Mar
26
2008
Real Lives, Real People
Author: ckuligI’ve only been an Account Executive at AccuQuote for two months and I already feel like I’ve heard it all. The most interesting part of this job so far is definitely the different people I talk to every day all across the country. Sometimes you have to step back and think about how amazing it is compared to only a few years ago. Used to be you went down the street and around the corner to get life insurance from the local agency in your neighborhood – or your buddy’s brother-in-law had a friend whose uncle had an ex-military friend who sold life insurance (this always turns out to be a guy drenched in Aqua Velva, wearing a plaid polyester jacket, who pins you to a corner at dinner parties and wants to know about your “”liquid”" assets – yes, this actually happened to me). It was too much of a hassle to do competitive shopping in those days. The Internet (and visionaries like Byron Udell) changed that. Overnight, people from all walks of life suddenly had choices they never imagined possible. That’s what makes my job so unique. One minute I’m on the phone with a high profile investor from Boca Raton; the next moment I’m talking to a newly married housewife in Phoenix who’s holding her 1 year old on her lap while we discuss her husband’s health and habits. Rich, poor, old and young they all have one thing in common – life insurance.
March 28th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Insurance is one of those rare things that truly reaches across socioeconomic lines and leads you to touch the lives of all sorts of people. What a thoughtful and insightful post! (…and I didn’t catch even the slightest hint of Aqua Velva or polyester sports coat.)
Jerry
April 24th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Hi, Jerry -
This reply is long overdue and I apologize for the delay. I appreciate your comment. This was a hard post for me to write. I was so moved by Beth\’s sincere desire to help her family, I must have reread the article a dozen times before publishing it. I have two grown daughters and this young woman\’s inner strength reminded me I\’m helping real people on the other end of the phone every day. I\’m pushing 60 and it was humbling to learn this lesson from such a wise 18 year old.
Sincerely,
Charlie