TOT Q&A: Glen Wong, a seven-year MDRT member from Hong Kong, China

What were the biggest challenges preventing you from moving from Court of the Table to Top of the Table?

Some people may say it’s the network, the quality of your prospects or the knowledge. I’ve always said these are important pillars for getting to Top of the Table, but the keystone of this is belief. It’s the belief that whatever happens and however much time is left, we still believe we are at the Top of the Table level. We believe we deserve to have success.

What are the most significant changes you made to overcome those difficulties, and how could you tell that the changes were working? What should others know about how to follow your example?

Continuing to believe is the toughest. To overcome these difficulties, I have to be very aware of my self-talk and my state of mind all the time, especially during challenging periods. Some of the things that have helped me are meditation, daily morning exercise, reading, self-affirmations, visualizations and reviewing my goals. I do these things from 5:30 to 7 a.m. every morning and for me this morning routine has really helped.

What roadblocks did you encounter during this process? What else had to be adjusted that you didn’t expect?

The roadblock is definitely being persistent. Being persistent about committing to these habits no matter how good or how bad you feel when you wake up. Especially when you’re first starting out because you might not see any benefits in the first month or even in the first six months, so it’s very easy to stop or quit. Sometimes you might miss a day and you think it’s OK. Then missing a day would be missing a week, and we are back at what we were doing before. Getting back to old habits will just get you old results.

How did you utilize MDRT to help move to the next level?

MDRT definitely helped me get to the next level. Attending Annual Meetings every year has definitely helped me in getting from MDRT to Court of the Table and Top of the Table. However, just by attending won’t do the magic; it’s applying what we learned. That’s when the magic happens.

How long did it take between when you first became a member and when you first reached Top of the Table? How long did it take to go from Court of the Table to Top of the Table?

My first year in the business I attained MDRT, my second year in the business I became Court of the Table, and my third year I achieved Top of the Table.

How else have you grown and changed to get to where you are now, and how do you track these changes to measure your performance? What specifically would you advise to other members looking to make the same progress?

Besides believing that I deserve to be  Top of the Table and that I am a Top of the Table member, I also believe like attracts like. Surrounding yourself with Top of the Table members or at least communicating with them through emails, messages or even over a coffee would definitely help. From MDRT to Court of the Table and Top of the Table, it’s about how you use your time more efficiently. Everybody has 24 hours in a day; how come someone can achieve more within the same period of time? Are all your activities generating business or just admin work? Is there anything you can delegate?

How have you engaged with MDRT during your membership?

Annual Meetings for sure. Top of the Table Annual Meetings, contributing in PGA and MCC, and this year in PDC as well. And sometimes when you need sales ideas, or when you want to go on Netflix, why not try mdrt.org or the MDRT App to watch the videos on there?

How can MDRT help support members once they reach Top of the Table?

To have more members reach other Top of the Table members, have a Top of the Table mentoring program.