The insurance career can be tough. If you are going through tough times and self-doubt at the moment, get inspired and an understanding of this “hard work and self-discipline period”.
Mr Tan Lay Seong, Insurance Agency Leader of the Year at the 3rd Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards 2018, shares his “philosophy of suffering” in the book “The Champion Path”:
A person’s life is filled with ups and downs. Everyone is destined to go through a period of hardship in life.
“If we have to experience 10 catties of suffering within our lifetime, then I wish to suffer all of it in the speediest manner and in the shortest time possible!”
Since young, Lay Seong has developed a strong and persistent desire through his childhood experience; a desire to work hard and break away from poverty.
“If you are afraid of hardship, then you will experience hardship for the rest of your life.” We will never become poor in this life as long as we have the right attitude and career-building spirit.
With a great spirit to build his career, he took the pain of hard work as a challenge and motivation to life.
He worked hard but did not complain, and eventually built his insurance business successfully.
Define suffering
Suffering is the best philosophy to gain success; you must know the different layers of suffering.
What industries or jobs do not require “suffering” or hard work? It’s just how we define suffering.
Therefore, you should have the “attitude” to deal with suffering, but do not be bogged down by the “mentality” of suffering.
You should have the patience to deal with the bitterness of suffering but do not be tortured by this suffering.
If a person has never worked hard, it will be difficult for him to accumulate wealth. Success is a result of hard work!
(Credit: Tan Lay Seong facebook page)
Life is like a story
Life is like a story. It is not measured by the length, but the quality and the content in the story. If a person takes everything for granted, then there will be no memorable moments in life.
Many times when he encountered setbacks in his life or career, Lay Seong would just console himself and laugh about the problems. He tried to find happiness in hardship.
For him, choosing life insurance as a career is like crossing a rough river; you can only move forward and there’s no turning back. If you turn back, you will feel embarrassed to tell your counterparts that you did not make it to the other side of the river bank.
Even though life is filled with tears and sorrows, life after hardship is beautiful.
If you are heading in the right tracks, you will not be afraid of the distance. If you have opened your eyes to enjoy the breeze, do not complain about the tiny sands blown into your face. Just stand up straight and stride forward.
The art and right attitude of building a successful career
To build a successful career, a person needs to endure criticism that is hard to be accepted generally, do things that are not attainable by normal people and be persistent till the end.
Every person that refuses to buy insurance and every objection given are the best lessons learnt for Lay Seong. This enables him to realise his weaknesses and that he needs to enhance his skills and knowledge.
He knows that if he continues to learn from mistakes, he will be a better person. Overcoming these challenges are actually opportunities to polish up one’s skills and abilities.
The work of an insurance agent begins when he’s being turned down. This is the rule of the game of the insurance career.
Lay Seong said that an insurance agent should cultivate the ability to combat stress and to develop a protective shield that is able to withstand frustrations.
For newcomers, when they try to get a feel of the industry, the first three months is the perilous period that will determine their future. If they do not handle this period properly, they can be “kicked out of the game” anytime!
Have faith
Insurance agents who do not stand firm on their grounds or have the right faith will find themselves trapped in a dilemma – thinking that selling insurance is just to make money from relatives and friends.
This will kill their confidence to face their potential customers and eventually choose to avoid confrontation.
The agent should go back to basics to understand the values and meaning of insurance and question himself his purpose to get involved in the insurance industry in the first place.
“The task of the insurance agent is to propose various alternatives to customers, for them to choose the best solution to plan for their future. Whether it’s for themselves, or their beloved family members, preparing for rainy days should not be delayed.”
For successfully grooming a pipeline of advisers and managers through his management system, consistent high performance, active contributions to society and in raising the image of the industry, Mr Tan Lay Seong was named Insurance Agency Leader of the Year at the 3rd Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards 2018.
Watch his acceptance speech here:
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