My Ideal Customer

There's an old saying in the life insurance business.  "There are only two reasons to buy life insurance;  you love someone or you owe someone money", which is of course means that virtually everyone should buy life insurance.  I agree with that, but that doesn't mean that everyone should buy it from me.  As much as I would like to have the commission from that many life insurance sales, there are only 24 hours in the day, and I'm not a good fit for everyone.  Just as there are many people who are great people individually but don't make a "love connection".

I don't often ask for referrals, but I get a lot of unsolicited ones.  I love when it happens, because there's no better indicator that I am doing a good job for a customer than he or she telling friends and family about me.  Most of the time it works great, but sometimes it's like an awful blind date.  That doesn't mean to not refer someone if you're not 100% sure it will work out.  I've been at this long enough that I'm not going to curl up in the corner and cry if I get rejected.  But I am going to publish this list so people have a better idea of the likelihood of me being a good match.

Here are characteristics of my ideal customer.  For me to be a good fit, we should match on at least a few of these.  

• Positive Attitude
• Non Smoker (Ex-smoker is even better)
• Athlete/competitor/fitness and health-oriented
•   Parent
• Goal-oriented/planner
• Self-employed
•  Has connections for people to refer to me.  A social person.  
• Open-mind
• Critical thinker
• Passionate
• Cares about others
•   Hates paying taxes
•   Into self-improvement
•  Odd/eccentric  Rebellious
•   Loves being outdoors

That is far from being a comprehensive list, but it's a good start.  They don't have to owe anyone any money, either.  Dave Ramsey followers are just fine with me.

100 Days of "Success"

My friend Calvin Johannsen issued this challenge a few days ago.  I'm taking him up on it.  I missed the first few days, but no time like the present.  I am challenging myself to publish every day for 100 days, or at least write content with the intent to publish.  I'm giving myself that "out" only for the times that I may be working on a longer piece that takes 2 or 3 days.


I journal fairly regularly.  I constantly come up with ideas of things to write about.  However, most of the time I'm the only one who reads what I write, and often I don't even read it after I write it.  A large part of that is that I am reluctant to publish anything that isn't polished.  So I'll write down an outline or rough draft of something, but then I get busy with something else and don't ever finish and publish it.  I will use this 100 days to break that habit.


Here is my first unpolished piece.  I wrote this a few days ago in a book I have called A Father's Legacy, a book I've had for several years and have been writing in sporadically.  Each page poses a question that I'm supposed to answer, the idea being that when I'm dead and gone then my kids or grandkids or other interested  parties will be privy to my vast wisdom.  I see no reason to wait.  It is also an appropriate topic to start this challenge since a lot of what I wrote about are things I've discussed with Calvin.  Here it is, unpolished but published.


How do you describe "success"?
Living your life on your own terms, doing what you want to do rather than what you have to do.  Or what others tell you to do.  Freedom.  I'm not there yet, but I'm gaining.  When people aren't "free", most often it's because of shackles that they have put on themselves.  For many, it's "stuff".  They put themselves in debt buying cars and houses and education that they could get for much less or don't need at all.   They trade their freedom for those things.  The successful person is one who can make sufficient money doing things he enjoys in order to have time to enjoy friends, family, adventure.  Success is owning one's own time, the most valuable thing in the world.