Fun Stories from AIL Representatives
Everyone has “stories from the trenches,” the nature of which range from harrowing to sublime to ridiculous. Today, we offer a couple of the latter.
From AIL SGA Simon Arias:
“In 2007, I was field training, when I my car got stuck on a log. I had to have AAA tow me out, which took hours because it was such a rural area. We continued doorknocking, and ended up in the members home. While giving a presentation, their dog urinated on my brand new dress shoes. After they cleaned off my shoe and gave me new socks, their 2-year old daughter refused to allow me to proceed with my presentation, so I invited her to sit on my lap. She did, but the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she was eating ended up all over my nice white dress shirt. Again, I ended up with a piece of clothing from this gentleman. My trainee was entertained, to say the least. Because all good stories end with a sale, we not only served the member, but went to his brother’s house and sold them as well!”
From Larry Strong, American Income VP Agency Leadership Development:
“During a sales presentation to a husband and wife, the husband started to fall asleep at the kitchen table. He swayed back and forth, snoring loudly. His wife ignored him completely, so I never missed a beat and kept making my presentation. He eventually put his head on the kitchen table and continued to snore like a bear in hibernation. At the end, his wife wanted to enroll in the program so she finally had to wake him up so that I could take the application.”
Great stuff! Can you top these?
I once walked into a globe lapsed lead only to find that she had JUST reinstated her policy on her son. I had not sold a thing that day and refused to blank. Her daughter happened to be there that night. I immediately turned to the daughter and said “Are these your kids?” She replied “Yes.” I said please tell me you have permanent protection out side of your job AND coverage on your kids–She didn’t. 1000alp later, I made sure her family was going to be covered no matter what.
There’s always a sale in a house.
Kirk Waters
General Agent
Slav Bitman Agency Raleigh
While out on Safari in the far western portion of Massachusetts, I stopped in a grocery store to grab lunch and use the bathroom. On my way out, I stopped to chat with the guy behind the seafood counter. Turns out that he remembered me from a store I used to own a few years ago. I explained to him that I now provide supplemental benefits to his union and asked if he had sent in his card. Turns out he had not been with the union long enough to get the letter. So, being the generous fellow that I am, I asked him when he got off work and agreed to meet him at this apartment later that day.
I provided him much needed insurance protection which he already knew that he needed but didn’t know where to get, and all because I like to talk to everyone.
Want to sell an accidental policy? Just wait for the kids to run into a door during your presentation. While presenting to a single woman of two, her daughters were playing tag. It was quite humorous and they kept to themselves quite well while I was talking to their mom. However, almost like clock work once I had gone over the proposal the children ran into the room one chasing the other. The door from the back room as slightly closed and the child slammed into the door. The mother instead of asking if she was alright, immediately looked at me and asked if there was anything she could do to help that out. I smiled and nodded, we do have this accidental plan.
The weirdest thing I have encountered so far was selling an older lady while she was chewing tobacco and spiting into a cup at the table.
So I pull up to a beatdown trailer in the middle of nowhere with my trainee, everything is going as planned at this point. We get in the house and trainee starts his presentation. From where we are sitting I have a clear view of the kitchen area. As the trainee is pitching I see mice come from OUT of the sink and run over all the dishes. Naturally ten minutes later my trainee asks for a drink, the lady gets up to get him one and offers me one aswell to which I politely declined. Since the lady was within earshot the last ten minutes were spent with me awkardly shaking my head at my trainee as he drank the whole cup of water. Boy was it a fun moment after when he asked me in the car why I was shaking my head!
3 months after starting with AIL I was working in Franklinton, NC one night, my wonderful GPS told me the house I needed to get to was only 1 1/2 miles down this dark, unpaved road. But I swore it had to be right. Almost a mile down the road I came to a mud puddle that I knew my 98 Honda civic certainly wasn’t going to make it through. But to my luck there were tire tracks going around the puddle, certainly this meant my GPS was right and I maneuvered to go around the puddle, no sooner than I came to the very edge, more than half of my left front tire sunk down into the mud. After pushing the gas a few times and seeing i wasn’t going anywhere, I opened the door and stepped out. Only to drown my brand new suit and brand new matching shoes in mud, pulling my foot out revealed my sock with no shoe attached. Needless to say, it continued like this for a while. Finally i decided to walk back up to the nearest road and find a house. The gentleman told me that his neighbor had a 4×4 truck and should be home soon and would be my best bet at getting out. I waited outside for a while and finally saw the truck pull into the driveway across the street. I began moving across the street trying to get the persons attention. To my surprise the figure jumped out of the truck and darted into the house as fast as they could.
Shocked but not having many options, I walked up and knocked on the door. While waiting I hear shuffling back and forth in the house but don’t think much of it. Then hearing footsteps up to the door I take a step back hearing “click click” the door flew open revealing a rifle pointed straight at my face. Throwing up my hands “Sir I apologize, I didn’t mean to disturb you it’s just my car is stuck in a ditch down that road.”
Suddenly, he burst out in a loud boisterous laugh lowering the gun. “BOY YOU SCARED THE #$%& OUT OF MY WIFE!”
After towing me out of the ditch with his truck he refused payment for the service stating that he couldn’t accept payment for towing me out of a ditch he himself had been stuck in 3 times in his life including a first date with his now wife! After talking for a while, he finally asked the question of what I did.
3 days later I came back to his house on a preset only to walk out with an $1800 deal, hamburger meat, deer meat and sausage with his own recipe to cook them, along with 15+ referrals.
Love a happy ending.
Kellen Cuttance
Slav Bitman Agency
LAST FRIDAY MY DAY STARTED OUT REALLY BAD UNTIL MY GENERAL MANAGER AND I HAD A TALK. HE TOLD ME IN THAT CONVERSATION THAT I NEEDED TO SMILE 2 MIN BEFORE I GO INTO A HOUSE THEN HE TOLD ME TO BUILD RAPPORT 15 MIN INSTEAD OF 10. I TOOK HIS ADVICE AND WENT TO MY FIRST HOUSE THAT WAS A PRESET AND I SOLD. I WAS VERY EXCITED AND CONTINUED TO AS I WAS TOLD AND SOLD ANOTHER $ 1000.00 DEAL THAT NIGHT. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT SMILING MADE THAT MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE BUT IT REALLY DOES. I HAVE BEEN SMILING EVER SINCE.
No one else sharing stories? That’s ok, I’ve got another.
When I was in training, the last sale I made while my manager was with me was to a couple where the husband owned his own business. However, he did not pay taxes. It’s not that he had a good accountant or anything. He just didn’t believe in taxes, so he didn’t file them. I told him that he better get some coverage because if kicked the bucket, the IRS would take everything he owned.
I showed a $130/mo plan then backed down to $61. He asked what he could get for a round $100 per month, and showed him. It’s still on the books as 1199.88 ALP because the darned eApp rounded a penny off the payment.
On a ride with a successful SA, Kirk Waters, I enjoyed seeing the following event transpire. We were about 30 minutes late for an 8 pm meeting. When we arrived, the client invited us in. A single mother with two very young children met us at the door. We sat down at the kitchen table and Kirk begsn his presentation. During the “Child Safety” kit section, Kirk asked for referals. As she opened up and began giving names, Kirk was a machine. She gave 5 and Kirk pressed to save more children. She then provided 5 more and then 4 more, at that point with 14 referals in hand, Kirk asked for “an even 15″. At that point the client not only gave the “even 15th, she gave a 16th.
After this huge effort, she then allowed Kirk to provide a unique plan for her specific needs.
Kirk will be a huge star at AIL
Bob Wingate
The Bitman Agency
Bob & Kirk, how ’bout that laptop presentation? Kickin’ butt & taking names!
I was training an agent one night who unfortunately had not written business all week so before we left the office I promised them we would see some business. After 2 uninsurables and 1 no checking acount she thought we were done; needless to say we werent. I decided we would hit a referal that we had not been able to contact around 845 and wouldnt you know it, a lady unisurable due to weight with a husband unisurable due to diabetes. However they did give us 30 referals. At the end of the presentation I politely asked “guys I apologize but we are NEVER out this way and it is a long drive back. Is there ANYONE who is nice enough to let us come out and see them tonight?” she said “of course honey come on I will show you where my cousin lives.” 2 legs of chicken, 1 plate of cornbread, a slice of pecan pie, 4 cups of coffee, 1200 alp and 32 more referals later we were on our way back to the office. On the ride home I told her exactly what my SGA had told me that morning.
“Everything is a choice, no matter what people say there is no luck and there is no such thing as accepting failure. There is chosing to succeed or chosing not to. Make a choice.”
k.schram – Bitman Agency – Raleigh NC – American Income Life
Kenny, I’ll bet that pecan pie alone was worth it all. Good job!
After my presentation the people wanted to think about. I didn’t leave because of a tornado warning. We went in the basement with flashlights. The radio said the tornado was sighted about 30 minutes from our location. After sitting in the basement for a couple of minutes the wife then looked at me and said they wanted to enroll. I wrote them up by candle light.
I approached a union members house when I noticed him sitting in the caddilac in front. I knocked on the window and he proceded to tell me he did no want to go inside. I suggested we sit in the caddilac because it was such a nice car and ended up closing him right there on the dash.
I was sitting with a couple and I got to the application portion of the process and I asked if they took any medications, and the wife answered “yes”. She had been asking me to repeat sentences the entire meeting. When I asked her what it was she told me “Adderall”, the following is our conversation:
Me: Why are you taking Adderall?
Her: What?
Me: Why are you taking Adderall?
Her: Oh um.. for ADD…Oh man, I forgot to take my medicine!
Ha, this was a funny ending to a great day helping families.