, parents will do anything just to send their children to the best schools. The best time to prepare for that time is while you are still single. You don't have to wait until your married life to invest for your children's education.

To get a more detailed projection of the tuition fees of various colleges and universities in the Philippines, please contact me via 0917-838-7545.

7. Remind yourself that retirement age in the Philippines is 60 years old. While it is a blessing to live beyond this age, it also requires financial preparation. 

We all want to live long. But while living long is considered as a blessing, this also entails financial obligation. With old age comes our inability to work and provide for ourselves. Most of us will become reliant on our children (or nephews or nieces) when that time comes. Is there a way to change this pattern? By preparing early for your retirement, you can have the assurance that you can live long with grace.

8. If you are saving money for your big dreams (e.g. house, car, travel and etc.), let it be known that hoarding your money can only get you so far. Investing your money for a much greater return is the better way to go.

People save for their big dreams. This is why they need to save for a very long time. What if there is a way for you to grow your money at a much shorter time? Insurance policies with investment components can help you do just that.

I am a licensed Financial Consultant who has the mission of protecting the income of the Filipino family. Let me know how can I be of help to you. Contact me via 0998-367-0545.

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.