By Lucretia DiSanto Jones

Jim McCarty had just returned home from the Marine Corps when he got a call that his father had died. It was completely unexpected, and McCarty didn't know what to do.

Through his sister, he met Bob Gallivan, a successful insurance agent with Minnesota Mutual. Gallivan took McCarty to the hospital, helped him make funeral arrangements and did the legwork to find out the type of insurance McCarty's father had. A friendship was born.

Success, then a brick wall
As time passed, McCarty became more and more awed by Gallivan's sales skills and less enamored of his own electronics sales job. He was so impressed by Gallivan and others in the industry that he decided to enter the life insurance business. A year of instant success followed as he sold to friends and family. But then his career faltered.

NAIFA to the rescue
Instead of calling it quits, however, McCarty attended a meeting of the St. Paul Life Underwriters Association, where the now industry-famous Tom Wolff shared a number of sales ideas. McCarty used one of the ideas, sold his next three prospects and found his enthusiasm for the life insurance industry rekindled. In turn, NAIFA found a great proponent.

"You've got to be committed to professionalism and get involved. And I don't mean just joining and going to the monthly meetings." —Jim McCarty

Give and take
Now vice president of insurance sales for American Express Financial Advisors and a disability income (DI) insurance expert, McCarty is quick to note that he doesn't just take from the association. He gives back—something he believes every member should do.

"I speak at association meetings about the CIA: commitment, involvement and accountability," he says. "You've got to be committed to professionalism and get involved. And I don't mean joining and going to the monthly meetings. NAIFA constantly has an oar in the water helping us out, especially when it comes to legislative issues. In return, I hold myself accountable to NAIFA."

At the 2003 NAIFA Convention and Career Conference in Kansas City this September, McCarty will present a workshop titled "Whatcha Gonna Do When the Well Runs Dry?" During this fast-paced session, attendees will learn the essential parts of a DI insurance policy, the myths behind most consumer objections to buying DI insurance and the techniques advisors can use to overcome those objections. McCarty will also reveal the true probability of someone experiencing a disability and how best to respond to people who think it is wise to self-insure.

Enthusiasm, commitment, conviction
McCarty is jazzed about the opportunity to speak at the convention. "I'm a fun presenter and a passionate person," he says. "I'm going to reinvigorate participants' enthusiasm, commitment and conviction to our business--particularly the sale of life and DI. Advisors have to understand what they're really selling. As advisors, they should look to position DI as a product people will want. That's what we'll talk about."

While McCarty is looking forward to sharing his experiences, he sees camaraderie as the top reason to attend the convention. "It's about the camaraderie--not the joke telling, but the networking. You pick up news along the way and gain new perspectives that will help you become more professional. You also gain sales strategies and techniques that are shared by practitioners, not academicians. At the last NAIFA convention, Marv Feldman shared 10 rules for success in selling. I quote him all the time. They're spot on."

For more information on the 2003 NAIFA Convention and Career Conference and McCarty's presentation, visit www.naifa.org/convention2003.

Web Columns

Media Watch

Top     LEGAL NOTICES     Contact Webmaster    

Change/Renew NAIFA Membership     Get Advisor Today: Join NAIFA

© Advisor Today 2003. All Rights Reserved.