MDRT

Boost your social media
14
| Create a personal brand 16 | Master the paperless office 18
ROUND TABLE
the
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILLION DOLLAR ROUND TABLE | MARCH/APRIL 2015
Is it time
to start
a new
business
model?
Dont miss
THE 2015 MDRT

ANNUAL MEETING
Taking place in New Orleans,
Louisiana, USA a city known
for great food, music and fun.
Enjoy everything you love
about the Annual Meeting
Main Platform
Special Sessions
Focus Sessions
ConneXion Zone
Plus more program
options, including
MDRT Speaks
Cornerstone
Presentations
Echo Sessions
E A RLY
REGISTR ATION
E NDS A PRIL 18
F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N
AND TO REGISTER VISIT:
W W W. M DRT.ORG / 2015AM
Enhance your meeting

experience by becoming
a PGA volunteer sign up
when you register.
32
looking
FORWARD
Providing
individual value
The focus of the

strategic plan
has helped us
to maximize
the benefits for
each member.
ne of the most rewarding and

challenging responsibilities of serving
on the MDRT Executive Committee
these past few years has been the strategic
planning process. This process has demanded
significant time and focus from current and past
Executive Committee members to stay on track
and implement the changes.
MDRT President Caroline A. Banks, APFS,
shared the five principles that guide our
decision-making process in her November/
December 2014 article. I would like to share
how these principles are implemented and why
they are important.
First, our organization has changed over the
years and continues to evolve. With this growth
comes the challenge of creating value for more
than 42,000 individuals. We identified portions
of our membership by how they use the services
we provide. As you can imagine, it is difficult
to narrow more than 42,000 varying levels of
engagement into six distinct types. Though it
was a monumental task, we believe this will
help us focus our meetings, content offerings
and leadership opportunities in a way that
engages the maximum number of members.
Through member interviews and research, we
identified the following six major engagement
themes:
1. Brand
2. Resources
3. Meetings
4. Volunteerism
5. MDRT Foundation
6. Leadership
These themes seem to fit how nearly all of

us get the most out of MDRT. The focus of
the strategic plan has helped us to maximize
the benefits for each member, whether you
choose to be an extremely active volunteer in
the organization, or only to use the Web-based
resources and read Round the Table.
All of us on the Executive Committee are
excited with how this process has evolved. It
has helped us structure the committees, present
our meetings around the world, deliver more
dynamic content when and where you need
it, and promote opportunities to network and
volunteer with your friends and peers.
Most of all, this process allows MDRT to take the
demands of 42,000 members from 87 countries,
speaking more than 20 different languages, and
deliver a customized experience for a membership
of just one: you! I am proud to serve!
All the best,
Brian D. Heckert, CLU, ChFC

MDRT First Vice President
MARCH/APRIL 2015
| ROUND theTABLE.ORG 1
contents
ROUND THE TABLE | MARCH/APRIL 2015 | VOL 43, ISSUE 2
18 PAPERLESS POINTERS
PRACTICE
8
Two members empty out their

file cabinets.
IDEAS
20 6 WAYS TO MAKE CLIENTS
10 TIPS & TECHNOLOGY
COMFORTABLE
Varas focuses on adapting to
the needs of senior consumers.
12 WRITING IT DOWN
Putting the process on paper

gives Engrassia a roadmap to
success.
14 SOCIAL MEDIA AT THE NEXT
LEVEL
How you can stand out from the
Internet crowd.
16 BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

How to create the image you
portray to clients and prospects.
22 BUYING LASTING HAPPINESS
Annual Meeting speaker reinvigorated Round Table members

passion for life insurance.
PEOPLE
24 IDEAS
26 TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE
26
Sometimes the only way forward

is starting over again.
30 PAST AND FUTURE
Members in Mexico rely on the

ability to adapt to changing
markets.
WEB EXTRAS
mdrt.org
32 YOUD MAKE A GREAT AGENT
Murphy followed a suggestion to

immediate success and business
growth.
34 THE DRIVE FOR COMPLIANCE

AND SUCCESS
How the rules of the road can
guide your career ethics.
36 PLANNING WHATS NEXT
Engel partners with a young

advisor to ease into retirement.
39 Q&A
16
2
ROUND theTABLE.ORG | MARCH/APRIL 2015
Glenda Miro Antonio
n MDRT PODCAST
Episode two on business continuation planning is now available at

mdrt.org/podcast.
n COST OF DOING BUSINESS
The full survey is available online.

n APPLY ONLINE
To apply for 2015 MDRT

membership easily, visit
onlinemembership.mdrt.org.
12
You have to make
someone feel comfortable
and confident in the
decisions theyre
making.
IN EVERY ISSUE
1
4 WELCOME
Micheline Varas, Page 20
IN THE NEWS
IN MEMORIAM
55
TRUE TALES
56
LOOKING BACK
INSIDE MDRT
Boost your social media
and to keep up with technology and consumer appetite.
40 IDEAS
MARCH/APRIL 2015
Susan Catherine Paterson, FChFP, Page 26
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILLION DOLLAR ROUND TABLE | MARCH/APRIL 2015
MDRT EXPERIENCE
2016 - JANUARY 28 TO 30, HONG KONG
IS IT TIME TO START A NEW BUSINESS MODEL?
REQUIREMENTS
MDRT creates a formula that
takes volatility out of numbers.
2015 - OCTOBER 7 TO 10, NAPLES, FLORIDA
| Create a personal brand 16 | Master the paperless office 18
ROUND TABLE
ROUND the TABLE
ANNUAL MEETING
2015 - JUNE 14 TO 17, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
TOP OF THE TABLE ANNUAL MEETING
14
the
I think change is a necessity to allow continued improvement
43 DEVELOPING PRODUCTION
LOOKING FORWARD
Is it time
to start
a new
business
model?
46 REFRESHED AND RECHARGED
MDRT Annual Meeting promises

more ideas, more connections and
more takeaways.
Million Dollar Round Table

325 West Touhy Avenue, Park Ridge, IL 60068 USA
Phone: +1 847.692.6378 Fax: +1 847.518.8921 Website: www.mdrt.org
MDRT_MarchApril2014.indd 1
50 MDRT FOUNDATION:
EDUCATING GIRLS IN CAMBODIA

Foundation grant helps students
in impoverished communities.
46
52 PROFITS UP, EXPENSES DOWN

Cost of Doing Business Survey
reveals industry averages.
2/10/15 3:52 PM
MDRT - RTT COVER DESIGN

March/April 2015
4/c Process
ON THE COVER
02/09/14
Read why four MDRT members decided to completely

change their business model
and learn the results of their
overhauls.
COVER DESIGN BY MICHAEL DORICH
MARCH/APRIL 2015
WELCOME
Whats old is new again
n each issue of Round the Table, we have an

article weve nicknamed Classics. The idea
is that while tax laws change and regulations take effect, many ideas our members have
shared during MDRTs history are still relevant,
no matter if they were presented in 1927 or 2015.
In the issue youre holding, the presentation
comes from the 1939 Annual Meeting. As I prepared the article on Page 22, I flipped through
old, dusty books in search of something interesting and relevant for our members in 2015.
While we enjoy digging through the archives

in search of material that might help you, we also
want to provide timely, cutting-edge resources to
help you do business in todays world.
In this issue, we have articles that explain
how to create a paperless office (Page 18) and
advanced tips for using social media differently
than you may have in the past (Page 14).
As you incorporate more technological solutions in your office, we are working to provide
content to you in different formats. When our
last issue came out, we also published the first
episode of the MDRT Podcast, a new series
featuring MDRT members advice on the issues
theyre facing. With the second episode, were
exploring the topic of business continuation
planning, hearing from producers who are discovering the realities of succession planning.
On Page 36, we feature a senior-junior advisor
partnership that is succeeding at succession.
You can find the first two episodes of the
MDRT Podcast at mdrt.org/podcast.
In April, the new MDRT website will launch,
complete with a resource section to help you do
business better. In written, audio and visual formats, youll find how-to advice and success stories you can access 24/7. Some of those resources
will be new, some Classics, but were committed to ensuring you have relevant information at
the push of a button not out of reach on a dusty
bookshelf.
Let us know what topics we can cover to meet
your needs.
Thank you for reading,
Kathryn Furtaw Keuneke, CAE

Editor in Chief
Editor@mdrt.org
ROUND TABLE
the
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILLION DOLLAR ROUND TABLE
EDITOR IN CHIEF:
Kathryn Furtaw Keuneke, CAE

MANAGING EDITOR: Liz DeCarlo
CONTENT EDITOR: Michael DePilla
CONTENT SPECIALIST: Scott Rogers
ART DIRECTOR: Brandon Lane
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER:
14
14
Learn new ways to use social media to

develop relationships and market your brand
in Social media at the next level. DAVID M.
ETHELL, LUTCF, and KEN IBUKI, interviewed
members about targeting their audience and focusing their message. Ethell is a 13-year member
from Camarillo, California. Ibuki is a 21-year MDRT
member from Nagoya, Japan. They are both
members of the Client Strategies Committee.
Contact Ethell at david@deifs.com and Ibuki at
kenibuki@plum.ocn.ne.jp.
16
DEDDY KARYANTO,
CFP, QWP, shares
his tips on how to be
successful in business
by building a name for
yourself in Build your
personal brand.
A 13-year MDRT
member from
Bandung, West Java,
Indonesia, he was a
member of the 2014
Advisor Branding and
Marketing Committee.
Contact him at
dkaryanto@gmail.com.
Stephen P. Stahr, CAE
STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR:
Pamela Brown, CMP, CAE

Jennifer Schimka
MEDIA RELATIONS COORDINATOR:
MDRT Executive Committee

PRESIDENT:
Caroline A. Banks, APFS

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: Michelle L. Hoesly, CLU, ChFC
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: Brian D. Heckert, CLU, ChFC
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: Mark J. Hanna, CLU, ChFC
SECRETARY: James Douglas Pittman, CLU, CFP
To contact editorial office:
MAIL: MDRT,
325 West Touhy Avenue,

Park Ridge, Illinois 60068 USA
PHONE: +1
847.692.6378 Fax: +1 847.518.8921

EMAIL:
editor@mdrt.org
WEBSITE: www.roundthetable.org
Round the Table (ISSN-0161-7125) is published bimonthly by the
Million Dollar Round Table, 325 West Touhy Avenue, Park Ridge,
Illinois 60068 USA. Subscription rate is included in MDRT membership dues: $20 for nonmembers in the United States, $30 for
nonmembers outside the United States. Periodicals postage paid
at Park Ridge, Illinois, and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER, send address corrections to Round the Table,
325 West Touhy Avenue, Park Ridge, Illinois 60068 USA.
34
Learning to drive and
maintaining a compliant practice have a lot
in common, according
to SCOTT S. PATERICK, CLU, CHFC. In
The drive for compliance and success,
Paterick and the
Bylaws and Ethics
Committee outline the
similarities. Paterick
is a 23-year MDRT
member from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
Contact him at
investor@wctc.net.
43
In Developing
production requirements, author JUDY
XANTHOPOULOS,
PH.D., explains how
MDRT determines
production numbers.
Xanthopoulos is an
economist and a
principal in Quantria
Strategies LLC. She
develops microsimulation models for tax,
health and pension
policy analysis.
Contact her at
jax@quantria.com.
55
SUSAN MEITY, CFP,
AEPP, tells the true
story of her husbands
cousin, Nicky, who
died in a car accident
at a young age. In
Nickys love letter,
Meity writes about
how life insurance
helped Nickys wife
and son. Meity is a
seven-year MDRT
member from Jakarta Barat, Indonesia.
Contact her at
susan.meity@
east-starcorporation.com.
2015 Million Dollar Round Table.

Round the Table is published for the use of Million Dollar Round
Table members. All rights reserved. Round the Table is not to be
used or loaned for any commercial purposes or other causes, nor
is any portion of it to be reproduced without the express, prior
written permission of the Million Dollar Round Table.
Round the Table is provided as an educational and informational
service by the Million Dollar Round Table. The Million Dollar
Round Table does not guarantee the accuracy of tax and legal
information and is not liable for errors or omissions. You are
urged to check with tax and legal professionals in your state,
province or country. MDRT also suggests you consult local
insurance and security regulations and compliance departments,
pertaining to the use of any new sales material with clients.
MDRT, Million Dollar Round Table, Top of the Table, Court of the
Table, MDRT Foundation, The Premier Association of Financial
Professionals, ConneXion Zone and Global Gift Fund are all
registered trademarks of the Million Dollar Round Table.
Round the Table is printed in USA with soy-based inks on
elemental chlorine-free paper.
IN
the
NEWS
member news | awards | calendar | in memoriam
MDRT
CALENDAR
Mark your calendar
to include these
important dates:
March 1
Completed MDRT
membership application
must be submitted
online or mailed to
MDRT, postmarked on
or before this date,
to avoid $200
additional fee
April 18
MDRT Annual
Meeting early
registration deadline
June 14
Specialty
recognized
Client excellence
award
Justin D. Nabity, a two-
Lifetime
achievement
honored
year MDRT member from

Omaha, Nebraska, was listed
as one of the Best Financial
Advisors for Doctors by
Medical Economics magazine, a business resource
for physicians. The listing,
published in the November
2014 edition, recognizes
financial experts who cater
to the specialized needs of
physicians. Nabity is one of
the founders of Physician
Advisors LLC.
The Charleston Estate

Planning Council awarded
Peter S. White, CLU, ChFC,
a 51-year MDRT member
from Charleston, West Virginia, its first-ever Lifetime
Achievement Award. White
was recognized for his more
than 55 years of service to
clients, the community and
the estate planning profession. He has served as a
board member for civic and
nonprofit organizations.
has qualified for the Signator

Investors Inc. ACE Platinum
Award. The award is one
of the highest honors that
Signator bestows on financial
professionals within the national network. ACE stands
for Achieving Client Excellence. This marks the 16th
time Fischer has qualified
for the ACE award. He is a
16-year MDRT member from
Fogelsville, Pennsylvania.
MDRT Annual Meeting

begins in
New Orleans, Louisiana
Oct. 7
MDRT Top of the
Table Annual Meeting
begins in
Naples, Florida
Michael J. Fischer, ChFC, CLU,
Cover story
When Retirement Advisor put together its annuities
issue, it turned to an MDRT member for advice.
Steven A. Plewes, CLU, ChFC, graced the magazines
cover and was interviewed about marketing and selling
annuities. In the article, Plewes stated that he is careful
to use annuities that are tax efficient and low-cost
when he can. He also explained that annuity products
support his philosophy that a portfolio is only as good
as the income it can consistently generate. Plewes is a
28-year MDRT member from Bethesda, Maryland. He
also serves as Divisional Vice President of the Annual
Meeting Program Development Committee.
IN THE NEWS
Kopcinski
appointed
Management
honors
Raymond John Kopcinski Sr.,

CMP, was appointed 2015
David B. Schulman, CLU,

ChFC, has been named
chair of the Professional

Convention Management
Association. Kopcinski is
senior director of the Executive Department at MDRT,
where he assists in the development and implementation of cultural, physical,
strategic and structural
changes. He has been with
MDRT for 30 years.
the 2015 inductee into the

GAMA International Management Hall of Fame. This
induction is given by the
financial services industry
to recognize a leader whose
professional career has been
building a field organization
and serving the industry.
Schulman is a 34-year
MDRT member from Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
Alumnus donates to school

David J. Downey, CLU, a 47-year MDRT member and former
college basketball standout from Champaign, Illinois, has
donated $2 million to the State Farm Center at his alma mater, the University of Illinois. The donation will be used for a
courtside club area that will be named Club 53, in recognition
of Downeys school-record 53 points scored against Indiana
University in 1963. That record still stands 52 year later.
IN MEMORIAM
Arthur J. Andreoli, CLU
Worcester, Massachusetts
Age: 78, MDRT: 45 years
Frank B. Faust
Lilburn, Georgia
Ernest A. Chletcos
Horsham, Pennsylvania
Howard Ferguson
Tracadie-Shela, New Brunswick, Canada
Age: 64, MDRT: 1 year
Kirk Thomas Colford, CLU

Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Francis A. Derby, CFP, CLU
San Diego, California
Loren Grone
Mesa, Arizona
Fred R. Kissling Jr., CLU,

MSPA
Lexington, Kentucky
Warren James Whittaker,

CLU, LUTCF
Beech Grove, Indiana
Frank M. Lorenzo
Tampa, Florida
Jessica Harieke Woeibowo

Jakarta, Selatan, Indonesia
Robert W. Meldrum, CLU,

ChFC
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Tony Ziehler, CLU

Tucson, Arizona
William L. Heinz Jr., CLU, ChFC

Atlanta, Georgia
MARCH/APRIL 2015
REMINDER
I have a lead sheet posted on my wall. Whenever I hear someone talking about a person I feel may be an opportunity, I list
them on this sheet. Seeing it on my wall each day reminds me
to follow up on the opportunity to meet with the prospect.
Susan Catherine Paterson, FChFP
Loganholme, Queensland, Australia, 11-year member
In a world of rapid change,

we must know what we will
not change. Spend time to
develop principles you will
not break.
David M. Ethell, LUTCF
Camarillo, California, 13-year member
TIME IS PRICELESS
SLUMP BUSTER
When youre in a slump (psychologically or business-wise),
set up a lunch or breakfast meeting with your five favorite
clients. By favorite I dont just mean the ones who make
the most money; I mean the ones who you enjoy being
with, as well. Be prepared to respond to any questions
they may have, but talk no business at the lunch. This is
not a review meeting in the formal sense but rather a
relationship visit.
Its a great way to get out of a slump. At the minimum, you
will feel better with more confidence, and you may be surprised
at what develops during a lunch with no expectations!
Randy L. Scritchfield, CFP, LUTCF
Damascus, Maryland, 30-year member
Between money and time, which is more important to

you? For me, time is more important than money. Why?
You can regain money by working hard, but you will
never regain wasted time. Therefore, I strive to manage
my time effectively by using a timetable, just like I had in
school. Heres how:
n We all have 24 hours per day. I set aside seven hours
to sleep, three hours of family time and four hours to eat,
shower, read and relax. That leaves me with 10 hours. I
divide those 10 hours into three time slots: three hours
before lunch and four hours after lunch for sales activities
(plus one hour for lunch). Then, I have two hours in the
evening to review the day, write in my journal and plan
for the next day.
n Within that timetable, I manage my appointments
in Google Calendar for the week (two each morning and
three each afternoon). My goal is to fill all of these 25
slots with quality appointments.
n I have Saturday morning saved to review the past
week and plan for the next week and the future.
When you spend your time effectively, you maximize
your productivity. Having good behavior and repeating
an organized pattern will guarantee your success.
Ken Ibuki
Nagoya, Japan, 21-year member
in
PRACTICE
Tips & Technology 10 | Roadmap to success 12 | Social media tips 14 | Your personal brand 16
Going paperless 18 | Helping senior consumers 20
SENIORS ON FACEBOOK
CLUTTER OVERLOAD
For the first time,

more than half of all online
54% of Americans
are overwhelmed
by clutter at home
and at work.
adults 65 and older

(56%) use Facebook.
Pew Research center, 2014
National Association for Professional

Organizers and Decluttr, 2014
MORE LIFE INSURANCE

33% of Americans
say they dont have

enough life insurance, including one-fourth of those
who already own a policy.
Life Happens, 2013
WOMENS RETIREMENT
PLANNING
More women than

men (62% vs. 55%)
say they need
professional advice
for their retirement
planning.
LIMRA, 2014
MARCH/APRIL 2015
TIPS & TECHNOLOGY

life hacks | apps | time-savers
Just Google it
Swapping money
Arriving in a foreign country after a long flight and realizing you need to
exchange currency can be frustrating. If you arrive after business hours,
it can be almost impossible to find an open bank or money-changer, but
WeSwap is trying to make life easier for international travelers through its
person-to-person currency exchange. WeSwap is a new company that lets
you swap money online with other people who are converting currency. To
use this technology, WeSwap sends you a prepaid MasterCard that makes
it easy to withdraw or spend your money wherever MasterCard is accepted. Select the currency and amount you want, and WeSwap will find you
a match (charging 1 percent for every swap) or do the exchange itself (at a
rate of 1.5 percent) if a match isnt readily available. Get more information
at weswap.com.
Dont lose luggage

Toss the Trackimo Universal ($100) in your luggage, and you wont have
to worry about losing your possessions anymore. The tracker lets you
use a computer or smartphone app to locate your luggage in the event
the airlines have no idea where it is. You can also get alerts via text and
email, and app notifications, to let you know about location changes, so
you can make sure your luggage is on the same connecting flight you are.
Get more information at trackimo.com.
10
You probably already use Google to search

the Internet. Now you can use some of
Googles other offerings to keep track of
your business and goals.
To get started, create a Google account
and email. Then go to Google Drive, click
Create and select Form. In simple steps,
you will be able to design your form.
First, write a question and select the
question type. For instance, the question
might be Did I ask for referrals today?
and the question type would be multiple
choice. Next, edit the list of options to
answer this question. In this example, the
answer is going to have two options: yes
or no.
The question types you can use are text,
multiple choice, checkboxes, list, scale, grid
and date. It is very flexible and easy to use.
Keep in mind that to create a useful
form, questions must be relevant to your
goals. Figure out which of your daily sales
and prospecting activities will get you to
your goals and measure those activities
with this application.
Once you have your form ready, make
it accessible. Just before finalizing your
form, make sure to select the checkbox to
show the link to submit another response.
Then copy this link and paste it in a new
event for your Google Calendar (or any
calendar you use that is accessible from
your smartphone) at the time you would
like to fill in your form. Set the event to be
repeated from Monday to Friday, or daily if
you prefer.
Whenever you want the results, go to
Google Drive and click on Responses.
You will get the responses in a Google
spreadsheet that can be easily managed to
get all the statistics you need about your
daily activities.
Victor Vuilleumier Valdez
Guadalajara, Mexico, 4-year member
Power at hand
If youre a frequent traveler, you
probably need a battery charger to
recharge your devices on the go. The
new Mophie Powerstation Plus features a compact design (4 by 0.49 by
2.3 inches) and universal compatibility,
along with integrated charge and sync
cables. When you arent charging your
smartphone or tablet, the built-in cables tuck in behind an aluminum cover.
The Mophie Powerstation Plus charges
your devices faster than the charger
that comes with your phone or tablet
and is good for 500 charging cycles
at full capacity. More powerful models
are also available. The backup battery
is $80 and is available at mophie.com.
Finding
connections
Smart bulb
If youd like to wake with the sun,
or at least feel like youre waking
up when the sun is shining, you
might want to try the Misfit Bolt
wirelessly connected smart bulb.
This light bulb lets you personalize
your home lighting to create beautiful lightscapes. With its sunrise

simulation, Bolt also makes getting
out of bed a brighter experience.
And, if you need a little help falling
asleep, try the soothing light and
sound shows when you get into
bed. You can also transform your
environment with millions of colors
and combinations available
through the Misfit Home
mobile app. The light bulb
screws into a regular socket and works directly
with your phone no
complicated hubs or
setup needed. The light
bulbs are $50 each and
are available at
misfit.com.
Nimble is a cloud-based client relationship management program (CRM) that

ingeniously combines all of your clients
and prospects social media accounts
and activities into a searchable database. Nimble helps you see connections
between your best clients and prospects
with whom you want to connect. It can
offer your clients and centers of influence a way to introduce you to those
prospects online. Using LinkedIn, for
example, your profile can be sent from
one member to another with a message
to connect you to a prospect.
Nimble can also help with client and
prospect research. By reading an online
profile on LinkedIn or Facebook, you can
learn information that can make your
face-to-face interactions more productive. Insights on a prospects or clients
opinions and feelings can also be gleaned
from their social media posts. If the key
to a successful financial services practice
is going to be driven more and more by
your personalized approach, tools like
Nimble will be indispensable. At $15
per month, it is also very affordable. For
more information visit nimble.com.
Thomas F. Levasseur, CLU, CLTC
Dover, New Hampshire
25-year member
MARCH/APRIL 2015
Anthony Engrassia meets with

a client to explain his financial
planning process.
Writing A
it down
Putting the process on
paper gives Engrassia a
roadmap to success.
BY LIZ DECARLO
12
nthony G. Engrassia, LUTCF, ChFC,

believes in the power of the process.
Engrassia, a 19-year MDRT member
with 10 Court of the Table and two Top of the
Table qualifications from Battleboro, North
Carolina, has not only mapped out his financial advising process, but also trademarked it.
His signature Strategic Freedom Process takes
clients from initial meeting through regular
reviews.
We all have processes. The problem is, no
one takes the time to write it down and put it
on paper, Engrassia said. Writing things down
and having a process is a way to not lose things.
And you can make things better. You can make
changes, but then you know where to come
back to.
Engrassia, who started out as an insurance
agent with Mutual of Omaha in 1990, has seen
DAN CRAWFORD PHOTOGRAPHY
PRACTICE
the industry change drastically throughout his

career. His process takes these changes into
account when planning an individuals future
financial plan.
To help clients look at the larger picture when
it comes to todays landscape of retirement savings and investments, Engrassia formalized his
process about 10 years ago by taking the time to
write down each step.
The initial step in his Strategic Freedom
Process is to have a starter session with the client. This is a first-time meeting where theyre
getting to know who I am and Im getting to
know who they are, Engrassia said. We dont
talk about money, but we do talk about whats
important about money to them. We talk about
goals and objectives.
This initial meeting sets the tone for how
Engrassia will work with the client. I tell
them, Youre the CEO of your assets. You can
continue to do it yourself, or you can hire me
to act as your chief financial officer, he said.
When people talk to different advisors CPAs,
attorneys, insurance agents everyones talking
in isolation from each other. They need a coach
whos looking at the big picture, so theyre all on
the same page. If we look at the whole picture,
we can make recommendations based on whats
in place and whats of most importance.
Thats exactly what Engrassia does as the
second step of his process he gathers information. By the end of the second meeting, the
clients know how the process will help them
and what fee will be charged.
Then we analyze these facts. After that, its

so easy to make recommendations, he said.
Theyre no-brainers because everything falls
into place.
Engrassia has each step of client interaction
mapped out, from meeting with a client to
contacting a client for a review. So even if you
had to step in for someone else, you could get
something done by following the bouncing ball.
Engrassias clients have been receptive to his
process. They really love it. They love the organization. They love that theres a process, and
they can see the ultimate outcome, he said. It
gives them excitement and creativity to see, if I
do this and that, I know what the outcome will
be. Things can change, but we have a roadmap.
Without a plan, any changes often mean starting over, Engrassia said. But if its written down,
people can still keep the end in sight.
And when it comes to running his business,
Engrassia uses the same process he uses with
his clients. One day each quarter, he puts aside
his workload and takes a look at the business.
I have to step back to work on my own goals
and processes, Engrassia said. Thats the only
time I can do that because I tend to let the business run me when Im here.
For other advisors interested in creating their
own plan, Engrassia said the first thing to do is
just go through what youre already doing. Everybody whos successful in this business has a
process, he said. Its just going through what
youre doing and getting it written down. Then
its so much easier. RTT
GET TO KNOW ANTHONY ENGRASSIA

Engrassia started his career
in 1990 with a suit jacket from
Goodwill. It now hangs on his
conference room wall.
n Shortly after they married, Engrassia and his wife
packed up the car and took a
roadtrip to find a place to live.
When he was pumping gas in
Rocky Mount, North Carolina,
n
someone said hello. Engrassia

and his wife surmised this was
a friendly town and decided to
live there. They had $6,000 to
their name and no jobs.
n In North Carolina,
Engrassia realized he would
have to learn to hunt to establish relationships with clients.
The first time he hunted and
killed a deer, he and his wife

spent six months eating it. That
was almost two decades ago.
She has never eaten deer again.
CONTACT:
Anthony Engrassia
tony@wmsnc.com
MARCH/APRIL 2015
PRACTICE
Social media
at the next level
How you can stand out from the Internet crowd.

BY DAVID M. ETHELL, LUTCF, AND KEN IBUKI
hen it comes to interacting with clients and prospects, it takes

more than just creating a Facebook or Twitter account to make
an impact. Todays consumers are often social media savvy,
with multiple types of accounts and many people and businesses vying for
their attention.
So, how do you reach out in the midst of the social media frenzy without
getting lost in the world of wireless? A few MDRT members have found
some ideas that work for them, and they may work for your business, too.
Consider trying a few of these tips.
14
1. Describe yourself on
social media. Take time
to craft an informative,
interesting bio. Dont just
list your qualifications or
products sold; say who you
are and what you like. My
social media bios start with the fact that I am a
father and husband, and enjoy playing squash,
said Ian J. Green, a 17-year MDRT member from
London, England. I end with my work credentials.
2. Take time to post. Set time aside regularly
to post to social media. For example, I update
my companys Facebook page when I have a new
edition of my client magazine, Green said. Also,
use a program such as Hootsuite that enables
you to post comments to multiple sites (including
Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook) at the same time.
3. Avoid breaches of confidentiality. Never
post anything that you dont have permission to,
Green said. Gen Xers think nothing of posting
anything anywhere when out socially, but we are
professional at work. For example, dont post a
picture of a clients office without their permission. Green recommends that you dont check
in to FourSquare, Swarm or Facebook stating
you are visiting John Doe at his office, as he may
not want that to be public knowledge.
4. Avoid compliance headaches. Never try to
sell or make a direct offer on social media, Green
said. If you think compliance might question it,
just dont do it.
AGE FOTOSTOCK/JOHN LUND
Getting started
Targeting your social media

1. Know your audience
and how they use social
media. In Japan, Line,
a social media app for
exchanging text messages, graphics, video and
audio, is now the No. 1
form of communication for teens, with people
in their 20s and 30s also using the app. This
age group also uses email, Instagram and
Facebook; those in their 40s prefer email,
phone and Facebook; people in their 50s prefer
phone and email; and those in their 60s prefer
phone. Selecting the best method of communication is always important in marketing, said
Naoki Masuda, a five-year MDRT member from
Tokyo, Japan.
2. Ask clients for a little nudge on Facebook.
I request the client tag me on Facebook with a
brief comment, but not directly suggesting the
product or the fact that I have done business
with him or her, Masuda said. I watch what
happens to it. If anybody liked it and seems to
have an interest in what I do, I may ask the client
to refer him or her to me.
3. Ask clients for a boost using Twitter.
I might ask a Twitter user to post Just met a
guy in Shinagawa. He gave me valuable advice
on my insurance plan. Id be happy to refer him
to you if you are interested, Masuda said.
Using Instagram to gain exposure

1. Getting started. Download the free Instagram
application to your smartphone. Take five minutes
to do the tutorial. Connect
with your contacts who are
already on Instagram, and
invite all others to join.
2. Browse the days posts. Like some photos
and comment where you want to. Younger
clients are steering away from email and often
reaching to social media to save time while
maintaining their connection to their circle. Its a
great tool to use to find commonalities and content that can inform you of a clients life events,
travels, etc.
3. Take a minute. Murphys average time connecting and keeping track on Instagram is one
minute per day. For me, Instagram is a great
way to maintain a presence and a connection
with clients, contacts and people in my circles
with a limited time commitment, Murphy said.
You will be amazed at how quickly you will be
posting, connecting and creating a social media
presence that will keep you at the forefront of
your clients minds.
Matt Joseph Murphy, EPC
Calgary, Canada, 3-year member
Never try to sell or make a

direct offer on social media.
If you think compliance might
question it, just dont do it.
Ian Green
Using social networking sites to

build relationships
1. Stay relevant regionally. If youre in Asia or
communicating with Asian clients, consider using KakaoTalk, which is available in 15 languages
and used in more than 230 countries. KakoaTalk
has targeted countries in Southeast Asia and is a
handy tool for global communication.
2. Focus on your message. Try to narrow your
focus on potential clients to build an emotional
relationship.
3. Share your media. When you are posting
to a social networking site, incorporate software
such as iMovie to share photos and videos that
can give clients a heartwarming feeling.
4. Act fast. When clients post a story or photo
on their social networking site whether it is
KakaoTalk or Facebook instant reaction is
needed. It can be a chance to enhance a relationship and build a friendship. RTT
Oh Ji-Hong
Gwangiu, South Korea, 13-year member
MARCH/APRIL 2015
PRACTICE
Build your personal brand

How to create the image you portray to clients and prospects.
BY DEDDY KARYANTO, CFP, QWP
16
CORBIS
uccessful insurance agents are

not naturally well-known; they
consciously make themselves
well-known, both inside and outside
of their profession. They know it is
their reputation that really determines
success in the insurance business. And
a great reputation is earned by the professional insurance agent who knows
the products well, serves with heart
and really gives the best to their clients.
This is the kind of reputation they
strategically build through personal
branding.
To envision the concept of personal
branding, imagine yourself in a crowd
of strangers. What should you do to
make them pay attention to you? Your
best choice, if you want strong personal branding, is to consistently make
yourself stand out in a positive manner.
Consistent positive behavior delivers a
vitalizing message to the people around
you. Based on their good experience
and positive recollection, they become
eager to get in touch with you.
To achieve sustainable success and
stand out in the insurance business,
your only choice is to focus on doing
your job professionally and building
strong, positive personal branding.
It is important to keep in mind that
this brand is not a coincidence. You
must intentionally nurture it. The key
is to be consistent throughout your
work. Every time you meet or connect with prospects and clients, your
personal branding is formed. Whether
you realize it or not, prospects and
clients judge you, and their assessment is highly

dependent on your actions, your message and
your reputation. What they say about you in the
future, whether negative or positive, has a great
influence because they may be talking to people
who also exist in your name bank. Positive assessment will certainly benefit you.
Personal branding is not only a matter for
senior insurance agents, it is a matter for the beginner as well. Even if you are a student who has
just graduated from college, you can still build a
reputation through positive personal branding.
Your newcomer status could actually become a
strength if you are a quick learner and perform
thorough preparation. As long as you always
have a positive attitude and demonstrate your
professional skills, prospects and clients will respect you, regardless of your age. Moreover, they
may praise your entrepreneurial spirit. This is
definitely a strong, positive personal brand.
The most effective ways to build a personal
brand are:
1.
Be a professional consultant, and always

give the best to your clients.
Your personal brand is formed every time you

meet or connect with prospects and clients.
They will judge you based on their perceptions
of your behavior and actions. If your clients are
satisfied with your services, they will be happy
to share their good experiences with friends and
relatives and give you more referrals.
2.
Be focused on being the best in this

profession.
First of all, qualify and register as an MDRT

member not just once or twice, but continuously every year. These achievements show clients and prospects that you are part of the elite
organization of the best financial services professionals in the world. You may use the MDRT
member logo on your business card, which will
give a lasting impression to prospects.
If you qualify as an MDRT member, you will
often get some other award as acknowledgement within your insurance company that you
can publish in mass media. That will help increase your profile in your community, and that
really affects your prospects and your clients, all

of whom want to do business with a professional. It will reinforce your positive personal brand.
3.
Reach every kind of qualification as soon

as possible and get the word out.
Higher qualifications lead to different impressions. This is not because the terminology is
more sophisticated, but because people can
predict an agent with a higher qualification level
had more flight hours, worked with more clients
and can handle larger businesses.
This is an important step to building your personal brand almost all life insurance companies routinely feature pictures in national media
of agents who excel. This certainly will boost
your reputation and the level of trustworthiness
from your prospects. You could also put a plaque
or trophy you have received in a place easily
visible to your clients or prospects. Through
presentations like this, your posture and positive
personal brand become more powerful.
You need to career plan, set target achievements and take advantage of any challenges
given by your company your positive personal
brand gets stronger and your business gets bigger every time you complete one.
Aside from accomplishments, you can use the
media to broadcast your thoughts and practical tips. You can write an article in a magazine,
book, blog or personal website. You can use a
chance to speak on radio or television to share
insurance insights or useful information.
All this is certainly not a matter of being
narcissistic. You really do have to meet specific
qualifications and aim to share information or to
educate.
It is now clear that building a strong, positive
personal brand is a smart move to boost your
business. Fortunately, you do not need to spend
heavily like a business corporation to build your
brand. In fact, you almost do not need to spend
money at all to do this. You just need to realize
the importance of building a personal brand and
doing it early. The goal of the process is to become a professional consultant and always give
the best to the clients. RTT
MARCH/APRIL 2015
Consistent
positive
behavior
delivers a
vitalizing
message to
the people
around you.
PRACTICE
Paperless
pointers
Two members empty out their file cabinets.
BY LIZ DECARLO
With real
estate at $40 a
square foot, its a
no-brainer from
that standpoint.
Minh Vo
18
inh Duc Vo, a three-year MDRT

member from Houston, Texas, went
paperless after realizing how much
each file cabinet cost in real estate prices. With
real estate at $40 a square foot, its a no-brainer from that standpoint, Vo said. Each filing
cabinet takes up about 4 feet of space, so there
goes $160 a year. Take that number and multiply
it times a five-year lease commitment, and its a
dramatic cost savings.
Vo decided to go paperless a year ago, after
seven years in the industry. It wasnt a quick or
easy process.
We scanned and uploaded every single piece
of paper, Vo said. It took a part-time employee
about six months.
Thomas F. Levasseur, CLU, CLTC, a 25-year
MDRT member from Dover, New Hampshire,
also went paperless out of a desire to save space.
In 2007, he moved his office into his home.
Levasseur used the transition process as an opportunity to clean up and organize files. The first
thing my assistant did was systematically scan all
of my files. We have a high-quality, high-speed
Xerox scanner, he explained. For our A, B and
C clients, we scanned each individual document
while at the same time weeding out things we
didnt need. Levasseur also created individual files in the client relationship management
software.
Deciding which software to use can be a combination of trial-and-error and using the system
thats compatible with the broker-dealer you

use. Levasseur started with a client management
system that he eventually decided wasnt the best
for his workflow. Weve transitioned to Redtail
because its more suitable for our securities business, he said.
Vo has found the software he uses to be
cumbersome, but its what works with his brokerdealers system, so he doesnt have the option of
changing. Because its a cataloged file, I have to
sift through and sort it. Its not built the way you
want it to be its basically like a spreadsheet
program where you can sort one column. There
arent multiple levels of sort, he said. But Ill
stay with this because Im tied to my carrier.
The other glitch in going paperless is the fact
that the industry itself requires hard copies of
many documents.
Many insurance and securities companies still
require paper. The industry isnt up to speed with
that, Levasseur said.
Because of this, both Vo and Levasseur start
with signed, hard-copy documents. On new

business files, we have to take a paper application. We scan the application onto the server, and
then we can submit it to the broker-dealer for
review, Levasseur said. We do the same thing
on any client service document, for instance, the
change of beneficiaries forms or benefit distribution forms. All of these transactional-type documents get scanned on the computer and then
put in the clients file. Once the documents have
been approved, anything that hasnt been sent out
is shredded.
Computerizing client files requires careful
planning to maintain compliance, especially in
the securities industry. Levasseur uploads all
documents to a secure cloud, where they are time
and date stamped and put into an unchangeable
format for the regulators.
Vo works with his compliance team to make
sure his clients paperless records are impeccable.
Your compliance team is your friend. I know it
seems like theyre being hard about everything,
but at the end of the day, theyre trying to follow

their compliance manual which is your compliance manual so you dont get sued, Vo said.
Its protecting the company, so thats protecting
you.
Levasseur also keeps compliance in mind
when hes interacting with clients. In addition to
keeping documents on his CRM, he writes notes
from any phone calls or meetings. Before I can
close out an appointment, I have to add notes
about what was said and whats agreed, he said.
Having the client file in front of me when speaking with a client or prospect gives me important
names and dates. The access to other documents
is very helpful and makes me look smarter than
I am. In addition, its saving me time and its
making me much more compliant. My files are in
pristine order.
Now that they have transitioned to paperless,
Levasseur and Vo have found ways to use the system for other paperwork, including fact-finding,
populating forms and review planning. All of our
fact finding is done on a tablet and automatically
emailed to my assistant, who uploads it to the secure system, Vo said. We also have a paperless
application for insurance contracts.
Levasseur merges his Redtail software with
his financial analysis software. We dont have to
put all of the clients assets into the analysis to do
an annual review its already there, he said.
Its helpful with prospects, too, because once a
prospect comes in, we put that information into
Redtail and its there forever. The software feeds
from Redtail. Its very intuitive. Our strategies,
our proposals and so forth, come out of the same
database. That saves us a lot of time.
And, if Levasseur and Vo need to work while
away from the office, having a paperless system
means everything is at their fingertips.
Its a Web-based system that you can look
at anywhere on your phone or your tablet, if
youre in Mexico, wherever you are, Vo said.
Levasseur also likes having all of his files available anywhere in the world. Its nice to know
that, in a pinch, if Im on vacation somewhere
and I get a call from a client, I simply have to log
onto the server, open up my CRM, and everything
I need to discuss that situation is right there. RTT
MARCH/APRIL 2015
Its saving me
time and its
making me
much more
compliant.
My files are
in pristine
order.
Thomas Levasseur
CONTACT:
Minh Vo
minhvo@
financialguide.com
Thomas Levasseur
tom@thebeaconfg.com
PRACTICE
6 ways to
make clients
comfortable
Varas focuses on adapting to the
needs of senior consumers.
BY LIZ DECARLO
20
much sense for me to provide documents which

would cause someone to struggle in reading,
whether they are in my office or in theirs.
Varas, whose specialty is living benefits, focuses primarily on joint work with other advisors.
She has more than two decades of experience
in the industry and many tips for working with
senior clients.
Know your audience. Marketing to 50-plus
is more than offering products. Its also
adapting your style, communication, marketing strategies and office environment. Change
printed materials to a larger font. Consider the
adequacy of parking, ramp/wheelchair accessibility and lighting.
1.
2.
Dont stereotype these individuals as old,

and dont assume advanced age is an obstacle to computer or Internet use 60-plus is
the fastest growing segment of computer users.
3.
This age group generally prefers to learn

through communication that is both oral
and visual, so provide documentation for them
AGE FOTOSTOCK/HERO IMAGES
icheline Varas, RHU, has heard the

saying that clients dont leave advisors because they dont like them
they leave because they dont like them enough.
I want to ensure I capture enough, said
Varas, a 13-year MDRT member with nine Top of
the Table qualifications from Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada.
To do this, Varas focuses on making clients
comfortable from the moment they make an
appointment with her. She pays attention to
every last detail, from reserving parking spots to
providing printed materials in a larger font for
easier reading.
Our industry is one of service, and our focus
is our clients needs its what we do. Varas
said. The way my practice has dovetailed, those
with whom Im dealing are no longer in their 20s.
Understanding only too well the effects of aging,
I think we have to be cognizant of what puts
people at ease.
Varas recommends looking at those things that
affect you personally and adapting them to whom
youre dealing with.
Getting old isnt always fun, but it allows you
to see life with a different set of eyes. Taking my
glasses out to order at a restaurant has become an
unfortunate necessity, Varas said. If Im having
to do this, others within the same age bracket or
older will have the same issues. It wouldnt make
PRACTICE
Members, speakers
and guests at the
1939 Annual Meeting.
1939
1939
Buying lasting happiness

Annual Meeting speaker reinvigorated Round Table members
passion for life insurance.
BY KATHRYN FURTAW KEUNEKE, CAE
The 1939 Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, included a speaker who had
never sold a single insurance policy but had an undeniable passion for the product. Charles T. Davies, a retired business owner from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,
owned more than $1 million of paid-up policies. His philosophy was to purchase
only single-premium policies, then use the dividends to finance purchases for his
family and enjoy his retirement.
During his lifetime, he became very knowledgeable about the technical side of
life insurance and gained the admiration and trust of many agents, who sought
his advice. At the time of this presentation, he could directly trace his influence in
the sale of more than $1 million in face value in four years time.
Addressing the attendees before Davies presentation, Why I bought life
insurance, MDRT President Paul C. Sanborn of Boston, Massachusetts, said, If
we only had a few more people in this world to motivate ourselves, as well as
the buying public, of the type of Mr. Davies, we would have fewer headaches in
pleading with people to do the things that they should do.
22
would like to tell you that I am not an

insurance man, although I am not bragging
about that. I buy life insurance you sell it.
Life insurance is the best builder of self-respect
there is in the world. I believe that life insurance
brings more happiness, more lasting happiness,
at the right time than anything else. I am not
unmindful of what religion does, but I think life
insurance works a little faster.
During the last nine years, all of us have read
about the Depression; all of us know about the
Depression. We have heard about it over the
radios. If we missed that and couldnt read, our
friends told us about it. I imagine some of you
know something about it, too, and so do I. But
not much because I sold practically everything
I had, or everything I didnt want, in 1928 and
bought life insurance.
The buying of that life insurance is, I think,

what is going to interest you.
The first policy I ever bought was when I became engaged to be married. It was for $2,000
and, believe me, that was some policy. It cost
more to keep up in those days than you have
any idea of, but it brought me more pleasure
than any policy I ever bought because it taught
me two things: First, it was a good thing to do;
second, I had something that I could not earn
myself. I was not earning enough money, so I
thought, to ever save $2,000.
Then, about a year after that, my wife bought
her wedding dress. When a girl buys a nice
bathing suit, she wont go near the water. She
will buy a riding habit and never expect to get
on a horse. But, believe me, when she buys a
wedding dress, she means business. So I took
out $3,000 more worth of life insurance.
But the agent never solicited me afterward
for more life insurance. He either thought
$5,000 was my limit, both of earning and brain
capacity, or he had less brains than his company thought he had. It is always easier to sell a
satisfied customer than to dig up a new one.
Nobody ever sold me life insurance. I buy life
insurance just the same as I buy cigars. Another week among a gang like this, and I think I
would buy some more.
My life insurance does not insure my life it

only insures the things I want to do if I am not
here.
Mrs. Davies conceived the idea of buying a
house. We decided that if it were necessary to
take out a fire insurance policy against something that might happen and, if it did, could be
replaced, then it must be much more important
to take out a life insurance policy on something
that, if it did happen, could never be replaced.
Therefore, from that time on, our lifes ambition for life insurance started.
In 1920, I adopted a fine boy. I made up my
mind that he would go to college, so we started
our life insurance to provide for him going to
college. I have just come back from setting him
up in business in Montana. He is in business
and happy, thanks to my insurance.
I never know when I may want to take some
more life insurance, so I keep well. Believe me,
my life insurance has kept me straighter than
my religion because religion is too cheap, and I
have to pay for life insurance.
I decided four years ago to take out a
$500,000 life insurance policy, single premium.
When I buy a policy, I go to New York, Baltimore or Philadelphia to get the best financial
advice I can about stocks. In this particular
case, I wanted to spend $305,000, and a financial advisor gave me a list of investments I
should buy with that total. I didnt do what he
said, but I kept the notes for future reference.
Four years passed, and 1932 came along.
I decided to see how much of a mistake I
had made. At that time, my single-premium
policy was worth $311,000, and the stocks and
bonds had a value of $53,310. If I had bought
the stocks that I paid a man to recommend, I
would have been broke.
You must have been believers in life insurance to sell $1 million worth, and if you have
your share of life insurance, then selling it is
easy because you have lived with it and know
what it does. RTT
MARCH/APRIL 2015
Life insurance
is the best
builder of
self-respect
there is in
the world.
TRUST ME
Sometimes a prospects lack of trust can delay the implementation or even identification of a plan. Often, the prospect
broadcasts that lack of trust by acting as if they need to know
and understand every little moving piece of every product,
concept or design before moving forward on any of it.
To help people understand that they dont need to know
and understand everything, I ask them, Do you handle all the
oil changes and repairs on your car yourself?
When they reply no, I tell them the following:
I dont either. We both still drive the cars we own, but we dont
always know everything about how each part works. The main
reason we own the car is to get us from point A to point B. We
want to put the key in, turn it on and drive. We dont have the
time, the tools or the expertise to review every part of that engine or to understand how each part relates to every other part.
My mechanic knows enough about those things to keep my car
running for me so I have a safe, dependable vehicle.
The insurance plan we are putting together is like that car. I
am the person who knows every part of the plan, but it would
be impossible for me to explain every part of it to you. You need
to trust that the plan is reliable and will get you from point A
to point B. Along the way, we will work together, and you will
become very familiar with key parts of the plan, just like you are
very familiar with the features of the car you use regularly like
the steering wheel, gas pedal, radio, GPS, etc. But we will not require you to have a complete understanding of every component
of the plan before we get started. If we did that, you would still
be sitting in the dealer show room going over every part of your
car before you allowed yourself a chance to even test drive it.
You understand the need for a safe, reliable, capable
vehicle to power your financial plan, and I understand every
internal component of the plan. Ultimately, you will be familiar
with the most important parts to make sure you have what
you need and are in the drivers seat.
Theodore S. Rusinoff, CFP
Hudson, Ohio, 7-year member
F-E-A-R
F-E-A-R: has two meanings:
1.
Forget Everything
And Run
2. Face Everything And Rise
Nilesh N. Shah
Coimbatore, India,
14-year member
24
WHAT NOW?
Advise clients to sort their bills into two piles: their own
personal bills and their familys bills. Then ask them,
Who will pay the ones in the family pile if youre not
there?
Victoria Acebedo Marcaida
Makati, Philippines, 9-year member
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Every week at our Monday morning meeting,
we get a copy of our
standings a chart
showing how we are
doing on a percentage
and numbers basis for
MDRT qualification
(with actual business
closed and pending
business). Keeping
track of your progress
over the year helps to
keep you focused on
the task at hand. Dont
get depressed if the
numbers are down; use
it as an opportunity to
fix the problem.
After a few years,
you can use these

charts to see where you
regularly have slumps
and upticks through the
course of a year. This
can be used to create a
strategy to boost your
production in down
times (e.g., have a seminar for clients, etc.).
Travis D. Manning, CFP,
CLU, Caledonia, Ontario,
Canada, 5-year member
our
PEOPLE
Time for a change 26 | More about Mexico 30 | Inspiring others 32
What drives ethics? 34 | Succession plans 36
Weve had to expand our thinking and look for additional ways to distribute our products
to more people using different strategies than we have used historically.
We began to evaluate how to make this business work for the next 20 or 30 years.

Christi Daughenbaugh, CLTC (Page 28)
MARCH/APRIL 2015
hristi Daughenbaugh,
CLTC, realized change
was necessary when
she saw a declining revenue
stream as a wholesaler. She
decided to target consumers
directly through a call center
and a retail referral program.
For Steven P. Arengo, CFP,
AIF, change meant leaving the
agency where he was unhappy to start his own business.
Arengo has focused on using
technology to communicate
and streamline practices,
while also creating a diverse
geographical clientele through
a virtual office.
For Bill Zimmerman,
change meant literally flipping his marketing to educate
consumers first before engaging, rather than the typical
model of engaging and then
educating.
And, for Susan Catherine
Paterson, FChFP, change
came as a way to meet new
compliance legislation in Australia. It has meant re-educating staff and trying to stay one
step ahead as change steamrolls through the industry and

the country.
Adapting to an evolving
industry and consumers
means learning new skills and,
often, redefining your whole
business itself. But for those
MDRT members who undertake this challenge, the payoffs
can be great.
Flipping the
sales process
Ive been in the business

since 1967. I saw other people early in my career who
were pitchmen. They had
sales techniques that almost
strong-armed their client into
buying, said Zimmerman, a
three-year MDRT member
from San Diego, California. I
was never good at that, and I
didnt want to do that. Today,
we are way more of an advisor,
educating and helping clients
by asking them questions
about their situation that help
us understand and work with
them on a solution.
Zimmermans marketing
style emphasizes educating
first and then engaging. He
knew this was a different approach to selling, but he didnt
know how to define it until he
talked to a colleague whose
wife was experimenting with a
new teaching approach at her
school. In that new model of
education, students watched
online videos of the teachers
lecture at home and then came
to school to do the homework
and work with the teacher.
They called it the flip
model of education. I thought,
well, thats exactly what were
doing with the client: flip
marketing, Zimmerman said.
Youre flipping it over educating the client first and then
coming up with solutions.
Zimmerman describes this
sales process as similar to
a funnel. At the top of the
funnel, you have education,
and you drive people to learn
more about whatever it is,
Social Security, retirement
planning, tax-free retirement,
time to make a
Change
Sometimes the only way forward is starting over again.
BY LIZ DECARLO
26
ROUND theTABLE.ORG | MARCH/APRIL

MARCH/APRIL 2015
2015
he said. Then theres training

and seminars, all on video. We
educate them so they understand more about the concepts
and why they need them. You
put people in the top of the
funnel, and they get smaller
and smaller, and the prospects
become clients coming out the
bottom of the funnel.
Clients have been very
receptive to the new approach.
They understand the concepts and why the solutions
we present work for them,
Zimmerman said. With this
new system, they learn the
fundamentals before being introduced to product solutions.
CORBIS
Leaving negativity
behind
Four years ago, Arengo was part

of a successful financial planning group. But something just
didnt feel right. I realized I
was building a book of business,
not a practice, said Arengo, a
two-year MDRT member from
Mason, Ohio. He wanted the
flexibility to work more on his
own, from a virtual office, and
to incorporate his own process
into the selling routine.
Arengo knew something
needed to change, but wasnt
sure how to go about it. Then
two important pieces fell into
place that pointed him in the
right direction.
I read Dr. Henry Clouds
Necessary Endings, which
has helped me release from
various habits, strategies and
clients that bogged me down,
Arengo said. Dr. Cloud also
helped me realize that it was
time to transition from one
broker-dealer to another.
At the same time, he established relationships with other
advisors. Four or five were >>
MARCH/APRIL 2015
Round Table members, and it

occurred to me to look into the
MDRT piece of the puzzle,
he said. Through networking with this group of advisors-turned-friends, Arengo
realized it was time to make a
very painful move.
My biggest piece
was leaving that
practice, he said.
The silver lining is,
through the whole
process you really
start to figure out
where your priorities
lie.
Arengo started his own
practice almost three years
ago. His priority was to create
a virtual office with a diverse
customer base.
Everything was paper,
so I had to make everything
electronic, said Arengo, who
hired a college student to
input all the paperwork into
software programs. Because
he wanted to move into a more
tech-savvy model, Arengo also
created a marketing strategy
that started with a quality
website, e-marketing and
increased exposure through
social media.
Arengo also developed a
broad customer base. From
day one, I made the commitment to have a diversified client
base from both a geographic
perspective 65 percent of my
practice must be accessed virtu-
The silver lining is, through the

whole process you really start to figure out
where your priorities lie.
Steve Arengo
28
ally or via plane and industry

perspective, he said. I want to
avoid having situations where
one segment of the economy
or client base diminished for
whatever reason and potentially
reduces the revenue of my practice disproportionately.
He is working with a
business coach to create an
identity for his business and to
develop a system for working
with clients. I have more
process ideas in how Im going
about meeting with my clients
and, depending on how my
first meeting goes, what I need
to get ready for the second. I
never had a process before,
he said.
And, while Arengo admits it
has been a challenge to create
a new business based on a new
business model, he still believes he made the right move.
Its absolutely worth it.
Moving into
new markets
When Daughenbaugh and her

brother bought their fathers
business two years ago, she
knew big changes were needed
to keep the agency moving
forward. The agency had operated primarily as a wholesaler,
focusing on life insurance,
annuities and long-term care.
But Daughenbaugh realized
that purely focusing on wholesaling these products through
traditional insurance agents
was unsustainable long term.
The reality is, the old
model was really focused on
wholesaling to people who
were primarily selling life insurance, said Daughenbaugh,
a one-year MDRT member
from Dallas, Texas. But those
people are getting older and
not being repopulated. Weve
had to expand our thinking

and look for additional ways
to distribute our products to
more people using different
strategies than we have used
historically. We began to evaluate how to make this business
work for the next 20 or 30
years.
Daughenbaugh determined
there werent enough people
asking the general public anything about their life insurance. Many of the individuals
who have an insurance license
now are doing other things in
addition to selling life insurance.
Daughenbaugh realized
their agency had to expand the
amount of sales they wrote directly with the public, as well
as develop more marketing
and sales support for agents
who want to sell life insurance,
long-term care insurance or
annuities as ancillary products
in their practice.
More and more, independent agents who dont focus
on insurance dont want to sell
the products we offer to their
clients. But they are very interested in us doing it for them,
Daughenbaugh said. They
developed a retail referral
program for these individuals
last year. They use licensed
agents internally to work with
these referred clients, and they
pass part of the commission
earned to the referring agent
as a referral fee.
With an increased demand
from the public to purchase
insurance over the phone or
through the Internet, Daughenbaugh has also worked with
a business partner to create a
call center and become more
Internet-based.
The changes have made an
There are so many opportunities to do so many

different things, weve had to push ourselves to come
back and refocus on what we committed to do.
Christi Daughenbaugh
impact on revenue. The call
center did probably 50 percent
more business in 2014 than
2013, so I think were heading
in the right direction, Daughenbaugh said. And weve
identified other cross-selling
opportunities for the call
center.
As her agency interacts
more directly with consumers, Daughenbaugh said the
biggest challenge has been
keeping up technologically.
Technology is a huge driver,
and we have to continue to
push ourselves to evolve and
grow and not get stagnant,
she said.
Daughenbaugh has also
realized that, while the agency
needed to change, too much
change all at once made the
process more challenging. We
almost bit off too much a few
years ago, she said. There are
so many opportunities to do so
many different things, weve
had to push ourselves to come
back and refocus on what we
committed to do.
Staying ahead of
industry changes
Paterson, an 11-year MDRT

member from Loganholme,
Queensland, Australia has seen
major legislative changes in

the financial services industry since she started in the
business 12 years ago. These
changes mean increased compliance and a trend to direct
the industry to a more professional model, she said.
Over the years, I have seen
an increasing need to be able
to not only adapt to change,
but to position yourself in
front of it, she said.
The increased compliance has meant additional
time spent on files and client
conversation. This has been
a solid outcome for both the
advisor and the client, ensuring meaningful discussion is
held. It does, however, put
a focus on time spent for
money earned, encouraging
me to be more commercial
in client selection, Paterson
said. The positive outcome is
that we generally earn more
from the type of business we
prefer writing. By scrutinizing
client selection more, we have
ended up with a working book
that holds more passion for
advisors.
With increased educational
requirements for advisors and
fee-for-service now playing a
major part in ongoing rev-
enues, Paterson believes it

will become more difficult
to sustain the same levels of
profitability without reassessing costs and revenue streams.
For the past few years, she has
relied on EBITA (earnings before interest, taxes and amortization) to determine the value
of the business.
By using EBITA as a valuation tool, I am ensuring we are
as profitable in the marketplace as other businesses that
use a fee-for-service model,
she said.
Paterson has also created
a workplace environment
amenable to her employees.
I have developed a model
that works well for mums
returning to the workforce.
I have encouraged an intern
program and developed my
staff from within the practice, she explained. This
has worked well, ensuring
the culture of the business is
built into the mindset of the
team.
Its vital to re-educate staff
and advisors to accept change
rather than battle against it,
Paterson said. For some staff
and advisors, the increased
educational requirements are
daunting, she said. However, by embracing these as a
team, with many studying at
the same time, it has been far
more motivational.
Paterson doesnt see
the pace of change
slowing down
anytime soon.
I think change
is a necessity to
allow continued
improvement and to
keep up with technology and consumer appetite,
she said. RTT
MARCH/APRIL 2015
By scrutinizing
client selection
more, we have
ended up with
a working book
that holds more
passion for
advisors.
Susan Paterson
PEOPLE
Mexico
Past and future

Members in Mexico rely on the ability to
adapt to changing markets.
BY SCOTT ROGERS
n 1954, Russel Edwin Kennedy became an

MDRT member. This was only the start of
what would become 57 years of membership, including 30 Top of the Table qualifications.
What makes Kennedys accomplishments all the
more impressive, though, is that he was also the
first member to qualify from Mexico.
In 2014, Mexico was home to 462 MDRT members. If the members we talked to have anything
to say about it, that number will only continue to
grow.
We must look
for a way to
provide our
products to all
sectors.
Guadalupe Ayala
Mexico City
30
Guadalupe Elvira Ayala Arredondo, an

11-year MDRT member from Mexico City,
Mexico, and Hermn Coln, an eight-year
MDRT member from Estado de Mexico, Mexico,
had always been interested in the profession.
The career chose me, Coln said. My father
was an insurance agent from when he married
until he died in 2004. He aptly suggested I first
work in an insurance company to see if I was interested in that profession, and definitely, it was a
very good hunch.
Coln takes pride in providing his clients with
the protection they deserve.
We protect whats valuable for each person:
their health, their welfare and the future of their
loved ones, he said.
Over the years, his process has changed greatly.
In my first appointments with clients, we used
books and actuarial tables to determine the
premium and based it on the sum assured, age
and so on, he said. Nowadays, all the quotes
use technology. In a few minutes, we can make a
presentation with prices, benefits and the advantages of each product.
For Ayala, the issues she faces sound very similar
Teotihuacan, a Mesoamerican
pyramid outside of Mexico City.
Our job is to
open the eyes
of the people
to the benefits
that life
insurance
provides.
Hermn Coln
to ones advisors across the world also encounter.
Currently, one of my most important challenges is to transcend to the next generation of
my current clients: their children, she said. I
will continue training to stay up-to-date with the
markets needs. In terms of my company, I will
continue working to have a consolidated staff
and develop them at the same time. All of this is a
challenge, but also a great opportunity.
According to Coln, there is still a great need
among the Mexican public to own life insurance.
Our job is to open the eyes of the people to
the benefits that life insurance provides them
and their loved ones. This is a big challenge, but I
think firm steps have been taken to make people
realize it is indispensable, which gives us more
penetration in the market, he said. As an emerging country, we must realize that a common issue
in those economically important countries and
those that are growing is that their insured levels
are higher.
Even with this continued growth of life insurance, Ayala still sees issues in the profession.
Insurance culture has permeated more easily
among the population; however, financial products in Mexico remain for the middle and upper
class, she said. There is a big challenge in this
country. We must look for a way to provide our

products to all sectors.
These issues, combined with the possibility
of Mexico switching to a commission disclosure
system in the near future, make the country a
unique study in adjusting to trends. Changes
in the profession have never been an issue for
MDRT-level producers in the country, however,
as Kennedy shows.
At the 1982 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, Kennedy was a part of a panel discussion on
international trends in the business. During his
portion of the presentation, he touched on the
issues advisors in Mexico were facing at the time,
including inflation and the government repealing
an inheritance tax. Kennedy noted that these
issues forced other advisors back to the drawing
board. Rather than go out of business, he said,
they innovated. His message, three decades later,
remains just as relevant today.
Perhaps we had something even more important going for us: a readiness to adapt to new
challenges and take advantage of new opportunities, he said in 1982. No plan can substitute
for that. It had kept us prospering amidst years of
change, and thats the one thing we dont intend
to change at all. RTT
MARCH/APRIL 2015
CONTACTS:
Guadalupe Ayala
guadalupe.ayala@
metlife.com.mx
Hermn Coln
hcolin@giosc.com.mx
PEOPLE
Youd make
a great agent
Murphy followed a suggestion to immediate
early success and business growth.
BY SCOTT ROGERS
etting started in this business isnt

supposed to be easy. Its not supposed
to come naturally. You hear it again and
again success comes after youve paid your
dues.
This is not how things went for Matthew Joseph Murphy, EPC, a three-year MDRT member
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
After spending the first 10 years of his life in
Boston, Massachusetts, Murphys family moved
Murphy with
his wife, Hailey.
32
to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After attending college in the area, he went to work for a bank.
Initially starting out as a teller, Murphy slowly
moved up the ranks. His goal was to end up as
a stockbroker, but after a few years, his desire
began to wane.
In 2009, a life insurance agent by the name of
Glenn Turner talked to Murphy about joining
the field. Youd make a great insurance agent,
Turner told him. This suggestion dovetailed with
a growing disillusionment Murphy had with his
banking career.
I wanted to genuinely help people. I felt my
position at the bank was more about doing what
was in the banks interest, Murphy said, noting
how in school he had been trained to preach
fiduciary responsibility.
Murphy also wanted the level of independence
that comes with running your own business,
something he knew he couldnt get if he continued at the bank. So he made the switch.
Almost immediately, Murphy saw some success. With a goal in mind qualifying for MDRT
and a receptive market, Murphy had a strong
start to his career. After only a few years in the
field, he was able to reach MDRT levels of production, qualifying for membership in 2012.
After working for the first few years as an advisor
for Freedom 55 Financial, Murphy struck out on his
own in 2011, forming MYLIFE Financial Group Inc.
His business has substantially evolved since then,
he said. He started out as a one-man operation.
Murphys business now has three agents on staff, all
of whom have qualified for MDRT.
Murphy takes pride in this, knowing that his
staff members have obtained membership at such
early stages in their career. Each agent Ive added
since Ive started, in their first full year, has qualified for MDRT, he said. These members include
Paul Jorge Botelho, a two-year MDRT member,
and Christopher Lee Van Tornhout, a one-year
MDRT member, both from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A lot has been me coaching my teammates
to aspire to qualifying, Murphy said. I tell them,
Its going to cost you $2,500 to attend the Annual
Meeting; itll cost you $125,000 if you dont.
Individually, Murphy would like to reach the
higher levels of MDRT, including Court of the
Table and Top of the Table. As far as his business

goes, Murphy would like to grow MYLIFE into a
five-agent, one-principal firm.
We want to reach deeper into the community, serve our community in the way we know we
can, he said. Too often, people plan, but not
well enough.
When it comes to prospecting, Murphy said
his firm is very selective about whom they take
on as clients. Though he wouldnt describe his
business as being picky, he said their clients
need to fit their model.
Murphy primarily targets small-business
owners along with oil and gas executives. To
reach these prospects, Murphy believes the best
marketing is word of mouth, and thus he relies
extensively on referrals. I am very confident
that every single prospect we have today came
from referrals, he said.
Murphy credits MDRT with motivating him
to grow his business. Being a part of something
on this scale is tremendously important for any
individual who needs to stay motivated, he said.
Its impossible in this business to get anywhere
on your own. You cant find a better level of
colleague than with MDRT.
Specifically, Murphy points to an idea he
heard years ago from Bruce W. Etherington,
CLU, CH.F.C., a 45-year MDRT member from
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and then reheard
at the 2014 MDRT Annual Meeting in Toronto.
The idea concerns a method Etherington
LOOK INTO IT
FOCUS SESSION
developed to boost his performance. One of the

tenets of this plan is to focus on reviewing your
top 20 clients on an annual basis. This was the
idea that originally drove Murphy to achieve
MDRT levels of production, and hearing it again
at the 2014 Annual Meeting reminded him to
revisit his top 20. So he made a note, posted it
on his bulletin board, and went back to the well
that got him on track in the first place.
Make sure you get to the meetings, Murphy
said. RTT
SALES IDEAS/STRATEGIE
The 12 Ps
Follow these steps to boost
By Bruce W. Etherington, CLU,
4. Preview
your performance.
CH.F.C.
uring the course of my career,

Ive developed 12
principles of business I believe
everyone should
know. Follow these to achieve
greater success in
business and in life.
1. Prospects
To raise the bar on the quality

of your prospects, you
must have a focused process,
which includes prospecting
your new clients and existing
clients on a regular basis.
In fact, the prospecting method
that has served me well
for the past 48 years is a
review of my top 20 clients
on an
annual basis.
2. Process
To be effective with our

time, we must have a process
that eliminates inefficiencie
s and keeps us on track with
regard to what to do and
when to do it.
Once my company has obtained
a referral, we send
the prospect a letter with
a copy of the letter to our
client.
We then allow the prospect
to marinate for a while in
the
knowledge that we will be
calling. What this does is
allow
your client to make contact
with your prospect and say
a few good words about you.
The prospect will, in many
cases, call the client and ask
why she or he has referred
us.
We then follow through
with a direct call to the client
that is simple and focused
and keeps us on track. This
is a process that allows me
to efficiently and effectively
make telephone calls and
put new appointments on
my
calendar.
3. Preparation
Visualize what is going to

happen with your upcoming
meeting, and prepare for
it. Prepare not only verbally
in terms of what you are
going to say, but also prepare
psychologically for what,
in fact, the prospect is going
to say. The prospect is going
to ask questions, is going
to ask for reassurance, is
going to ask you to account
for
certain things that you are
saying during the course
of the
presentation. Preparation
for both offense and defense
is
extremely important.
36
ROUNDTHETABLE.ORG
JULY/AUGUST 2014
SALLY ELFORD/IKON IMAGES/CORBIS
To read all of Bruce Etheringtons tips for improving

performance, check out The
12 Ps in the July/August
2014 issue of Round the Table.
These were developed by
Etherington throughout the
course of his career, leading
him to 37 Top of the Table
qualifications.
Murphy with his two children, Jacob and Savannah.
In fact, we have several cases

When we go into an automobile
in 10. Path
progress today, each of which
dealers showroom, we are
has
The path to MDRT and
there
to qualibeen ongoing for more than
to see the best examples
five
fying for Top of the Table
of their
and
years that I believe will eventually
productivity and manufactur
beyond is clearly defined
ing
and will
lead to a sale. Persistence
there
capabilities at that time.
be revealed to you one step
is no substitute.
at a
Our preview is exactly that.
time. It took me three years
of
We say this is a preview
taking the stairs to qualify
of what
7. Passion
for
we do and how we do it.
MDRT the first time in
And if
1969.
Without passion, you are
If
either
you like this particular example,
it werent for my friend
George
average or dead. With it
comes
then we will take a step
R. Merchant, a 49-year
back and
MDRT
greatness; without it comes,
design one with everything
at
member
from
Sarnia, Ontario,
you
best, mediocrity. My father,
like or want that will fit
Joe,
Canada, who encouraged
and be
me
who was a 40-year icon and
properly integrated into
sales
to get on the MDRT path
your
with
manager in the life insurance
overall financial portfolio.
busi- a simple sales idea,
But
I may never
ness, told me that for the
prospect
only if you like the sample.
have qualified for and been
Beto become lukewarm about
excause if you dont like the
an
posed to the worlds greatest
sample, idea, the salesperson
sales
had to be
if it doesnt whet your appetite,
organization.
red hot. We fuel the flame
with
then lets not waste our
time in
passion. What are you passionate
pursuing something that
11. Priorities
wont go about in our
profession?
anywhere.
List your priorities daily,
weekly,
Were showing prospects
monthly,
quarterly
what
and annually.
8. Prosperity
we do, and a little bit about
By focusing daily and weekly
how
Find a product or service
on
that can
we do it.
your most important goals,
add the prosperity factor
your
to your
priorities will become part
clients lives, and then passionately
of
5. Patience
your DNA. By focusing
on our
proclaim it to the people
you see
The major objective in dealpriorities, we are effective
with
in accordance with their
goals,
ing with our clients is to
our prospects; enhance,
build
create and
objectives and finances.
a trusting relationship, which
refine our process; and regularly
does not happen overnight.
prepare for our meetings
It
with an
9. Professional
happens only with time,
effective preview.
where
Be a pro and let it show.
Let it
the confidence factor outweighs
show in your dress and your
the uncertainty of where
12. Personal faith
they
shoes, in your pressed shirt,
should place their trust.
your
This is an important P
And
for me,
crisp tie, your polished briefcase,
once the trust factor is in
as
it has helped me to overcome
place,
in your prepared showroom,
then we are quite capable
your
many storms in my life.
of putMDRT
clean and efficient office,
and the
ting wisdom and knowledge
advocates the Whole Person
on
setup your prospects see
conwhen
the table and helping others
cept, of which one of the
help
seven
they enter your boardroom
others. Be patient, because
or
pillars is spiritual.
it will
office.
certainly separate you from
Baseball Hall of Fame player
most
These
are
all
professional
of the clan.
Ernie Banks once stood
on
putts little things that
add up
MDRTs Main Platform
and said,
to a winning round and
make you
6. Persistence
Life is like a baseball diamond:
look like a pro. Be a professional
There is no substitute for
First base is the physical,
persissecond
resource for your clients.
Enhance base is the social,
tence. Over the years, I have
third-base is
found their education
and knowledge
that the best cases usually
the mental and home plate
require
about what you do and how
is the
the best efforts on my part
you
spiritual. If you want to get
and a
do it, and do it in a friendly,
safely
great deal of persistence.
prohome, you have got to have
fessional manner.
a spiritual dimension to your life.
n
JULY/AUGUST 2014
ROUNDTHETABLE.ORG
CONTACT:
Matthew Murphy
matthew@
mylifefinancialgroup.com
37
MARCH/APRIL 2015
PEOPLE
The drive for compliance
and success
How the rules of the road can guide your career ethics.
BY SCOTT S. PATERICK, CLU, CHFC
he relationship between humans and automobiles is long-standing. We remember our first car, the process of getting
a license, great trips and any fender benders.
This relationship has some parallels within our
career in financial services. We remember our
first client, the process of obtaining licenses and
credentials, significant sales and any glitches
along the way.
The parallels run deeper, too, when we consider the privileges and responsibilities that come
with operating a car and pursuing our profession.
Driving opens up the opportunity to journey to
new places, while serving as a financial advisor
allows us to help others reach their destinations.
If we stray from responsible driving practices,
law enforcement stands ready to ticket us. If we
deviate from adherence to ethical standards and
legal obligations in our professional lives, there
are regulatory bodies designated to address this.
We all desire a clean driving record borne of a
34
commitment to safety and a perfect compliance

record borne of a heartfelt commitment to our
clients.
To take these parallels even further, five phrases of advice ones actually given by driving instructors relate closely to our ethical attitudes
and actions as financial advisors.
1. Look far down the road. These words identify
an essential practice of safe driving. Looking well

down the road does not inhibit quick reaction to
situations immediately in front of us; our brains
and reflexes process these things quickly. But paying attention only to what is right before us blocks
our ability to anticipate potential problems or
needed responses down the road. The relationship
built with clients requires a similar kind of vision.
We are in the relationship for the long haul, so attention should not be fixed on the immediate sale
or the hot new product, but rather on the clients
stated goals and future well-being.
2. Develop good driving habits. Good driving habits
begin when we enter a vehicle: buckle up, adjust

the mirrors, check the lights and gauges. When we
do these things without fail, we hit the road in as
safe a manner as possible. Our professional habits
of safety and compliance should also draw us to
establish routines and do things consistently. Then,
if ever questioned, we can say with confidence, this
is what we always do in this situation, and we have
client files to document the routine.
Roadways have their dangers. Similarly, a litigious environment presents us with perils along
the course of our professional lives. The very best
way to move ahead safely is to document everything, whether in paper files or secure electronic
format. Routine. Documentation. These can seem
tedious at times, but they are absolute necessities.
3. Know your vehicle. As we get familiar with
a car something that occurs over time we

become familiar with how it handles under
duress, the way it sounds at peak performance,
its idiosyncrasies and limitations. Our attention
to getting to know our vehicle helps us care for it
wisely and get the maximum from its potential.
As financial professionals, we need to know our
clients very well. The same kind of inquiry process
that creates a wise automotive consumer should
be the norm in approaching/assessing a new
client. The needs, hopes, fears and ultimate goals
of every single client are things each of us should
know and all of what we know is absolutely
privileged information. As professionals, we need
to adopt the code of confidentiality practiced by
automotive racing teams at no time do we ever
disclose information about the makeup, handling,
quirks or potential of a car or a client.
4. Never drive impaired or distracted. Legally,
operating a car while intoxicated runs the risk of

punishment, often severe. Morally, such behavior
crosses an ethical boundary by putting others at
risk. In our industry, a relationship with a client
is deemed impaired if there is any commingling
of funds or if products have been misrepresented. Either action invites legal consequences and
regulatory reprimand.
Distracted driving texting or chatting on the
phone may seem less dangerous. Studies show

it is not, and neuroscientists tell us our brains
cannot pay full attention to two things at once. In
our profession, distractions can endanger the life
of a client-provider relationship. Serving our clients, in every contact and every context, demands
full attention and singular focus. Distractions can
be avoided by having a plan and practicing strict
order, from having a checklist of documents to
maintaining a thoroughly organized office.
5. Learn all laws, signage and rules of the road, and
never assume you cant become a better driver.
When we drive a car, it is vital for us to know

such things as which side of the road to drive on,
whether the speed is posted in miles or kilometers, and what a flashing yellow light means.
Laws and signage vary from state to state and
nation to nation, so we must know which ones
apply where we are driving. Within our industry,
we need to develop a thorough familiarity with
all pertinent laws and regulations in the areas we
service. Just as holding a drivers license requires
us to know a certain body of data, holding professional licenses/certifications in our industry
requires thorough and up-to-date knowledge of
its own significant body of data. The privilege of
driving holds us to a standard of responsibility, as
does the privilege of serving our clients.
We can always become better drivers. From
every experience on the road, we can learn how to
anticipate problems, how to best control our vehicle and how to use new automotive technologies.
We can also always become better service providers. Experience informs us, but we must also
be proactive in taking advantage of educational
opportunities to learn in depth how the industry,
the many companies and the products work.
A closing note: This article contains references
to many of the principles, tenets and requirements
contained within the MDRT Code of Ethics. It
is well worth reviewing the Code, on mdrt.org,
as an essential part of our drive to achieve full
compliance and ongoing success within our
profession. RTT
Driving opens
up the opportunity to journey
to new places,
while serving
as a financial
advisor allows
us to help others
reach their
destinations.
Members of the Bylaws and Ethics Committee contributed

to this article.
MARCH/APRIL 2015
PEOPLE
Engel partners with a young advisor

to ease into retirement.
BY ELIZABETH FUHRMAN
36
AGE FOTOSTOCK/HUAN TRAN
Planning
whats next
onald L. Engel, CLU, ChFC, had seen

highly regarded, but older, financial
advisors struggle to continue caring
for clients. Engel knew he didnt want to get
to the point where his age or health kept him
from providing his clients with the best possible
service.
In our industry, most of the people who have
my business-type model sole practitioner,
writing 100 lives a year didnt normally bring
on anyone when they retired, said Engel, of St.
Helena, California. They just service their business until they die. Its a huge issue because no
one wants to give up their income, or feel that
someone else can do their job better than they
can. Its hard.
Engel decided he wanted to be young enough
to enjoy retirement, but the 35-year MDRT
member, eight-time Top of the Table qualifier
and two-time top producer for Principal Financial Group was working 70-plus hours a week.
For most of his career, he had operated with
one administrative assistant. His practice was
90 percent life and disability insurance and
5 percent investment-type products. He practiced
in San Jose and two hours away in St. Helena.
It was obvious to Engel his current workload
was too much. He tried working with a friend
and partnering with other people in his office,
but those relationships didnt work out. About
the same time, Engels company, Principal
Financial Group, appointed someone who could
assist with putting together his succession plan.
Engels idea for his succession plan was seeing
if he could work with someone prior to entering
into a formal agreement. As luck would have it,
in 2007, Kyle Tatro, a then 25-year-old financial advisor, began at Principal with a focus in
investment and retirement planning. Tatros
office was next to Engels and, over the course of
Tatros first year, Engel was able to observe his
work ethic. Then Engel had one of his largest
clients call him about bonds, a topic he knew
very little about. He knew Tatro did, and approached him about doing a joint case.
The client loved Tatro, and in October 2008
Engel and Tatro started working together on
variable-type business, such as variable annu-
ities, mutual funds and managed money. The

two benefited from Engels expertise in insurance and Tatros experience in money management, equities, retirement planning and longterm care.
We started going together on sales calls
where either my clients were getting ready to retire, or where the issue of retirement planning or
long-term care came up, Engel said. The whole
idea was we would do joint work, and it would
grow the practice. He had the expertise, even
though he is significantly younger than me, to
do exactly what my clients needed because the
industry went from life and disability insurance
to financial services.
The success rate we were having was 99.9
percent, Tatro added. It was just terrific from
both ends. I was young and didnt have a lot of
people to go out and see. He had more clients
than he could ever go see and try to keep up
with. I got really lucky with Ron. He had great
respect for his clients. They trust him, and that
trust really just transferred over to me.
In addition to bringing in new business from
existing clients, they also handled 50 to 100 new
clients a year on the insurance side. It became
obvious to Engel that Tatro should be his successor. At the end of 2010, the two signed a succession agreement that would start January 1, 2012,
which was when Engel also signed a retired
agents contract with Principal.
Engel and Tatro began preparing for the
transition through personal introductions to all
of Engels A and B-plus clients, which were also
those most apt to need Tatros services. When
the succession plan began, Engel also sent out a
letter to all of his clients that Tatro was the new
junior associate in his practice.
Though the two originally signed a five-year
succession plan, they decided to make it a
six-year plan after encountering staffing difficulties in the first year. Engel did not maintain
an administrative assistant, and Tatro became
responsible for all staff. Engel could now oversee
the business and give advice. The two benefit
equally on servicing all life and disability clients,
and have arrangements set for equity sales.
A succession plan has to serve the needs of
the clients, the company, the successor advisor and the retiring advisor, Engel said. The
successor has to be prepared and knowledgeable
enough to step into long-term client/advisor
relationships, as well as help when needed in
sales situations.
But they also have to make payments to you.
If they cant write the business, where is the
income going to come from? Well, the way I did
it was Im doing joint work, and I go on a case
for a certain percentage, Engel said. I knew
that for a successful succession I would need to
be very involved, and wanted both Kyle and me
to be fairly compensated if the succession plan
was successful.
Engel also knew that he needed to train
Tatro in some areas to transfer the relationship.
Transferring the relationship is the key to a
successful succession plan, Engel said.
While the two enjoy working together and the
transition is going well, it has not been without
its challenges. With a young family at home,
Tatro couldnt work the 70-plus hours Engel
did. They also differ in business operating styles,
with Tatro incorporating more technology and
working on moving the business to a paperless
model.
As of last year, Tatro or his administrative
assistant handle all phone calls and then determine whether he or Engel should return the
call. Engel also transferred all but 1 percent of
his business into Tatros name to help maximize
contracts.
In turn, Engel has gone from working approximately 60 hours a week at the beginning of the
succession plan to around 40 hours per week
last year. This year, his plan is to go down to 30
hours a week. Engel plans to travel, keep himself
out of the office and do less micromanaging.
Tatro, though, plans to keep Engel involved in
the business in some way.
My hope for the transition and the succession
plan is that I can always utilize Ron as a tool in
the future, and I think that will always be there,
Tatro said. Hes a great mentor, and I learn from
him every time I sit down with him. RTT
The whole
idea was we
would do joint
work, and it
would grow
the practice.
MDRT PODCAST
For more information on succession
planning, visit mdrt.org/
podcast. Episode two on
succession planning is
now available.
Elizabeth Fuhrman is a freelance writer and editor.

MARCH/APRIL 2015
MDRT STORE
Focused on Your Success
Visit mdrtstore.org to find your next great idea.
Shop educational
products and
Books
Meeting Presentations
Insignia Collection
Multimedia
Member Plaques
Video Club
MDRT branded
merchandise online.
QA
&
In MDRT, if we
grow because
of someone,
we move
forward to help
someone else
grow as well.
PEOPLE
Glenda Miro Antonio

Location: Cebu City, Philippines
Membership stats: 6-year MDRT member
MDRT involvement: Pre- and Post-Retirement Committee
How do you describe your practice?

I do comprehensive financial planning services
with a focus on leading people and organizations
to attain ultimate financial sustainability. I am
also involved with philanthropic consulting for
donors and benefactors through the creation of
charitable planning programs. This allows them
to sustain their giving to chosen charities. It has
also extended my service to faith-based organizations and church groups in coaching them to be
ready to receive donations and develop initiatives
for their mission.
What is your best marketing tip?
Keep sincere and genuine service as the core
value of your profession. It is essential to connect
with the niche market attracted to the passion of
what you do.
What do you find most fascinating about
our profession?
Believing what we do provides a better life for
the people and organizations entrusted in our
care fuels our passion to do more. What we do
becomes a solution for the very moment when
everything else stops. It fascinates me that, aside
from a career, this is a very noble calling to serve
and impact humanity.
How do you stay motivated month to month?
I always bear in mind that motivation has to
come from within. What keeps me motivated is
that, for me, this work is a calling to serve. I have
been blessed with clients referred one after the
other, and I cannot help but stay motivated to
be there for them when they need me to prepare their future. I find it an honor to be in this
profession.
What is the main benefit of attending

an MDRT meeting?
Attending an MDRT meeting always makes
me renew and refresh everything I had
been doing professionally. The impact and
inspiration of connecting to the right people
attending the meeting can only be described
when you are physically there. That sense of
connectedness, the opportunity to meet fellow
MDRT members, the chance to share innovations and ideas to keep us moving forward,
and that acknowledgment that every success is
truly possible is not just wishful thinking.
In MDRT, if we grow because of someone,
we move forward to help someone else grow
as well.
What tips would you give to new advisors?
Stay focused and invest in learning for professional growth. This will further enhance ones
profession. Aim for excellence, and make it to the
MDRT Annual Meeting year after year. Develop
ones niche market the type of clientele who
can truly benefit and align with the passion of
what you do.
What are your interests outside of business?
I have an interest in music, and I direct and organize stage productions for a local charity.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself staying very connected with my
husband and daughter, as well as maintaining my
professional service to more clients who entrust
their future to me. I also will continue to be involved with MDRT. RTT
Contact Glenda Antonio at glendaantonio@yahoo.com.
MARCH/APRIL 2015
STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE

One of my existing clients referred me to a high-net-worth
construction company owner, whose accountant was against
insurance. I had eight meetings with this accountant and made
every effort to explain insurance by quoting him examples and
explaining human life value. Every time, he calculated returns in
Excel and ignored the proposal.
Talking to his accountant was a waste of time and energy, so I
contacted the owner directly and informed him that I would like to
meet him personally. I knew the owner genuinely required insurance, as he had raised loans for completing projects. The owner
agreed to a 10-minute meeting with both me and his accountant. I
thought, if I do something creative, this meeting will be fruitful.
On the day of the meeting, I casually started talking with
them and asked one question: Sir, which car do you drive?
The owner replied, I drive a Mercedes-Benz. I asked the
accountant the same question and he replied, I drive a Ford
Fiesta because it gets good mileage and has good resale
value. I then questioned the owner about his more luxurious
choices. After the owner defended his decisions, I gently told
him, Sir, insurance is not a luxury product like your Mercedes.
It is an essential product and a decision you should make
yourself. He agreed and instructed his accountant to deliver
me a check. Though he was skeptical at first, eventually that
accountant also became a good client.
Nikhil Jitendra Anandpara, Mumbai, India, 12-year member
If youre not in a place to have a

staff, dont overextend. Attach to a
general agent, and take advantage
of their staff for free.
David M. Ethell, LUTCF
Camarillo, California, 13-year member
40
SPECIAL TOUCH
When clients or prospective clients come to your office,
reserve a parking space with their name on it. If they have
a child or grandchild, have a trophy made with a baby on
it noting the date of birth, height, weight and name.
Anthony G. Engrassia, LUTCF, ChFC
Battleboro, North Carolina, 19-year member
YOUR HOBBIES
Golf has historically been a great place to meet
new prospects and to spend time networking with
existing clients. But not everyone enjoys golf, and
it is easy to spot an agent who is faking it just to
prospect for new clients. Instead of faking it, use
hobbies you enjoy to create more meaningful relationships with potential clients. It can be running,
fishing, shooting guns, wine tasting, etc.
Matthew T. Hoesly, CFP, ChFC
Norfolk, Virginia, 6-year member
inside
MDRT
2016 MDRT requirements 43 | Annual Meeting update 46

MDRT Foundation 50 | Results of Cost of Doing Business survey 52
WHAT DO YOU DO?
SADDLE UP
35% of respondents
identified their practice
as providing full financial
planning in 2013.
Only 24% did in 2010.
During the Depression,

one Wyoming
MDRT member
rode 80 miles roundtrip on horseback
to sell a $2,000 policy.
MDRTs 2013 Cost of

Doing Business Survey
GLOBAL MEMBERS
SUCCESSFUL WOMEN
MDRT welcomed its first
U.S. female MDRT

mentors increased
commissions by
17.2% from 2013
to 2014.
members from outside the

U.S. in the 1930s, including
three members from Japan

and one from South Africa.
MARCH/APRIL 2015
MDRT STORE
Insignia Collection
As a member you can display your commitment to
excellence with the MDRT logo. The Insignia Collection
offers one-of-a-kind branded merchandise to
commemorate your membership in style.
Visit mdrtstore.org to view the complete collection.
42
INSIDE MDRT
Developing
production requirements
MDRT creates a formula that takes volatility out of numbers for 2016.
BY JUDY XANTHOPOULOS, PH.D.
eeting MDRTs production requirements is a

goal that, once reached,
members want to continue reaching.
But sometimes external factors, such as
market volatility and lack of demand for life
insurance within a specific country, can hamper even the most determined members efforts.
To make sure production numbers take
individual country activity into account, MDRT
began reviewing the methods used to establish
production requirements in January 2014. After
careful consideration, the Executive Committee
recently adopted a formula that blends information from a variety of sources.
One of the data sources is the respected,
third-party calculations provided by the World
Banks Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). These
values are implemented with moving averages
to reduce volatility and supplemented with
data from the United Nations to capture each
nations development level.
One of the main goals of MDRTs analysis was
to evaluate the existing methods for creating
production numbers, which relied on annual
updates to the PPP calculations to establish
membership requirements. One problem the
study found was that using only PPP could
introduce substantial volatility in the annual
production requirements, impacting the ability
of current members to continue qualifying.
Therefore, the focus became identifying a system that provides periodic updates yet minimizes volatility.
A thorough investigation identified a few

alternative sources of comprehensive data,
including the International Monetary Funds
Consumer Price Index and measures from the
Organization of Economic Cooperation and
Development. After considering data availability and the timeliness of updates to the data,
the PPP measures were determined to be the
most robust, comprehensive and timely data
source as the foundation for the production
requirements. Implementing the PPP updates
with a simple moving average would capture the
breadth of the data, while minimizing volatility.
The second goal was to determine if there >>
MARCH/APRIL 2015
INSIDEMDRT
MDRT
INSIDE
was another system that might improve, enhance

or enrich the information used in the current system. This meant addressing past questions and
concerns regarding differences in each countrys
life insurance market (including variability in
the product offerings, social and cultural differences in the demand for life insurance, as well
as market differences between developed and
developing economies). After evaluating the PPP
measures, it was time to consider if there were
other parameters that might address these market-based differences.
The committee considered insurance data
available on a country-by-country basis, but
found insufficient country coverage and availability. Ultimately, the research led to analysis of
the Human Development Index (HDI), which is
developed and produced by the United Nations.
The HDI measures development by combining
indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment and income into a composite index. The
single statistic serves as a frame of reference for
both social and economic development. The HDI
has also been shown to be a good proxy for life
insurance market characteristics.
Together, the HDI and the PPP moving averages have the effect of smoothing the year-to-year
volatility, as well as market differences.
Last, consideration was given regarding unusual circumstances in which the requirements
might still increase dramatically, despite the mitigating effects of the PPP moving averages and the
HDI parameter. To address these rare instances,
the new methodology employs a formula for limiting annual increases, referred to colloquially as
guardrails. Because the U.S. requirement serves
as the basis for establishing relatively equivalent
requirements for other countries, adjustments to
the requirements will not exceed two times the
Consumer Price Index for the U.S.
This extensive and thorough process provides
MDRT with a new methodology for establishing
requirements for 2016 that better reflect production and track changes in economic performance
and developmental circumstances in each country, while maintaining uniform requirements to
enable members to qualify on a more consistent
basis. RTT
44
COUNTRY
COMMISSION
PREMIUM
INCOME
ANGOLA
82,800
165,600
142,200
ANGUILLA
46,900
93,800
80,600
ANTIGUA
133,600
267,200
229,700
ARGENTINA
201,000
402,000
345,800
ARMENIA
13,533,200
27,066,400
23,277,100
ARUBA
86,400
172,800
148,600
AUSTRALIA
132,300
264,600
227,600
AZERBAIJAN
38,500
77,000
66,200
BAHAMAS
72,500
145,000
124,700
BAHRAIN
25,500
51,000
43,900
2,354,600
2,025,400
1,177,300
113,400
226,800
195,000
69,942,200
139,884,400
120,300,500
BELGIUM
82,700
165,400
142,200
BELIZE
86,200
172,400
148,300
BERMUDA
131,100
262,200
225,500
BOLIVIA
266,800
533,600
458,900
47,100
94,200
81,000
BOTSWANA
230,000
460,000
395,600
BRAZIL
142,500
427,500
245,100
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
92,000
184,000
158,200
BRUNEI
54,100
162,300
93,000
BULGARIA
55,200
110,400
94,900
CAMBODIA
BANGLADESH
BARBADOS
BELARUS
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
67,738,000
270,952,000
116,509,300
CANADA
116,100
232,200
199,700
CAYMAN ISLANDS
59,200
118,400
101,800
CHANNEL ISLANDS
56,000
112,000
96,300
28,786,800
57,573,600
49,513,300
COLOMBIA
76,214,100
152,428,200
131,088,200
COSTA RICA
19,430,500
38,861,000
33,420,500
CROATIA
349,600
699,200
601,300
CURACAO
65,500
131,000
112,500
CHILE
CYPRUS
36,600
73,200
63,100
1,276,100
2,552,200
2,194,900
115,900
231,800
199,300
1,162,200
2,324,400
1,998,900
ECUADOR
40,600
81,200
69,800
EGYPT
147,200
441,600
253,200
EL SALVADOR
42,200
84,400
72,600
642,000
1,284,000
1,104,400
FIJI ISLANDS
68,800
137,600
118,300
FRANCE
82,800
165,600
142,400
GEORGIA
64,400
128,800
110,800
CZECH REPUBLIC
DOMINICA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
ESTONIA
COUNTRY
COMMISSION
PREMIUM
INCOME
COUNTRY
COMMISSION
PREMIUM
INCOME
GERMANY
82,800
165,600
142,400
PANAMA
55,000
110,000
94,600
GHANA
140,046,000
280,092,000
240,879,100
PERU
138,000
276,000
237,400
GREECE
59,300
118,600
102,000
PHILIPPINES
1,177,600
2,355,200
2,025,500
GRENADA
162,400
324,800
279,300
POLAND
165,000
330,000
283,800
GUATEMALA
377,200
754,400
648,800
PORTUGAL
64,400
193,200
110,800
3,996,200
7,992,400
6,873,500
QATAR
228,700
457,400
393,400
HONDURAS
616,400
1,232,800
1,060,200
REPUBLIC OF KOREA
73,029,600
182,574,000
125,610,900
HONG KONG SAR
552,000
2,208,000
949,400
124,500
249,000
214,100
11,095,200
22,190,400
19,803,700
1,143,000
2,857,500
1,966,000
GUYANA
HUNGARY
INDIA
845,300
3,381,200
1,453,900
271,740,400
543,480,800
467,393,500
IRELAND
82,800
165,600
142,400
ISLE OF MAN
56,000
112,000
ISRAEL
308,000
ITALY
73,500
JAMAICA WEST INDIES

JAPAN
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
266,800
533,600
458,900
2,612,500
5,225,000
4,493,500
SINGAPORE
128,500
385,500
221,000
96,300
SLOVAKIA
56,400
112,800
97,000
616,000
529,700
SLOVENIA
147,000
126,400
SOUTH AFRICA
3,994,500
7,989,000
6,870,600
12,069,700
36,209,100
20,759,900
27,600
55,200
47,500
KAZAKHSTAN
4,744,800
9,489,600
8,161,100
KENYA
3,293,600
6,587,200
5,665,000
KUWAIT
27,500
55,000
LATVIA
27,600
124,614,000
INDONESIA
JORDAN
LEBANON
SAUDI ARABIA
SERBIA
71,400
142,800
122,800
259,300
518,600
446,000
73,600
147,200
126,600
2,401,800
4,803,600
4,131,100
ST. KITTS AND NEVIS
124,500
249,000
214,000
ST. LUCIA
165,100
330,200
284,000
ST. MAARTEN
65,500
131,000
112,500
47,300
ST. VINCENT
165,100
330,200
284,000
55,200
47,500
SURINAME
18,919,300
37,838,600
32,541,300
249,228,000
214,336,100
883,200
1,766,400
1,519,100
SPAIN
SRI LANKA
SWEDEN
LITHUANIA
128,800
257,600
221,500
SWITZERLAND
165,600
331,200
284,800
LUXEMBOURG
94,800
189,600
163,100
TAIWAN R.O.C.
1,930,100
3,860,200
3,319,800
429,200
1,716,800
738,200
THAILAND
1,186,800
2,373,600
2,041,300
1,803,200
3,606,400
3,101,500
TONGA
104,900
209,800
180,400
161,300
483,900
277,400
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
421,100
842,200
724,300
MACAU
MACEDONIA
MALAYSIA
MALTA
MAURITIUS
MEXICO
MONTENEGRO
22,900
45,800
39,400
TURKEY
70,300
140,600
120,900
1,039,600
2,079,200
1,788,100
TURKS AND CAICOS
26,500
53,000
45,600
688,400
1,376,800
1,184,000
UKRAINE
105,700
211,400
181,800
4,500
9,000
7,700
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
313,700
627,400
539,600
MONTSERRAT
57,500
115,000
98,900
UNITED KINGDOM
56,900
113,800
97,800
MOZAMBIQUE
502,100
1,004,200
863,800
UNITED STATES
93,000
186,000
160,000
NAMIBIA
259,300
518,600
446,000
URUGUAY
1,133,400
2,266,800
1,949,400
1,214,400
3,643,200
2,088,800
121,725,200
243,450,400
209,367,300
82,800
165,600
142,400
VIETNAM
306,858,800
613,717,600
527,797,200
ZAMBIA
NEPAL
NETHERLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
146,900
293,800
252,700
NIGERIA
5,667,200
11,334,400
9,747,600
NORWAY
883,200
1,766,400
1,519,100
18,400
36,800
31,600
P.R. CHINA
182,700
548,100
314,200
PAKISTAN
1,516,700
3,033,400
2,608,700
OMAN
VENEZUELA
ZIMBABWE
127,700
255,400
219,600
1,508,800
3,017,600
2,595,100
MARCH/APRIL 2015
INSIDE MDRT
Refreshed and
recharged
MDRT Annual Meeting promises more ideas,

more connections and more takeaways.
BY LIZ DECARLO
FOR MORE
INFORMATION
In addition
to member quick
hit presentations,
the ConneXion Zone
offers several new
opportunities for
attendee engagement. Watch for more
details in the May/
June issue and at
mdrt.org/2015am.
46
he MDRT Annual Meeting, in New

Orleans, Louisiana, June 1417, is about
much more than listening to speakers.
Its a chance to learn, network and share ideas.
Giving attendees the time and the right environment to absorb all the meeting has to offer is
part of the reason this years meeting has been
revamped.
Year after year, our members who attend
the meeting say they want more takeaways. We
have programmed this meeting for them, said
2015 Program Development Committee (PDC)
Divisional Vice President Steven A. Plewes,
CLU, ChFC, a 28-year MDRT member from
Bethesda, Maryland. There is more white
space time for one-on-one networking, more
deeper dive sessions for those wanting a deeper
understanding, and more opportunities to hear
directly from our top producers how they do
what they do in quick hit presentations. All of
these elements will run through Main Platform,
MDRT Speaks, Focus Sessions, Special Sessions
and the ConneXion Zone.
This years attendees will find the meetings
new format a refreshing change. The PDC team
has worked hard to deliver content in formats
other than the traditional sit and listen sessions
of the past, Plewes said. And while we have
created new delivery methods for the content,
members will still experience a powerful Monday Main Platform, a unique and new MDRT
Speaks experience, a takeaway Tuesday, new

Cornerstone Presentations and a blockbuster
ending on Wednesdays Main Platform.
The meeting also will give attendees the
chance to learn new sales ideas to bring back to
their business.
Surveys from previous meetings brought
to the forefront that our members want cutting-edge sales ideas, along with ways to help
them build stronger, more successful businesses, said Heather M. Courneya, CLU, CH.F.C.,
Main Platform/Special Sessions Committee
Chair and 16-year MDRT member from Toronto,
Ontario, Canada. What better way to bring that
to them than through other members? Now we
have MDRT Speaks on Monday afternoon that
will be a new format fast-paced and jammed
with ideas delivered by professional speakers, as
well as MDRT members.
Members also said they wanted more on technology, practice management, sales strategies
and Whole Person concepts, so those will be
the focus of the Cornerstone Presentations on
Wednesday morning, Courneya said.

Members coming to the meeting to be energized and recharged with motivational stories
wont be disappointed either.
We know you depend on us, and we have
tried our best to give you the opportunity to
experience our MDRT meeting in a new and
exciting way, Courneya said. Monday morning promises to show you just what we have in
store for you. Wednesday afternoon will bring
it all together. We are looking forward to New
Orleans!
Speaker highlights
The world is flat. Or so says

author and New York Times
columnist Tom Friedman.
Friedman, who will talk
about globalization and the
effect of information technology, says the world today has
produced a global, Web-enabled playing field
that allows for multiple forms of collaboration
without regard to geography or distance or

soon, even language.
As one of the worlds
leading experts on the connection between happiness
and success, Shawn Achor
will explain how happiness
leads to productivity. Achor
is the author of the international bestseller The Happiness Advantage:
How Positive Brains Raise Performance. In
2012, his research on happiness made the
cover of Harvard Business Review. Achor is
currently collaborating with Yale University
on researching the link between happiness and
performance.
Carmine Gallo is the
communications coach for
some of the worlds most
well-known brands. He is
also a former CBS and CNN
business correspondent, and
a popular and inspirational
keynote speaker whose customized multimedia presentations are a hit with audiences
around the world. Gallo is a regular columnist
for Forbes.com, where he writes about success,
leadership and communications. Gallo has also
written six internationally best-selling and
award-winning books.
Mark Sanborn tackles the
topics of leadership, change,
teamwork and customer service. Sanborn is the president
of Sanborn & Associates Inc.,
an idea lab for leadership
development. His book, The
Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and
Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary, is an international bestseller. His speech
will be based on his latest book, Fred 2.0: New
Ideas on How to Keep Delivering Extraordinary
Results.
You really want to be productive, but
so many things keep you from doing what
you know you should be doing. In a funny,
high-energy program called Attack of the
Productivity Suckers and How to Fight Back! >>
MARCH/APRIL 2015
INSIDE MDRT
Laura Stack reviews the

four main things that suck
the productivity right out
of you. Youll discover your
biggest productivity sucker
and take away some practical tools to defend yourself.
Stack is widely regarded as one of the leading
experts in the field of human performance and
workplace issues.
In The Power of Storytelling, Ty Bennett teaches
the art of storytelling as a key
communication and sales
strategy. He provides attendees with the mindset and skill
set to sell effectively through
storytelling. When Bennett was 21 years old, he
and his brother Scott started a business in direct
sales, which they built to more than $20 million
in annual revenue while still in their 20s.
What are the best practices of high-performing salespeople? Norm Trainor, founder,
president and CEO of The

Covenant Group, draws on
his decades of experience in
developing educational and
coaching programs in this
presentation. He has penned
several best-selling books on
how to improve sales, become more valuable
to clients, boost productivity and, ultimately,
achieve success.
Court of the Table and
Top of the Table members can learn more about
Freakonomics, the rogue
way of looking at economics,
co-written by speaker
Stephen J. Dubner. Dubner
is an award-winning author, journalist, and
radio and TV personality. He is best-known as
co-author of the books Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics and Think Like a Freak. They
have sold more than 7 million copies in more
than 40 countries. RTT
MDRT LOOKING FOR ANNUAL MEETING PGA VOLUNTEERS

One of the best ways to start
meeting other MDRT members
is through volunteering for the
Program General Arrangements
Committee (PGA) at the Annual
Meeting. Hundreds of volunteers
are needed to help with everything from registering attendees
to being a roadie for MDRTs
performing member bands.
Aurora L. Tancock, FMLI,
CFP, a 14-year member from
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, remembers her first MDRT
Annual Meeting. I attended on
my own and in a sea of over
7,500 people, I felt very lonely
as I didnt belong to any one
group, said Tancock, who is
now the Annual Meeting PGA
48
Divisional Vice President. PGA

gave me the opportunity to
meet and get to know members from all over the world
and, at the same time, gave me
a sense of belonging. MDRT is
a global family, and I consider
PGA to be the smaller family
unit within that global village.
How to volunteer. Becoming
a PGA volunteer is easy you
can sign up when registering
for the Annual Meeting. At the
end of the registration process,
there is a question about volunteering. When you answer yes,
a prepopulated form pops up
that allows you to select up to
two PGA task forces where you
would be interested in lend-
ing a hand. If youve already

registered but didnt volunteer,
go to mdrt.org/pga to fill out
a volunteer form. You dont
need any experience to be a
PGA volunteer, although MDRT
especially needs bilingual volunteers at the meeting.
Volunteer training. Volunteers arrive early to participate in the PGA orientation
Saturday, June 13, at 4:30 p.m.
From there, they are given
their assignment and instructions. Volunteer opportunities
include cheering for members
attending the First Time Experience, directing attendees to
the different sessions and selling items at the MDRT Store.
Leadership roles. Volunteering for PGA is considered a path

to MDRT leadership. Volunteers who demonstrate strong,
reliable skills may be given additional leadership responsibilities
in PGA and move into other
MDRT committee roles.
Global friendships. PGA
volunteers also get the chance
to know members from around
the globe. Serving alongside
them has provided an environment where I have not only
learned sales and business
practice techniques, but the
different roles that I have held
in PGA have allowed me to
grow as a person and as a
leader, Tancock said.
DO YOUR CLIENTS KNOW YOU ARE

A CHARITABLE GIVING RESOURCE?
The Global Gift Fund Works
$14,721,380
2014 Results
2x
$2.66M
Total assets
in Contributions
Total Assets have Doubled since 2010
$104K
550
Grants Awarded
Totaling
$1.89M
Grants to U.S. Charities
Average Account Size
Get Started Today

* Purchase a new life insurance policy
* Transfer an existing life insurance policy
* Plus many other additional funding options
You Manage the Assets and Watch it Grow!

Visit our website at www.globalgiftfund.org or call us at (866) 301-0845 for more information.
Global Gift Fund is a Donor-Advised Fund service in the

United States oered by the Renaissance Charitable
Foundation, as endorsed by the MDRT Foundation.
MARCH/APRIL 2015
INSIDE MDRT | MDRT FOUNDATION
Educating girls in Cambodia

Foundation grant helps students in impoverished communities.
BY FIONA ODUMOSU-WATKINS
ambodia has a young population with

a median age of 22. However, there is a
sharp deficit of education equality for
girls countrywide. Many families, especially in
rural areas, struggle to afford school fees, and
priority for education is often given to boys
instead of girls.
The NGO2 BambooShoot Foundation is a
charitable organization based in Siem Reap City,
Cambodia, that provides education for girls from
impoverished rural communities. The MDRT
Foundation awarded a $3,500 grant to this organization, which was endorsed by 40-year MDRT
member John Goldsbrough of North Rocks,
New South Wales, Australia.
This grant funded the Young Women Leaders Project, a residential educational program
that serves female high school students. In addition to the education component, there is also a
strong focus on leadership as part of the schools
curriculum.
Goldsbrough explained how the timing of this
grant provided much-needed funding for the organizations current school year. This MDRT Foundation grant enabled the girls in their senior year
to finish their program and complete their high
school and university entrance exams, he said.
50
Students from NGO2 BambooShoot Foundation supported

by MDRT members donations.
According to the NGO2 BambooShoot Foundation, many students pursue careers in fields such
as finance and banking, law, hospitality, accounting, teaching and medicine. In addition to personal
career objectives, students are encouraged to give
back to their communities, which helps break the
cycle of poverty. RTT
To find out more, go to: mdrtfoundation.org
Your top six grant

questions answered
he MDRT Foundations
grant programs are a
unique MDRT member
benefit that allows you to secure
funding for a charitable cause you
care about. Here, we answer the six
most common questions about the
MDRT Foundations grant programs.
1. Who can apply for an MDRT
Foundation grant?
All MDRT members can sponsor a grant
for a charitable organization. Grant sponsors must have active MDRT membership
status, but do not have to be a donor to the
MDRT Foundation. Following are specific guidelines for MDRT members applying for a Quality of
Life grant.
2. What is the difference between the Quality
of Life and the Worldwide grant programs?
Both the Quality of Life and Worldwide grant programs support charities that are regional, national
or international in scope. The biggest difference is
that the Quality of Life Grant Program recognizes
MDRT members outstanding volunteerism and
provides grants to the charities they assist. The
Worldwide program, on the other hand, does not
require the member sponsor to have a personal
relationship with the charity it could just be
a charitable cause or an organization they care
about.
3. What type of charitable programs do the
MDRT Foundation grant programs support?
The MDRT Foundations grant programs fund a
diverse range of charitable causes, including social
service agencies, education and advocacy pro-
grams, medical agencies, arts programs and many other charitable

causes committed to helping
people in need worldwide.
4. When is the deadline for
all grant applications to be
submitted?
The annual grant application
deadline is September 1.
5. How do I apply for a
Foundation grant?
Organizations interested in
grant funding from the MDRT Foundation should
apply online at mdrtfoundation.org. Applicants
may find it helpful to review the Quality of Life
application guidelines and/or the Worldwide
application guidelines prior to starting the application process.
These guidelines describe the information
required for the application. In addition, they
provide information on character limits to
help applicants describe their organization as
specifically as possible. This will help the Grants
Committee review the applications quickly and
understand the background and mission of the
organization.
6. When will I find out if my grant request is
approved or denied?
The MDRT Foundation Grants Committee meets
in December. All grant applicants will find out the
status of their application by late January of the
following year. RTT
CONTACT US
If you have additional questions, please
email grants@mdrt.org.
Fiona Odumosu-Watkins in the MDRT Foundations communications and recognition supervisor. Contact her at
fodumosu@mdrt.org.
MARCH/APRIL 2015
INSIDE MDRT
Profits up, expenses down

Cost of Doing Business Survey reveals industry averages.
BY APRIL RUNGE AND VICKIE LAZAR
DRTs U.S. sole proprietors are

enjoying growth and a reduction in
expenses, according to the 2014 Cost
of Doing Business Survey results. The survey is
an important resource in determining industry
averages among those within the top tier of the
profession: MDRT members.
The survey, which relates 2013 data, shows that
total and net income of sole proprietors increased
between 2010 and 2013, while total expenses
decreased. It seems members have adjusted to
changes stemming from the Great Recession,
which officially started December 2007 and ended June 2009 but had lingering effects in many
sectors of the economy.
With this latest survey, we found that between
2010 and 2013:
1. Sole proprietors increased their net income
by strategically decreasing their expenses.
2. Staff payroll increased, and the method of
compensating employees shifted to a higher percentage using incentive pay.
3. When describing their practice, a larger
percentage of responding sole proprietors picked
full financial planning.
4. First-year premium and annuity considerations nearly doubled during this period.
Income and expenses
Average net income of sole proprietors increased

from $183,311 in 2010 to $206,962 in 2013 an
increase of 12.9% (see Table 1). Adjusting for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and
base year of 2013, the increase is 5.7%. Among the
income categories listed, income from financial
products increased the most 38.7% from
$88,920 to $123,354. (After adjusting for inflation,
the increase is still substantial at 29.9%.)
52
Between 2010 and 2013, average total expenses decreased by 2.9% (9.1% after adjusting for
inflation). (See Table 1.) While total expenses
decreased, there were increases in some expense
items, such as professional education, advertising,
wages and salaries. In contrast, sole proprietors
spent less on office rental, entertainment and
office supplies.
Figure 1 shows the 95% confidence intervals
for 2013 averages of net income, total expenses
and total income. The size of the confidence
interval is influenced by the amount of variation
in the reported incomes and expenses and by
the number of respondents. For example, based
on the number of respondents and the variation
in the reported net income by sole proprietors,
one can be 95% confident that the average net
income of all sole proprietors in the U.S. falls
within the range of $174,340 to $239,584 a
span of $65,244. >>
FIGURE 1: 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS

FOR NET INCOME, TOTAL EXPENSES
AND TOTAL INCOME, 2013
400,000
350,000
300,000
Lower bound
Average
Upper bound
$327,166
$279,518
250,000
200,000
$374,814
$239,584
$206,962
$174,340
$154,723
150,000
$132,991
$111,259
100,000
50,000
0
Net
income
Total
expenses
Total
income
TABLE 1: INCOME AND EXPENSES

Number of
respondents
2010
Average
First-year gross commissions
173
Bonuses
Median
Percent change
in average:
2010 to 2013
Percent change in average:

2010 to 2013 after adjusting
for inflation
$154,595
$120,000
7.2%
0.4%
67
$38,105
$23,885
12.5%
5.3%
$40,000
127
$69,480
$46,000
-1.9%
-8.1%
$35,000
98
$123,354
$50,000
38.7%
29.9%
Median
Number of
respondents
2013
Average
$144,177
$100,000
140
101
$33,884
$20,000
All other income
173
$70,806
Income from other financial products
115
$88,920
CATEGORIES OF INCOME*
Expense allowance received
53
$35,151
$13,833
59
$22,771
$15,000
-35.2%
-39.4%
Service and consulting fees
34
$32,001
$10,000
17
**
**
**
**
Total income
186
$305,587
$210,000
145
$327,166
$232,000
7.1%
0.2%
Net income
188
$183,311
$125,600
135
$206,962
$151,772
12.9%
5.7%
Office rental
142
$23,046
$12,000
129
$13,835
$10,000
-40%
-43.8%
Telephone
176
$3,455
$2,550
140
$3,384
$3,000
-2.1%
-8.3%
Postage
177
$1,834
$1,000
139
$1,666
$1,000
-9.2%
-15.0%
Office supplies
174
$4,387
$2,000
139
$3,478
$2,000
-20.7%
-25.8%
Office equipment: non-computer
171
$2,544
$1,450
109
$2,167
$1,000
-14.8%
-20.3%
Computer hardware
175
$2,252
$1,500
103
$2,315
$1,500
2.8%
-3.8%
Computer software
174
$1,982
$1,200
101
$2,382
$1,500
20.2%
12.5%
Wages and salaries, payroll taxes and

employee group insurance premiums
136
$53,104
$35,000
121
$63,897
$36,000
20.3%
12.6%
Legal and accounting fees
180
$1,669
$1,000
125
$2,146
$1,000
28.6%
20.4%
Advertising
177
$4,212
$2,000
116
$6,453
$2,000
53.2%
43.4%
Dues, fees and subscriptions
174
$2,143
$1,500
141
$2,499
$1,500
16.6%
9.2%
Professional education expense
175
$2,410
$1,500
111
$3,301
$2,000
37.0%
28.2%
Licenses
175
$1,258
$1,000
134
$1,363
$1,000
8.3%
1.4%
Entertainment
175
$7,328
$4,000
131
$6,367
$3,353
-13.1%
-18.7%
Business insurance premiums
177
$2,329
$1,500
120
$2,355
$1,550
1.1%
-5.4%
Depreciation expense
94
$6,245
$3,000
49
$7,604
$5,000
21.8%
14.0%
Auto expense
175
$7,619
$5,900
128
$8,954
$8,000
17.5%
10.0%
Profit-sharing and pension contributions
101
$17,558
$13,000
162
$15,210
$12,000
-13.4%
-18.9%
Deferred compensation
37
$15,489
$8,000
30
$25,043
$18,000
61.7%
51.3%
Health insurance premiums
173
$6,972
$6,000
121
$8,013
$6,500
14.9%
7.6%
Miscellaneous business expense
108
$9,353
$5,000
83
$11,259
$5,000
20.4%
12.7%
Total expenses
184
$136,912
$94,250
147
$132,991
$89,300
-2.9%
-9.1%
CATEGORIES OF EXPENSES*
*Only non-zero entries are included in these calculations. Each value is computed independently, resulting in values that will not always add up to the totals. The average is the sum of all reported values in the category divided by the number of respondents.
The median is the middle value when all reported values are sorted from lowest to highest. The median is less sensitive to extreme high and low values.
**There were too few respondents in this category to allow for reliable statistical analysis.
MARCH/APRIL 2015
INSIDEMDRT
MDRT
INSIDE
Demographics and business practices
The average age among sole proprietors who

responded was 56, and their average time in the
life insurance/financial services business was 25
years. Almost one-half (47%) describe their life
insurance practice as general practice, and 35%
describe it as full financial planning.
A significantly higher percentage of respondents indicated full financial planning as their
type of practice compared to 2010 (35% in 2013
vs. 24% in 2010). Two-thirds of respondents to
this survey said they were affiliated agents a
higher percentage than in 2010 (67% vs 58%,
respectively).
Consistent with 2010 results, the majority of
sole proprietors have employees to help them
in their business. Nearly half (46%) have parttime employees, and 64% said they had full-time
FIGURE 2: ANNUAL STAFF PAYROLL

(EXCLUDING SELF), 2010 & 2013
38%
$30,000
or less
33%
44%
$30,000$70,000
$70,001$200,000
36%
13%
23%
$200,001 5%
or more
7%
2010
2013
employees. The average number of full-time

employees and part-time employees was 1.96 and
1.21, respectively.
While staffing didnt appear to change between
2010 and 2013, payrolls increased in 2013
possibly a result of more sole proprietors using
incentive-based pay models to compensate employees. As shown in Figure 2, in 2010, only 18%
had payrolls of $70,001 or more; this percentage
increased to 30% in 2013. However, the majority
had payrolls of $70,000 or less.
First-year premium and annuity considerations
almost doubled between 2010 and 2013 increasing 98.4% from $1,013,000 to $2,009,572 (after adjusting for inflation, the increase is 85.7%).
On average, 66 live/cases were written in 2013, up
from 53 reported in 2010.
Interestingly, MDRT sole proprietors sold
more products in 2013 an average of 6.7 products with individual long-term care, variable
annuities, single premium annuities and mutual
funds topping the list.
Nearly three-fourths (74%) did not charge
professional fees for their services, and not
charging fees was more prevalent (86%) among
those who indicated general practice as their
type of practice compared to those who indicated full financial planning where 52% did
not charge fees. RTT
April Runge is research manager at North Star Research,
the firm that conducted this survey. Vickie Lazar is
research project manager at MDRT.
BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

Since the 1970s, MDRT has conducted the Cost of Doing Business Survey approximately every three years to
give members information about industry averages. In
2014, all U.S. members with an email address on record
were sent the survey. In total, 292 members responded.
Fifty-six percent of respondents indicated being sole
proprietors.
As done in years past, this article focuses on sole
proprietors because they are most likely to use a similar method of accounting for income and expenses.
PRIMARY FORM OF BUSINESS OPERATION, 2013

Sole proprietor 56%
Corporation 35%
5% Partnership
3% Association/group practice
6% Combination of above forms
54
TRUE TALES
Nickys love letter

A family moves on, thanks to a husband and fathers financial planning.
BY SUSAN MEITY, CFP, AEPP
icky had
an energetic and
bubbly personality,
with crinkles of
merriness ever
present at the edges
of his eyes. I knew
him both as a client
and a member of
my husbands
extended family.
A year after I met Nicky, he asked for information about an education policy for his son. We
met at his home on a Sunday night. Ultimately,
the conversation shifted from the education
fund to income protection, since his ongoing
policy was insufficient for his family. He agreed
to apply for a new policy and, after a medical
test, the proposal was approved.
A few months later, we met again to consider
additional term life protection by alteration,
and I presented a table of data to support the
proposal. Nicky made the decision to provide
appropriate protection for his family.
Our next meeting, unfortunately, was in a
hospital where Nicky was being treated for
typhoid fever. We arranged the required documents for his medical claim. He was his usual
cheerful self, laughing and smiling the whole
time. I picked up the documents two weeks
later at a caf where his company was holding
a business event. It was 11 p.m. and he was still
working.
Not long after, on a clear, bright day, Nickys
wife, Elizabeth, notified me he had been in an
accident. At first I thought the accident was
linked to his previous illness, but what Elizabeth
said next was much worse. She was on the way
to the city morgue to identify his body. Nicky

had crashed his car into roadside trees early that
morning. The car with Nicky inside was
destroyed by fire.
I found Elizabeth standing at the morgue gate.
She was arranging the necessary documents to
release her husbands body, which could only be
identified by dental records. Police investigation
concluded the accident was probably caused
by Nickys drowsiness due to exhaustion from
working long hours. Nicky was 33; they were
only married four years.
I assisted Elizabeth with completing the
accidental death claim documents. The claim
was approved in less than two weeks, and she
received the checks gratefully and gracefully.
Two years have passed, and Elizabeth has
moved on and found her passion as chief editor
with a lifestyle magazine. Her son is in first
grade. They continue living well due to receiving
meaningful financial support through Nickys
insurance.
It occurred to me that through assisting
Nickys family, I also had reaped immense
benefits. As their insurance agent, I was given a
morale boost beyond commissions and bonuses.
Our essential fight in this industry is a humane
cause preparing our clients for lifes adversity
before it arrives.
No one can predict what, when and how their
life will end. We just take on the script and
strive to play the roles the best we can before
the director shouts, Cut! I was grateful I was
allowed the chance to play a part in Nickys life.
Nicky was never an artist who left wonderful
poems or legendary songs as his legacy. But, in
his own simple way, he left a beautiful legacy of
his love for his wife and child. The policy and
the checks were his love letters. RTT
MARCH/APRIL 2015
CONTACT:
Susan Meity
susan.meity@
east-starcorporation.com
looking
BACK
A Flock of Eagles
Eagles never flock together yet if they did, there would be a
gathering of some of the most majestic birds in the world.
There is a group of people who in some ways resemble the
eagle in the lives they lead. They are the successful life insurance
agents members of the Million Dollar Round Table and, like
eagles, they soar with complete freedom to the highest pinnacles
of achievement.
When these high-flying eagles gather together, they become
that rarity: a flock of eagles, majestic human beings the most
successful group of sales personnel in the world.
The previous lines introduce A Flock of Eagles: A profile

of the successful life insurance agents and their association, the Million Dollar Round Table. Published for MDRTs
50th anniversary in 1977, it was written by former MDRT
Executive Director Quaife M. Ward and Tedd C. Determan.
The book described in detail the function of MDRT and
offered a profile of its members. It included an overview of
the Round Tables history, as well as the insurance industry
and its road to professionalization. One chapter delved into
the history and importance of the Annual Meeting; another
explained the Whole Person concept.
The book was distributed to Annual Meeting attendees
that year and sent to members not present at the meeting. A film of the same name was produced with footage
of the 1977 meeting. It followed several first-time attendees and recorded their experiences.
In describing the book to Annual Meeting attendees in
1977, President Marshall I. Wolper, CLU, said, Its probably the most definitive description of the successful
underwriter that Ive ever read. No one can read the
book without being optimistic about the future because it
defines our unique role in society. It shows what an unusual breed of self-starting entrepreneurs we are, and most
important of all, it firmly establishes the continuing need
for the service we provide.
Contributed by Jennifer Witkov, MDRTs knowledge coordinator.
56
MDRT STORE
Display Your
MDRT Achievement
Find stylish plaques to display in your home or office that
show your commitment to excellence year after year.
Visit mdrtstore.org to view the complete collection.
I think change is a necessity to allow continued improvement

and to keep up with technology and consumer appetite.
Susan Catherine Paterson, FChFP, Page 26
ANNUAL MEETING
2015 - JUNE 14 TO 17, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
TOP OF THE TABLE ANNUAL MEETING

2015 - OCTOBER 7 TO 10, NAPLES, FLORIDA
MDRT EXPERIENCE
2016 - JANUARY 28 TO 30, HONG KONG
Million Dollar Round Table

325 West Touhy Avenue, Park Ridge, IL 60068 USA
Phone: +1 847.692.6378 Fax: +1 847.518.8921 Website: www.mdrt.org

MDRT

Diunggah oleh

Informasi Dokumen

Judul Asli

Hak Cipta

Format Tersedia

Bagikan dokumen Ini

Bagikan atau Tanam Dokumen

Opsi Berbagi

Apakah menurut Anda dokumen ini bermanfaat?

Apakah konten ini tidak pantas?

Hak Cipta:

Format Tersedia

MDRT

Diunggah oleh

Hak Cipta:

Format Tersedia

Boost your social media

| Create a personal brand 16 | Master the paperless office 18

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILLION DOLLAR ROUND TABLE | MARCH/APRIL 2015

THE 2015 MDRT

Enhance your meeting

The focus of the

ne of the most rewarding and

These themes seem to fit how nearly all of

Brian D. Heckert, CLU, ChFC

ROUND THE TABLE | MARCH/APRIL 2015 | VOL 43, ISSUE 2

Two members empty out their

20 6 WAYS TO MAKE CLIENTS

10 TIPS & TECHNOLOGY

Putting the process on paper

14 SOCIAL MEDIA AT THE NEXT

16 BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

22 BUYING LASTING HAPPINESS

Annual Meeting speaker reinvigorated Round Table members

Sometimes the only way forward

30 PAST AND FUTURE

Members in Mexico rely on the

32 YOUD MAKE A GREAT AGENT

Murphy followed a suggestion to

34 THE DRIVE FOR COMPLIANCE

36 PLANNING WHATS NEXT

Engel partners with a young

ROUND theTABLE.ORG | MARCH/APRIL 2015

Glenda Miro Antonio

Episode two on business continuation planning is now available at

The full survey is available online.

To apply for 2015 MDRT

Micheline Varas, Page 20

Boost your social media

and to keep up with technology and consumer appetite.

Susan Catherine Paterson, FChFP, Page 26

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILLION DOLLAR ROUND TABLE | MARCH/APRIL 2015

2016 - JANUARY 28 TO 30, HONG KONG

IS IT TIME TO START A NEW BUSINESS MODEL?

2015 - OCTOBER 7 TO 10, NAPLES, FLORIDA

| Create a personal brand 16 | Master the paperless office 18

ROUND the TABLE

TOP OF THE TABLE ANNUAL MEETING

I think change is a necessity to allow continued improvement

46 REFRESHED AND RECHARGED

MDRT Annual Meeting promises

Million Dollar Round Table

EDUCATING GIRLS IN CAMBODIA

52 PROFITS UP, EXPENSES DOWN

MDRT - RTT COVER DESIGN

Read why four MDRT members decided to completely

Whats old is new again

n each issue of Round the Table, we have an

ROUND theTABLE.ORG | MARCH/APRIL 2015

While we enjoy digging through the archives

Kathryn Furtaw Keuneke, CAE

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILLION DOLLAR ROUND TABLE

Kathryn Furtaw Keuneke, CAE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER:

Learn new ways to use social media to

Stephen P. Stahr, CAE

STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR:

Pamela Brown, CMP, CAE

MEDIA RELATIONS COORDINATOR:

Two members empty out their

20 6 WAYS TO MAKE CLIENTS

Putting the process on paper

14 SOCIAL MEDIA AT THE NEXT

Annual Meeting speaker reinvigorated Round Table members

Sometimes the only way forward

Members in Mexico rely on the

Murphy followed a suggestion to

34 THE DRIVE FOR COMPLIANCE

Engel partners with a young

MDRT Annual Meeting promises