Sign Me Up, Jim!

I remember thinking: "If even 60% of what you're telling me is true, then it's worth me checking it out."  That's what I thought almost a month ago when he was telling me about Primerica.

I'm referring to Jim, and Jim is now my trainer for Primerica.  He has reached the level of Regional Vice President within the Primerica food chain and actually lives several houses down the street from me.  Prior to this, I had known him to see him around the neighborhood.  My wife would notice him almost every morning walking his youngest son down to the bus stop.  We would see him later in the evening in front of his house or walking his dog on our family walk through the neighborhood.  He was always a nice guy, quick to offer a friendly hello.

One day he asked to meet with us, to talk about what he does and see if it could benefit us.  He never said financial services, but I knew what he was getting at.  I didn't mind- he was a nice guy and everybody has to make money some how.  Plus, we had been procrastinating setting up any type of savings plan for our kids, so I knew this could at least get a step closer.

He gave us the spiel, and almost instantly had my attention.  He came in with the intention of "hooking" me I'm sure, and he did everything right.  With previous companies, I had heard all the money making lines such as, "There's a lot of money changing hands, and we get piece every time it does."  Don't get me wrong, with Primerica there's definitely a little hype with buzz phrases like "financially independent" and "discovering freedom."  However there's also a strong sense of helping families, particularly when people live to short (life insurance) or live to long (retirement funds).  Jim delivered a company spiel, but it's obvious to me that he believes everything he says.

He has good reason to believe everything he says- it's worked for him so far.  He's been with Primerica for over 20 years.  His wife is a stay-at-home mom for their 3 kids, one of which is in college.  His house (and his income) compares with most physicians I work with at the hospital.  I've listened attentively to everything he has said, and I found no holes in his story.  He's worked hard for Primerica, and it's clear that Primerica has worked for him.

Of course, success isn't for everybody in this business.  In fact, most people who try this don't finish.  Out of 10 people, around 3 will pass the life insurance exam and join the team.  Many quit during the training process, and Jim describes them as people giving up too easily.  I'm the exact opposite.  I may pick my battles for strategy, but I'm not a quitter.  I might even hate what I'm doing, but I always finish what I start.  Jim may not know what he's gotten into!

When I agreed to sign on, I told him that I wouldn't buy any of his products until I started making some money.  This was my way of making sure he sticks with me, and he agreed on my strategy.  He's been quite complimentary of me so far, some of which I'm sure is learned affirmation from Primerica.  On the other hand, he's done this long enough to know who might succeed and who won't.  He's placed me in the succeeding category- I sure hope he's right.

In the meantime, I'm continuing to setup my training appointments and study for the life insurance exam.  I've already made my first training sale (with Jim doing most of the work).  I also get a nice little bonus if one of the sales also decides to give this business a try.  My schedule is much tighter than I prefer since I'm working full-time and having a busy family life, but I'm hoping this will all pay off in the long run.

In case you were wondering, to sign the independent business agreement, the application fee is $99.  Then after that there is a fee of $25/month.  That's actually small money (my wife can blow a lot more than that in a weekend) since Primerica seems to give so much more, including covering the fees for the life insurance exam and state licence.  I'm also discovering all the tax deductions for having my own business- those are worth it, too!