by David and Tracy Bell | Sep 11, 2024
Everyone who was alive at the time has a memory of 9/11. I had been in New York on business the weekend before, attending the grand opening of a client’s restaurant next to the World Trade Center, along with some colleagues. We also went to a Yankees game and enjoyed a beautiful Italian festival in Port Washington.
I had a ticket to return on 9/11, but as fate would have it, I had to rush back to Charlotte for business and flew out on 9/10. Many of my friends and family didn’t know I had returned early, so my phone was constantly ringing that day.
It feels strange to think about how close I was to the tragedy. While my experience is nothing compared to the immense loss and bravery witnessed that day, it truly changed me. I think it changed all of us. I hope our country never forgets how we felt that day.
by David and Tracy Bell | Aug 28, 2024
All Syndicated and PayGo Plus offices will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 2, 2024.
by David and Tracy Bell | Jun 25, 2024
You want to be successful in your insurance business. Some agents dive in feet first and cross their fingers as they wish for success. Other brokers make a plan and follow it. With either approach, most of us check the box: project/business launch completed. And we quickly move onto the next thing… Right?! We tend to “set it and forget it,” like a Ron Popeil commercial.
While there may be a handful of people this approach works for, the rest of us typically aren’t as fortunate.
If we want to be successful, we need to continually learn and seek ways to improve our insurance business.
Sure, we all know outlandish brokers and agents who run through life jumping from one shiny object thing to the next. While they appear to be successful, they actually leave a wake of chaos and destruction in their path. (The aftermath of a hurricane comes to mind.)
Shiny-object brokers may experience momentary success, but it isn’t sustainable over the long term.
So how can you beat the odds and establish a foundation to propel your insurance business forward systematically?
From a marketing perspective, we recommend creating a strategic plan that you follow like a roadmap. But let’s say you already have a plan. How do you ensure forward momentum and keep up with the accelerated pace of today?
Here are a few guidelines to consider following:
- Continually Learn. Keep reading, searching and listening. With today’s information highway, the options for learning are limitless. From webinars to podcasts to social media platforms – all you have to do is plug in, absorb, digest and apply what you discover.
- Share What You Learn. Keep posting and sharing relevant nuggets and insights with your customers and prospects. In doing so, you’ll position yourself as a thought leader that is plugged in and paving the way for success.
- Find Ways to Connect. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t all about you. It is, however, about connecting with others to see how you can help. (As a Rotarian, we call is Service Above Self.) If you seek ways to help others, you’ll learn volumes about what works and what doesn’t work. By contributing to the lives of others, you feed your soul.
- Genuinely Listen. One of the best ways to continually learn is by really plugging in and listening to what others have to say. Intentionally dig beyond the surface and find out what others are passionate about, what keeps them up at night, and how they are achieving their business and life goals.
- Practice Makes Perfect. Anyone who masters a sport, skill or talent continually practices. They stretch and grow by finding new techniques, approaches, and strategies. No matter what you’re trying to achieve, consistently push to find ways to practice and improve.
- Study Others. Whether it is a new marketing technique or a creative tactic you’ve never tried, there is always something to learn. Find best practices and up your game. Study the masters and learn from the experts.
If you want to be successful, you cannot be stagnant. You have to learn new methods, test them and find the ones that work for you. What methods do you use to continually learn?
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by David and Tracy Bell | Jun 11, 2024
What makes a company successful? It’s the people.
Our mission is to learn more about the abilities of each person we are associated with professionally and personally.
Our company is always looking for great people with a passion for success. We have built the company around the strengths of our people.
When you build a company around people and judge the success of the company based on individuals, you have something special. A company is nothing more than a vehicle for the success of employees, partners, clients and vendors.
I know we’re standing in front of a vintage Rolls in this photo but if you know us, you know we’re more comfortable in beach attire and driving a truck.
A special thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of this company. We look forward to growing the company family and emerging into a position of market leadership. We believe that we are only as good as the people we associate with and we’ve been so fortunate to work with some of the best people in the world.
by David and Tracy Bell | Nov 6, 2022
As we move toward the holiday season and prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, a time to come together with the ones we love and be grateful for those around us. Being thankful and expressing gratitude not only brings a wealth of emotional and interpersonal benefits but there are also a surprising number of physical benefits too.
Here are four reasons to practice gratitude and how to do it. Being grateful is proven to reduce depression. Try writing a daily gratitude journal, listing three things you’re grateful for each day. Even if you’re going through a hard time, doing this will help you appreciate the good things around you that you may not have even noticed, reducing your stress levels.
Being grateful improves sleep. Going to bed with a happy thought helps you to throw away nighttime anxiety and sleep more peacefully.
Think of someone who’s affected your life for the better and go and say thank you to them. Thinking of their positive impact on you as you hit the pillow will send you off to sleep soundly. Being grateful improves digestion.
Amazingly, studies have shown that there is a link between our attitudes toward our body and its ability to digest properly. So taking a moment to say to yourself, “I am thankful for my body and what it does for me” can help to actually improve your digestive system’s functions!
Being grateful improves your senses. Showing thanks for the things around you can actually help you have a heightened appreciation of things like scents, sounds and sights. Taking a minute’s break every now and then to simply be grateful for the things in front of you can help improve your senses to no end.
by David and Tracy Bell | Dec 7, 2021
With the new year around the corner, you’ll be reviewing how your business did this past year and reflecting on your goals and what you want to achieve in life and in business.
Here are three inspiring examples of those who managed to make it from humble beginnings and what we can all learn from them.
Jan Koum
Koum was born into poverty in a tiny village in Ukraine. After migrating to America with his family as a teenager, Koum became fascinated with computers and eventually began working for Yahoo!
In 2009, he had the foresight to predict the future success of the embryonic mobile app industry, so he founded WhatsApp. By 2014, he’d sold it to Facebook for $19 billion. Koum’s story shows that intelligent forward planning can be the key to reaching your goals.
John Paul DeJoria
DeJoria began his working life moving from low-paid job to low-paid job, from shifts as a janitor to delivering newspapers. Befriending Paul Mitchell while working in hair care, the pair took out a small loan of $700 and founded John Paul Mitchell Systems, today a global conglomerate.
Since then, he has helped to found Patron Sports and is worth over $3.1 billion, proving that strong drive and good friendships can take you farther than you think.
Kevin Plank Plank was on the edge of going broke when he decided to put his life savings together with a $40,000 advance on a credit card to fund a company selling clothing under his brand, Under Armor.
After making a $17,000 sale to Georgia Tech University, sales to 24 NFL teams followed, and in a few short years, it turned into a multimillion dollar company. Today the company is worth billions. Plank’s journey shows the power of investing in yourself!
