Early in my career, I was under the mistaken impression that successful agents or advisors had some secret that I didn’t have, and I was going to go out and find it. But what I learned early in my career is that most successful people simply work harder and longer than those who don’t. They are more persistent. In his book, “Talent Is Overrated,” Geoffrey Colvin focused on interviewing the most successful professional athletes and CEOs of major corporations in America. He found out, without exception, that talent was not the key driver of success. It was the persistency and the willingness to continue to work. A good friend of mine was fond of saying, “The only place ‘success’ comes before ‘work’ is in the dictionary,” and that is so true. If you are willing to work hard and then work smart, you can achieve anything.

When I got on the Executive Committee six years ago, I was the only member at the time who was not producing at Top of the Table level. I had been a Court of the Table producer for 24 years. I was pretty comfortable doing that; I had a nice lifestyle. But, frankly, I had gotten a little lazy. I had not pushed myself, and I decided that it would be important for me to do Top of the Table production. I turned to a technique that I used early in my career to make MDRT: I said, “What’s the goal?”

I pulled up MDRT’s production chart that lists the three ways you can qualify for MDRT production. You can use commissions, premium or income. At the time, I chose, and still use today, commissions from the products we sell. It turned out that to make Top of the Table in 2019, I needed to produce on average $46,000 in first-year commissions every single month. So, what I began to do was to put this on the whiteboard in the office and subtract every case that I wrote and eventually got paid for that month. If I did my $46,000 of production that month, the next month the goal was another $46,000. If I did more than $46,000, my goal was still to do $46,000 the next month. But if I didn’t do $46,000, let’s say I only did $40,000, then I needed to add that $6,000 shortfall the following month. I made it in the first month; I fell behind in months two and three.

I can tell you that I made Top of the Table in 2015, and it took me all the way to December to do it. But now I typically make Top of the Table by June or July because I have got systems up and running. So, if you are going to do a stretch goal, go public, tell people, hold yourself accountable, and report your progress to your peer group.

The other big factor in my practice was working on a referral-only basis. Once I started working with lawyers, and we had some expertise in that marketplace, one of the great things I would do was go to them and say, “You know, sometime when my workload lets up, I’m going to call on your partners. Here’s a list of the people I intend to talk to. Would you mind reviewing it and telling me if there’s anybody that you think I shouldn’t call on or who would be the first person that you would contact if you were me?” Then I’d ask, “Would it be OK if I shared the fact that we work together?”

If they said yes, I’d say, “Well, would you be willing to introduce me?” “Yes.” “OK. Well, how about we get together for breakfast or lunch?”

Again, if they had some influence or prestige, they almost always took the meeting. For example, if I was sitting with a partner in the firm and he or she introduced me to an associate, that associate would always see me. It made marketing and prospecting so much easier. Another thing I determined was if I asked anybody if they knew someone who needed insurance or needed our services, they could never think of anybody. So, I spent some time and went through my files and developed fact patterns where we used insurance to help people solve their problems. As part of my policy delivery, or on a review, I would pull out this page and hand it to them.

I’d say, “Look, I’m expanding my business, and I need your help. Whom do you know who makes $250,000 a year in earned income or has a net worth of at least $4 million? Whom do you know who has a family or closely held business? Whom do you know who has a key person in that business who would be impacted financially if he or she were killed or disabled? Whom do you know who’s going to retire in the next 10 years? Whom do you know who has the most economic potential of anybody in your circle?” My favorite is, “Whom do you know who’s pleasant and appreciates good service?” If you give them a fact pattern like that, frequently they can think of someone. Once you have that name, you can say, “Tell me a little bit about them. What do they do? How do you know them?”

Again, “Would you be willing to let me tell them that you’re my client and that we work together and you felt it to be a beneficial relationship?” If they say yes, it’s sort of the nose of the camel under the tent. The next question is “Would you be willing to introduce me?” Ideally, over a breakfast or lunch, but if they’re not willing to do that: “How about you pick up the phone and tell them that I’m so good, I walk on water, and they’ve simply got to meet me?” We laugh at that, but it’s a wonderful way to do business. I include this in every policy delivery binder that I share with a client in our annual reviews, and it has helped immensely.

James D. Pittman, CLU, CFP, of Portland, Oregon, is a 46-year MDRT member with 16 Court of the Table and eight Top of the Table qualifications who served as MDRT President in 2018. A Platinum Knight of the MDRT Foundation, he is also a member of its Inner Circle Society and has served on its Board of Trustees. Pittman is founder and president of Insurance Consulting Services Inc., an affiliate firm of M Benefit Solutions. He is a sought-after speaker for lawyers, CPAs, financial planners and other industry groups on the structure and proper use of life, disability and long-term care policies.