Who: Angela Gaw-Flores, five-year MDRT member from Quezon City, Philippines
Background: My niche market is mainly Chinese business owners living near my residence. I see at least three people a day. My clients seldom give direct referrals; instead, they invite me to events and introduce me to friends.
What happened: Last November, a friend called me and mentioned that their company was planning to set up a group retirement plan. Since I am not that familiar with group retirement, I wanted to have someone from our head office come with me. Unfortunately, the person was not available. I couldn’t move the appointment, and had to do this on my own.
I learned the company had scheduled presentations from different insurance companies, and this would be a marathon presentation from various insurance companies.
I requested to be the last to present. In the boardroom, when I was setting up my laptop, I was told the company’s directors wanted to have a fast presentation. I asked how long my allotted time would be, and was told I would have only 15 minutes.
It was really challenging, but I was able to create an interactive presentation. The board asked questions, and I answered them all confidently.
When I stepped out of the room, I learned that the representative of one company was not allowed to present anymore because his partner came in late, so I was glad I took the initiative and handled the presentation on my own.
Lessons learned
- Always be punctual.
- Always be familiar with all of your company's products.
- Always be ready.
- There is no second chance. Therefore, be good at what you do, all the time.
Cristine T. Tan, LUTCF, a 14-year MDRT member from Quezon City, Philippines, and a member of the Client Strategies Task Force, contributed to this article.
