Stop and Smell the Roses

Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?

Today was our first day at doing cold calls, and honestly, it is not something easy to do. 

you start the day with the utmost enthusiasm in your heart and in your voice, eager to speak to the masses of people that have yet to hear about the benefits of insurance..

"HUH!! INSURANCE??!!! NOT INTERESTED LA!!! STOP CALLING!!" *duu...... duu....... duu.....*

ah well.. next better prospective customer...

what i've realized is that not a lot of people take the time to stop and listen to the message behind insurance.

Many people have been bitten hard by the hard-sellers - "BUY SOMETHING FROM ME, please la, not expensive, at the least just 10 minutes only", and when a stranger (a.k.a. me) calls up, nobody is keen to pay attention to the underlying message.

not a lot and yet almost everything can be conveyed in the 30 seconds that i have when someone first picks up the line. will i be able to get this person to listen to me? will the person be receptive of my message? will this person give me a chance to be heard?

granted that not every single person will scold and slam the phone down, it's still difficult to keep up my smile and happy demeanor after one too many failures on the 'airwaves'

yes, there are people that are nice enough to listen to what i have to say; many have excuses, most of them legitimate, some of that just a ruse to get me to hang up first; some lonely souls are happy that someone is willing to listen to them and won't let you put down the phone.

i can very well sympathize with those that have had unwanted calls. before joining insurance, i was one of them: "sorry no time", "not interested", "err.. just call me in a years' time".

but being on the other side today, i realize that i appreciate one type of person the most. the ones that take the time to let me state my intention, provide a valid reason, and are kind and considerate when turning me down. rejection is never as bad when you're speaking to someone who seens interested yet sincerely apologetic for not being able to entertain me, i.e. "no la, you caught me at a bad time, i actually just spoke to my agent/i'm not in a good position to make commitments, so sorry".

most importantly, someone out there hasn't heard about what insurance can do or how it can protect them and their family, so i must persevere, keep up my cheery tone, and genuinely continue to search for these people..

Pensive,
Jessica