Insure and Be Secure

quot;Most people think that being a life insurance agent is a worthless job. No one acknowledges the amount of hard work that goes in it...

quot;Most people think that being a life insurance agent is a worthless job. No one acknowledges the amount of hard work that goes in it,quot; says LIC agent Ramakant Desai. And he should know.

Desai has taken his earnings from Rs 152 per month to Rs 20 lakh per year through agent8217;s commissions. Not a bad day8217;s work for a man who became a part of the Life Insurance Company, in 1972. Twenty-one years later, Desai brought in business worth Rs eight crore for LIC 8212; the biggest insurance deal ever, in India, by a Key Man. The deal 8212; which was clicked in three months 8212; was actually a 18-month-long process. He had met client Mukesh Patel, of Autoriders, when he bought his first vehicle. Though Desai made it a point to keep in touch, they never discussed business. Having initially said that he doesn8217;t believe in insurance, Mukesh helped Desai set a record.

And earn the title of Chairman Club Member8217; 8212; a designation awarded by the LIC and regarded as the highest achievement in India. His winning strategy: Desaifirmly believes that first you make friends and then business will follow. quot;Don8217;t expect something and develop a relationship. People are not fools, they can make out your motive,quot; he says.

Desai, himself, is driven by the motive to be an all-round winner. The 57- year-old qualified as a delegate for the Million Dollar Round Table MDRT 8212; a worldwide organisation of life insurance agents based in America 8212; for the sixth time, this year. The MDRT has about 20,000 members from all over the world and the membership 8212; valid only for a year 8212; is decided strictly on professional excellence. To qualify as a delegate, an agent has to earn a minimum figure pre-set by the MDRT. The amount for the year 1997 was Rs 3,42,200, on first year commission, excluding the renewable commission of the earlier years. Desai earned Rs 10.3 lakh, in 1997 8212; three times that of the set limit. His commission also earned him the title of Court of the Table8217; that was presented to him at a five-day conference, in Chicago.

Is hesatisfied? Yes and no. Desai has set his sights on the title Top of the Table8217; for 1998. All he has to do is earn six-times the MDRT limit. quot;The limit is set for Rs 3,73,500. You have to earn this commission on 25 lives. People are expecting me to win,quot; he says.