I hope that this post helps someone want to dust off an old copy of Dr. Sziklai’s Advocacy System in the office or want to find out how to be an Advocate! That is the key! That is why I wanted to write this post!
I really wished I would have had the knowledge of how to be an Advocate for Insurance when I started out as an agent (producer). Sadly, I was only an agent and not an Advocate for a short time before our housing and job market (2008) was hit by the recession.
I used to work for Beneficial Financial Group (Beneficial Life out of Salt Lake City, UT) and our Branch was in Southeast Idaho. When Beneficial Life decided to leave the industry in 2009, I did as well. That was over 10 years ago.
Cleaning up the other day, I found on my shelf Dr. Csaba Sziklai’s Advocacy System. I had only had it a few months before I left and had just barely started the program and not finished it.
After sitting down and rereading his materials, I believe his mindset was one of the best out there for the insurance market.
To this day, I have a great friend who is still an agent and was well established in that same Idaho Branch who now has his own office. He shared with me in a candid moment, that he embraced all the principles of Dr. Sziklai’s System. Because of that, he has protected families, children, businesses, etc. and he is very financially well off because of it!
Sadly, Dr. Sziklai passed away in August of 2012. His legacy lives on in his materials. I have his agent guide training book, all 3 CD’s, and 2 Advocacy workbooks.
I would like to sell them to someone who needs them (I will leave an Ebay link at the end), because I think they would be a great benefit to a new or seasoned agent who needs help making it in the industry or is ready to make the next step. Meeting those quotas or goals can be difficult ... especially when all your contacts dry up.
But not just that ... many books, videos, training‘s, try to fix that ... but Dr. Sziklai’s Advocacy System was about being an advocate! That’s when your mindset changes from just selling to having a cause to champion that will bring success as you help save the world a policy at a time.
This meets your goals to protect individuals, families, businesses, while benefiting you as well!
To give a brief overview, I have included some of his basic philosophies below.
According to Dr. Sziklai, the purposes of insurance is to: “protect families, children, businesses and jobs, preserving accomplishments, etc.”
Sounds very ennobling right? Every sensible person would want to purchase an adequate and proper plan to protect their loved ones right? It should be easy to assist anyone in purchasing insurance, if they believe any of those things, right? No one would ever want to make an insurance salesman joke right?
Well, “industry statistics state that as few as 19% of all new agents survive their first four years in the [insurance] business.” (Agent and Production & Survival , LIMRA, 2004) Many agents simply don’t understand the power of their position, and a hyper wary public can perceive financial motive for selling versus a principled approach.
Dr. Sziklai was a pioneer in the insurance advocating industry, assisting agents to advocate the core values of insurance to potential clients on commonly shared values ... including “protecting and passing on a legacy.” This changes the whole perception of seeing insurance agents as self serving to what insurance is and can be.
Instead as being viewed selling something they don’t need and your motive for why you are there ($), you are empowered as an agent to now be on equal ground because you are motivated by principles. You are an advocate who speaks for someone else, a defender! You speak for those who cannot speak for themselves (who would if they could or knew of the future dangers that could occur).
This system (think mindset), when properly understood and practiced by agents, will change from prospecting awkwardly with potential clients, to interacting with their peers as equals or even beyond.
Examples from his book include:
Setting phone appointments changes from people saying, “no, I already have an agent” and you responding to “ok” and basically leaving it at that ... to ... “responding positively and letting them know why their friend referred you to them, how meeting with you for 20 minutes can give them a sense of how they can take advantage of these options and to decide if they would like to look at them in any further detail.”
“Even at this point, if your prospective client declines, you are able encourage them if anything changes to give you a call and remind them their friend referred them to you ... reminding the prospective client their friend had their best interests in mind and that you might consider giving your friend a call telling him we talked and thank him/her for being a friend.”
If you are thinking of becoming an insurance agent, already an agent currently and want to grow your business on principles, or are a seasoned agent and want to avoid stagnation, and any of the above was a way you have never approached insurance and you would like to, this is the mindset (system) for you.
It is not a get rich quick, manipulation, or short term deal. This is a principled system, a disciplined mindset (if you will) for the long haul that will benefit your clients by the services or protection they now have, to sleep better at night. You will sleep better as well with enough clients to provide for you and your family as well.
These (his materials) are not available anymore! I haven’t seen them for a number years and thought these would serve you better than continuing to gather dust and sit on my shelf.
I would encourage you to look up his old insurance articles (there are still a few posted out there), he was the real deal!
I will say it again ... I hope that this post helps someone want to dust off an old copy in the office or want to find out how to be an Advocate! That is the key! Good luck!
Dr. Sziklai's Advocacy Insurance Selling System | eBay
