‘The relationship is more important than the designation’

All advisors want to stand out to clients. Victoria Joy Avedesian, a four-year MDRT member based in Newport Beach, California, addressed her feelings about both the value and limit of designations acquired in that effort.

“The relationship is much more important than the designation, but the designation backs up what someone is recommending,” she said. “So there are people with a ton of designations who are very ineffective with people. We all know those professional students out there; they just keep getting education, but they can’t hold a conversation.

“While I don’t want to minimize the effectiveness that anyone with designations has with people, I think another word on designation for newer, younger people out there in the industry — it was much easier to get a CFP not so long ago. There was not a college degree needed; it was an industry designation. So if you find you’re in a competition with the CFP who’s leaning back in his sunset years, just remember you probably know more about the insurance product or even the industry if that particular person is on the road to retirement. So don’t let that discourage you.”

Added Elizabeth Grigourian, a two-year MDRT member from San Dimas, California: “Knowledge is very important, but if you’re not able to use that knowledge in the client’s advantage, that knowledge is not relevant.”

Hear more discussion about designations and standing out to clients in the MDRT podcast, which is on both SoundCloud and MDRT’s Resource Zone.

Written by Matt Pais, MDRT Content Specialist