 
By Lucretia DiSanto Jones
Evidently it wasn't in the cards for John J. Kinkopf,
LUTCF, to have a lengthy career as an accountant. He graduated from
Ohio Wesleyan in 1989 with an accounting degree, went to work for
a firm and, to put it mildly, he didn't care for it very much. Something
had to give.
"I did some soul searching and decided that
a career in sales was the thing for me," John says. Fourteen
years later, John, now 37, is still in the insurance and financial
services business—doing exceptionally well, by the way. He's
a respected leader in both his local and state associations, and
he and his partner have plans to continue expanding their agency.
Throw in his training for a marathon and sharing his T-ball coaching
expertise with his daughter's team, and you've got to wonder when
he sleeps.
This time crunch explains why Advisor Today
had to snag him by cell phone as he headed to the airport.
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"Members who are successful MDRT producers are always
willing to share their success stories, and maybe more importantly,
their failures."
—John J. Kinkopf,
LUTCF
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Putting down roots
Once John realized an accountant's life wasn't for him, his father-in-law,
longtime NAIFA member Edgar Haudenschild, hooked him up with some
insurance folks in Cleveland. John was grateful, of course, but
he also wanted to get a feel for what it'd be like to “sell
in the country.”
After spending time with Edgar in Loudonville,
John liked the small-town atmosphere and decided to put down roots
in his father-in-law's shop, the Haudenschild Agency. Eventually
John and his brother-in-law Eric acquired the agency, which has
been around for more than six decades. "We've been blessed
in that we've been around since 1937 in the same location. We've
been able to maximize existing relationships. Most of our clients
are farmers or small-business owners, and we bring a team approach
to our clients," he says.
John's multiline expertise and Eric's financial
planning savvy have proven to be a winning combination for their
clients. "We try to maximize their current coverage and financial
situation," John says.
Early indoctrination
In addition to bringing him into the business, John's father-in-law
brought him into NAIFA—sort of. Truth be told, he didn't really
have much of a choice. "Since the first six months that I was
in the business, I was told I was going to be a member. It was indoctrinated
in me early in my career."
John is grateful that Edgar pushed him toward
NAIFA.
"I definitely get a lot out of NAIFA. The
members who are successful MDRT producers are always willing to
share their success stories, and maybe more importantly, their failures.
Everyone has had failures. I have clients with whom I am 99 percent
sure of closing a sale, and then it doesn't happen. Knowing that
lifetime MDRT producers have the same obstacles helps to keep you
going."
John became heavily involved in his local association
five years after joining NAIFA. "I was asked to be on the board,”
he explains, and worked his way up the committees. "Now I'm
the treasurer of the state association."
What is the greatest benefit of NAIFA membership,
according to John? "Advocacy, absolutely," he responds.
"There's no doubt in my mind, because the legislation that
comes down can affect my livelihood."
A huge difference
John is also a huge proponent of NAIFA's Leadership in Life Institute
(LILI), of which he is a graduate. Now he's a moderator.
"I told my partner and my wife that I wanted
to do it and that it would be quite a time commitment and they supported
me," says John, who had to travel to Pittsburgh for his LILI
classes. "It's made a huge difference in my relationships with
my partner, at home with my wife and with my daughter."
John hopes that over the next 10 years, the team
that he and Eric built will continue to grow and thrive. He also
would like to leave a positive impact on the association and widen
LILI's reach in Ohio.
Unlike his father-in-law, John thinks he will
retire some day. "I thoroughly enjoy what I do," he says,
"but hopefully we'll groom successors to run the agency. I
think that some day 30 years from now, I will walk out the back
door and not come back."
April 2005
A Lesson
Twice Learned
Converting
Prospects into Clients and Clients into Advocates
The Give-Get
Ratio
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