January 27, 1923. WOMEN IN LIFE INSURANCE EDITION; INSURANCE ADVOCATE 7
move on the part of fate to make insurance the big thing in my life, and it came when the Editor who had selected me, outlined courses to which I objected, in consequence of which I did less writing and devoted more time to insurance.
Now other interests were crowded out of my mind—I read insurance magazines, studied policy forms, listened to anyone who would talk insurance, whether he knew anything about the subject or not, observed the type of men in the business, (there were no women in the business in this section) and thanks to the company which spares no expense to fit its representatives to give the best possible service, found myself growing in wisdom. Incidentally this same company later on offered its representatives a further opportunity by means of a correspondence course—and it is with pleasure that I credit whatever success I have attained to their untiring efforts in training agents.
ANNIE M. F. SHERMAN
What constitutes scuccess? To my mind it is not necessarily volume, but the consciousness of each clays work well done. If I write a thousand dollar application, that day I proclaim 1 am writing at the rate of $365,000 a year. Like the new agent who wrote a $100,000, case for a friend. That week he was asked: "How do you like the business ?" "Oh, great," he re-plied enthusiastically. "I wrote $100,-000 this week." At the end of his first month he was again asked how he was getting on and he replied, "Pretty well, wrote $100,000 thi: month." When he finished his year he was asked how he made out and he answered: "Fair, wrote $100,000 this year."
Personally I have paid for $213,000 this year with six weeks more in which to reach the quarter million mark I hope. The woman who led our company last year paid for $450,-000 which answers your question "Are there opportunities for women in life insurance ?" The woman with education and ambition will find in this
profession a broader and freer scope for her talents than in any other line. Her activities bring her in touch with the great and small, the person who has reached the summit and the be-ginner who has to learn from her oft times the first lesson of thrift.
Recently I wrote a young woman, on whom I had previously called three years ago. She recognized me at once and remarked: "Oh Mrs. Sherman, only the other day I was speaking of you. I came to my office with another girl and we talked of saving and I told her I never even thought of saving until you called on me."
The lesson of thrift which she gleaned from my first call will doubt-less prove more valuable to her throughout life, than the $1,000 I tried to sell her, but did not. The quick sympathy which is necessary to the successful woman will often find expression and help someone less fortunate to see the light. There was no financial gain in my call on
widow struggling to educate three children. She stated "I couldn't buy insurance if you were selling it for ten cents." I laughed as I told her: "well if you can't buy it, let me teach you to sell it." That year she had her first party dress—simple to be sure, but it meant everything to her and when after her eldest daughter was graduated from college, I attended the mother's funeral, and arranged for the payment of the insurance which she wrote herself, I was glad I had helped to make the last few years of her life less of a drudgery.
So to every woman who is ambitious I recommend life insurance as a profession, and predict not only the reward which heaven promises to those who help themselves, but the greater reward clue those who help others to help themselves.
LIFE INSURANCE—THE FOUND-
ATION OF CIVILIZATION
By G. Skinner, New York Life at
Detroit.
Life insurance to me is the foundation of Christian civilization. Only a
highly developed, civilized nation is capable of altruism, and the degree of altruism it has attained measures its interest in life insurance. I mean life insurance in its fundamental meaning—protection for others. Could
you hope to interest a barbaric nation in safeguarding its women and children? No, such a nation would follow the philosophy of Nietzsche—"the survival of the fittest"—and we know what that philosophy has recently cost the world.
Any man can be sold life insurance through his love for his wife and children or if not, through his pride in maintaining and developing some-thing that belongs to him. Show a
man that life insurance is simply the replacement of his earning capacity and that his responsibility does not cease at his death. Study your client, visualize his needs and show him the
G. SKINNER
picture. That is all there is to selling life insurance—that and a belief in your heart that you are doing the greatest work in the world. That conviction will carry you over any rough spots in the road and there will be many such spots, as it is human nature to put off providing for future needs, when present needs and pleasures are pressing. When a man knows in his heart that ne should have the thing you offer and yet does not want to buy, he will be on the defensive and he is liable to be antagonistic. Then only your belief in your work will give you the courage to op-pose that attitude.
There is no royal road to success in selling life insurance. The only prescription I could give you would be an unshakeable belief in the world's need for your services and hard work.
Women are responsible for the success of the home. They keep the hearth fires going. When a mother has to leave the home to go into the
world to earn funds for the education and maintenance of her children, turning over the daily care of the home and children to someone else, then the
me becomes simply a house. Surely women realize that more than anyone else and that realizatien should make them better fighters for life insurance as protection.
I entered the life insurance profession January, 1920 and while I have ''d a little insurance, I feel that considering the opportunities around me have not yet gotten into my stride.
Best wishes for the success of women in the greatest profession in the world.
