Leading Into Change

Twenty-seven-year MDRT member Julian H. Good Jr., CLU, ChFC, steps into the 2011 MDRT Presidency at a time when the global economy moves cautiously toward recovery and the financial services industry re-evaluates its place in a changing world. He's prepared to lead MDRT through this new economic landscape with strength developed by his survival of business and natural disasters.

While perseverance has been essential to Good's ability to weather difficult times, he identifies MDRT membership as the most significant factor in his professional success. ""Being a member of MDRT has helped shaped my life,"" he told Main Platform attendees during his incoming Presidential address at the 2010 MDRT Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ""It helped me deal with a multitude of challenges we all face.""

New Orleans mindset
Like many producers, Good, of New Orleans, Louisiana, did not have aspirations of entering the life insurance business. But throughout his life, he had a quality all MDRT members share: ambition. ""I've been a worker with a strong drive since I was a little kid,"" he revealed. His drive to succeed, coupled with his experiences growing up in New Orleans, unknowingly prepared him for a career in the insurance industry.

Spending his formative years in a city known for its friendly vibe and openness to others, Good developed a natural ability to relate to people from different backgrounds. During his teenage years, jobs in the construction and restaurant industries helped him understand how hard his fellow employees had to work to earn a living. While waiting tables and shucking (opening) oysters at a restaurant on New Orleans' famous Bourbon Street, Good learned the art of selling. ""You have to be able talk to people, or you're not going to get tips,"" he explained.

Discovering his passion
Although he had worked all types of jobs, Good had no specific plans when he enrolled in Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, in the early 1970s. An avid reader, he majored in English literature. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, he learned about business while working in production, merchandising and design for a large manufacturer of men's neckwear. Witnessing the ability of the company's salespeople to make a lot of money based on their performance, Good decided to make his way into sales. His father-in-law, who was in the life insurance business, convinced him to meet with a general agent at Mutual Benefit Life. While he had already decided the insurance industry was not for him, a six-hour meeting with the agent ignited a spark in Good. In 1982, at age 26, he began his career as an agent with Mutual Benefit.

At the time, Good recalled, the country was in the midst of an economic recession that had hit New Orleans particularly hard. ""I got in at about the worst time,"" he said. Challenged by the economy and scared of looking foolish, it took him three months to make his first sale. But he soaked up the knowledge of other producers, reading books by MDRT legends he looked up to, putting his hands on any training material he could find, attending local association meetings and listening to other life insurance professionals.

He found a perfect fit in the Capital Need Analysis (CNA) system created by the late Thomas J. Wolff, CLU, ChFC, a 51-year MDRT member from Manchester, Connecticut. Using a CNA fact-finder, book and audiotape, Good qualified for MDRT with his 1983 production — his first full year in the business — and every year since. ""It was my fact-finder and sales presentation then, and to a great degree, it still is,"" he said.

His initial success can be attributed to more than a particular system. Good was able to increase his production through the adoption of habits that he consistently practiced:

• Schedule 10 to 15 appointments a week.
• Write a minimum of 100 lives a year.
• Work 60 to 70 hours a week.
• Develop a system for getting referred leads.

Facing disaster
During the next several years, Good's business grew as he built his client base. Then, in 1991 — just after stretching his personal finances to buy a new home — he faced the first major hurdle of his career when he opened the newspaper to learn that his primary company had filed for bankruptcy.

""Suddenly, all my clients had serious and understandable trust issues with me,"" Good said. The producers in the New Orleans Mutual Benefit office searched for an affiliate and joined MetLife, where he remains. He said his disciplined habits, the guidance of MDRT friends and strong client relationships helped put him back on the track to success by the end of 1992.

Several weeks after MDRT held its 2005 MDRT Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Good faced another unexpected challenge when Hurricane Katrina hit his hometown, and the levee system protecting the city failed, flooding 80 percent of it.

He was on a weekend trip with his wife, Wendy, and then-teenage daughters, Allison and Emily, when the hurricane made landfall. The flood destroyed his home and most of the family's belongings, and he couldn't gain access to his office building for months. ""I had no idea where most of my clients were,"" he said. ""I didn't know if I had any business to return to. But I did have my MDRT friends. They helped me through those dark days.""

Good and his family returned to New Orleans four months later, and he rebuilt his practice once again. The idea of starting a new life elsewhere wasn't an option. ""I love my city,"" said Good, whose passion for New Orleans is shared by his family. ""If you're going to live here, you have to love it because we're susceptible to Mother Nature.""

Built on relationships
Today, Good's business is thriving, as evidenced by his three Court of the Table and three Top of the Table qualifications. His practice focuses on estate and retirement planning, business insurance, and nonqualified and qualified retirement plans. Most of his new business comes from referrals.

Good's ideal clients are small- and medium-size businesses with whom he can build long-term relationships. ""I really have to like these individuals,"" he said. ""From a relationship standpoint, they have to be people who trust me.""

He considers himself to be a problem solver, but to be effective, his clients also must be willing to spend the time to help address their own problems. ""Ideally, the client has to love someone or something — whether it be their family, business, charity, etc.,"" he explained.

MDRT and industry growth
When Good began working in financial services, all the producers at his agency were MDRT members, and they encouraged him to make membership his goal. ""They told me, 'You're considered mediocre until you qualify for MDRT,'"" he said.

Although he worked hard to earn membership, it wasn't until he attended his first Annual Meeting in 1984 that he began to fully understand the benefits of MDRT involvement. ""Exposure to the ideas at each Annual Meeting has allowed me to grow in ways beyond my wildest expectations,"" he said. ""The key is to attend each year to keep learning and growing.""

In an effort to give back, Good started volunteering for MDRT in 1987, serving with the Program General Arrangements Committee as a special guest greeter. Since then, he has served on numerous committees and task forces, and his extensive MDRT résumé includes leadership positions as a Chair and Divisional Vice President.

Like all MDRT members, Good said, he has a strong desire to help others. A Diamond Knight and Steward of the MDRT Foundation, he helped construct a home in New Orleans during the 2006 MDRT Foundation/Habitat for Humanity home build. His service to his community began in his early 20s, when he got involved in the United Way. Several years later, he began to focus on local association chapters. He is past president of the Greater New Orleans Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the New Orleans chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals and, most recently, the New Orleans Estate Planning Council.

Describing his wife and daughters as the ""loves of my life,"" Good recognizes that his family's support allows him to devote a significant amount of time to serving the industry.

Executive Committee priorities
As Good enters his fourth year on the Executive Committee, he said the organization's chief focus is to lead the industry by example through its meetings, the work of its staff and superb financial management. To ensure MDRT's global vision remains relevant in the future, he revealed some of what the upcoming organizational year — when he takes office September 1 as MDRT President — will offer:

Income qualification method. Effective for the 2010 production year, producers with more than one year of MDRT membership will be able to qualify for the Round Table based on $150,000 in annual gross income attributable to approved insurance and financial products. Global vision. MDRT will continue to maintain and grow its geographic and cultural diversity by strengthening its relationships with life insurance companies around the world.

Remain relevant. MDRT will continue its efforts to remain relevant year-round by consistently providing members with content — including Webinars, podcasts and videos — that will help them grow their businesses.

Whole Person. MDRT is committed to helping members reach their full potential through the Whole Person concept. During the 2010 Annual Meeting, MDRT unveiled a new Whole Person logo and tagline: MDRT Whole Person: Balancing work, life, success.

Mentoring. The mentoring program will be redesigned to better meet the needs of potential members worldwide. The 2011 Mentoring Committee will develop fresh content that mentors and aspirants can use as part of the mentoring program.

Policy. MDRT's Constitution and Bylaws will be reviewed, revised and modernized.

Simplified application. Beginning in 2011, both Life and Qualifying and Life members will have a simplified membership application.

""The Million Dollar Round Table will continue to succeed whether times are good or bad,"" Good said. ""Why? Our members succeed when others don't, and we have member volunteers who are passionate about MDRT and its future success. Our productivity gets us into MDRT, and by being involved, MDRT gets into us.""