Telling your own story to build your niche

At 22, I couldn’t really relate to being married, having kids and having lots of responsibilities, but I was an athlete in high school and college, and I could relate to being injured. I became an expert on disability insurance. This expertise was further enhanced at age 25 when I shattered both bones in my lower right leg playing soccer. It took three surgeries, a ton of hardware and nearly a year to recover.

The year following that accident, I qualified for MDRT for the first time, and I did it on disability insurance sales alone. I also had a very compelling story because I learned something about being disabled that most people don’t understand. Being disabled isn’t about being inconvenienced. It is a lot more complicated than people think. It is about subtle things. It’s about how well we work when we are in pain, drugged up with painkillers or sleep deprived. I didn’t need my leg as part of my job; I wasn’t a professional soccer player. But I did need to be coherent, upbeat and rested, and I was none of those things for almost a year.

Disability became my focus. How often have we heard clients say, “It would take a lot to disable me”? My response: “That’s so funny. I used to think that too.” Then I proceed to tell them my story: “Some years ago, I broke a leg playing soccer. And although I didn’t need my leg as part of the job, I discovered some interesting things. It was a pretty bad break, a nonunion fracture, both bones in my right leg. Every time I tried to roll over in bed, the bones shifted. It felt like someone was using a welding torch on my leg. I didn’t sleep for more than an hour at a time, and a couple of hours per night total, for almost a year. I was completely exhausted. Have you ever gone to work after a bad night’s sleep? Can you imagine not sleeping for a week or a month? Would you be effective with your clients if you were totally sleep deprived?”

Then I shut up and wait for the response.

Brad Elman, CLU, ChSNC, is a 27-year MDRT member with 16 Court of the Table qualifications and one Top of the Table honor, from Los Altos, California. Read more in his Annual Meeting presentation “Strategic specialization: Building the right practice for you.”  [For MDRT members only]

• Find out in this video how specialization allows Top of the Table members to work less and double their income.
• Watch “Mentored to specialize” in this Annual Meeting video.