When They Say my Son is Insurance Agent

[PittAgent]

Making Racist comments so you'll fit in for a sale?

While there may be lots wrong with the prospect, you may need to work on what's wrong with you.

This really is a bad story as you've told it. Doesn't put you in the best light.

I'm so sick of this PC world. He made a stereotypical comment but it certainly wasn't racist. Racist insulates someone hates someone else because of their skin color or ethnicity. These "we'll call you a racist" scare tactics must stop everywhere in society - yes, even in a public discussion forum. We are turning into a society if neutered men without anyone who has the guts to speak their mind or make a joke for fear of being branded a racist.

 

[PA Bill]

Why is everyone harshing on the OP for what he said? The guy obviously had a hard on for him. He could of said it was a nice day and the clown would have argued with him. F that jerk off.

 

[Agentguy5]

Why is everyone harshing on the OP for what he said? The guy obviously had a hard on for him. He could of said it was a nice day and the clown would have argued with him. F that jerk off.

Nahh, Larry probably just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and got a little "Tough" on the OP...

He'll be ok!

 

[WinoBlues]

I'm so sick of this PC world. He made a stereotypical comment but it certainly wasn't racist. Racist insulates someone hates someone else because of their skin color or ethnicity. These "we'll call you a racist" scare tactics must stop everywhere in society - yes, even in a public discussion forum. We are turning into a society if neutered men without anyone who has the guts to speak their mind or make a joke for fear of being branded a racist.

You do not believe it was a racial remark that should not have been made? It was stupid. The males in my family can get as inappropriate as any in my back yard. They are anything but pussies but stupid is stupid.

Let's say you have a rotund son, daughter or wife and someone makes a joke you take personal is it stupid? Let's say you have a grandchild with CP or Down's and some one goes into a mocking skit complete with drooling? ***? It is easy to say it was just a joke when it is about someone else. Many times the "it's just a joke" crowd lose their minds if the joke is about them or one of their's.

This was in an insurance meeting not a barracks.

 

[Norwayguy]

Vol is right you could have taken a different tack and quickly left without burning bridges and maybe called this prospect in 6 months likely the son would be out of the business.

 

[Josh]

Let's also not ignore the guy came her looking for advice. Was there a chance he was going to sell something there to begin with? Maybe. The reality is he didn't go there just to help this old lady, he wanted to sell a policy to get paid. Maybe folks think being politically correct is nonsense, but if someone doesn't decide to do business with you then being "right" can mean you don't get paid. If the goal here is to get paid, sometimes you gotta take it on the chin. To take a look at this in more detail it looks like every time the son tried to regain some control the OP was belligerent. If right off the bat the OP had apologized and offered to move the vehicle it's possible the son would have accept that gesture of respect and things would have been able to turn positive pretty quickly. HealthMarket agents aren't nearly as well versed in FE products and so with their being a recent health issue here like Lee said, he could have appealed to the son being a resident expert and helped him help mom make a good decision.

Is it possible nothing the OP could have done would have changed the situation? Sure, but it sounds like there was a real opportunity to make nice and get down to business but instead it turned into a pissing match and momma bear voted with her checkbook to say who won.

 

[WinoBlues]

I have made similar mistakes. Be it politics, religion, War, welfare you name it. In my younger days I was more than willing to engage, still am to a degree. However, now I am better, kinda, at looking to the end game.

 

[LGilmore]

He made a stereotypical comment but it certainly wasn't racist.

Oh well, my bad, that's OK swell then!

First off you're in a business where YOU SELL stuff. In order to SELL STUFF in this business you need to think before you speak.

It isn't a matter of being PC, it's a matter of being smart about selling.

Soooo, you can claim it's about being PC and that is fine. For me it is about being smart enough not to shoot yourself in the foot in front of people who will BUY STUFF from you. OK?

 

[Rearden]

Ok, did a presentation to a 79 yr old woman who had a stroke 7 months ago.

Probably not a very good prospect anyway.

 

[theinsuranceman]

Ok, did a presentation to a 79 yr old woman who had a stroke 7 months ago. As soon as I walk in she says her son is an insurance agent and she wants him to be there but he just went to hardware store. She says he'll be right back.

I say that's fine. Ask her if he lives in the same state and she says yes. Then ask her if he sells life insurance, auto, renters, what??? She says she doesn't know. LOL.

I say well that's ok, because I am a specialist so I will have the answers she needs. Begin to explain my program then I see her son out front, pacing back and forth looking into my car, obviously agitated and tell her "your son is here, looks like he's about to have a conniption"

He walks in and she tells him the insurance guy is here and he says to me, "don't you know how to f---ing park" I'm parked next to the curb on a public street so I have no idea what he's talking about. I just say, I'm half Mexican, I park wherever I wan't (I'm extremely whitey so he just stares at me) then says "I'm her broker, what are you trying to sale her"

Show him the card she sent in requesting info and mention final expense. So he says what company are you with, Colonial Penn? I laugh and explain that I'm an independent broker and work for myself and write for many different carriers, he says yes but you have to have your contract with a company. ??? So I know then he doesn't know much. Once he heard the words final expense he went right to the tv companies and doesn't understand can work for himself. So I ask, he says he works for Health Markets, aka, Inspherion- a boiler room phone operation I believe.

I tried deflecting his anger and negativity for a few minutes with some humor and get him to understand I could help his mother, who seriously wanted help and answers but finally I told him he wasn't much of a broker if his 79 yr old mother didnt have life insurance and didnt even know her options and he didn't know how to get her 1st day coverage when I could but he wouldn't bypass his ego. I told his mother I was going to leave and I did. she apologized. I figured even if I sold her it would never stay.

I was angry at him for his confrontational attitude then today felt disappointed with myself for not helping his mother but I don't know that I really could have in that situation.

Just a story from the field.

This is one of those situations that separates the men (those who can average closing 35%+ of their leads each week) versus the boys (those who struggle to close 15%-20% of their leads each week and are gone in less than 6 months after they start).

The lady tells you "she wants her son to be there".....may be it's because she had a stroke 7 months ago? I would say "great I look forward to meeting him when he gets back from the hardware store. What's his name? (I'll want to address him by his name when I hopefully meet him in a little while). He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to be my ally, maybe I can steer things to where this son will be the beneficiary. I'm going to be asking her some casual questions and finding out if this son is the person who would receive the insurance check so he can handle her final wishes, etc.

When the son comes back and is pacing around my car and peering thru the car windows, I'm only going to say to his mother "looks like ______just got back, I look forward to shaking his hand when he comes in".

When the son comes in with his hostile tone about my parking, I'm going to say "thank-you, let me go fix my parking before I get a parking ticket, thank-you very much". Then I'm going to extend a handshake and say "my name is Greg...you must be _____ the son who is in the insurance business". He'll probably mutter something that sounds like a weak yes. Then I'll say "well this will help me out a lot, don't go anywhere let me go fix that parking, give me just a min. and I'll be right back".

Whether my parking needs adjustment or not, I'm going to crank the car and move it forwards and backwards a few feet to adjust the parking.

When I get back in the house I'm going to say "_____I'm glad you're in the insurance business. Your mother mailed this card back to our corp. office for some information. I was going to ask her if one of the kids or a family member lived close by. I know I'm like you, I'd like to be present if someone was showing my mom some insurance information, especially with having a stroke just 7 months ago. She told me while you were at the store that she wanted the insurance check to go to you.

Shall we go sit at the kitchen table so I can show this stuff to you?