The Coins - My grandfather always carried a U.S. silver dollar dated the year of his birth, which he referred to as his "good luck coin." Most other change went into a large jar full of coins. The good luck coin went into his pocket.

In my effort to become a successful life insurance agent, I looked for a way to market my practice and myself. Why not give everyone a good luck coin as a way to uniquely remind people that I was in the life insurance business, giving people dollars when they needed them? I started giving an Eisenhower silver dollar along with my business card. This soon gave way to the Susan B. Anthony dollar. I placed my "Good Luck Anthony Dollar" in a small plastic case with my business card. In 2000, the "gold coin" (the Sacagawea dollar) appeared and has become one of the favorites I use.

How Used - I started using the lucky coins with my business cards when I would prospect. At a social function I might run into someone who would ask what I did for a living. My commercial was "I help people like you accumulate wealth and reduce taxes." Usually the next question was, "How do you do that?" I responded with, "If you will me give the courtesy of 15 minutes of your time I will share that with you. Let me give you one of my business cards. I am also going to give you a 'Good Luck Coin.' You cannot spend it; you must carry it for good luck only."

Very seldom would someone not take the time to give me an appointment.

“Acting on a good idea is better
than just having a good idea.”
Robert Half

Choose Effectiveness Over Activity!

Jean Henri Fabre conducted an experiment with processionary caterpillars, so named because of their peculiar habit of blindly following each other no matter how they are lined up or where they are going.  This researcher took a group of these tiny creatures and did something interesting with them.  He placed them in a circle, and for 24 hours the caterpillars dutifully followed one another around and around. 

He then placed the caterpillars on a round saucer full of pine needles (their favorite food).  For six days the mindless creatures moved around and around the saucer, literally dying of starvation and exhaustion even though an abundance of choice food was located less than two inches away.

The moral of this story: Don't confuse activity with accomplishment!

Here are six Cs for effective daily living:

1. Competence - learn something new everyday.

2. Communication - ask the right questions and you will get the right answers.

3. Compassion - make people feel appreciated.

4. Character - always do what is right.

5. Connection - plant the seeds of relationships and nourish them with random acts of appreciation.

6. Commitment - be consistently committed to the above.

“It's not the answer,

it's the quality of the question.”

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"Lew, we have put together our 2 most successful months in a row! I took your advice and focused solely on the things that would bring revenue into my business and cut all of the things that were distracting me from that core focus. For me, that effort is primarily speaking to groups of people. We have put together back to back 30k months and are speaking to 2-4 audiences per month.  The beautiful thing is the more people we help, the more referrals and momentum we build.  I'm on track to finish the year two months ahead of my personal goals."
Beau Henderson, RFC - GA, Sept. 2009
(9 years in business)   

"Last year between October and December things were looking pretty bleak.  I was running a little scared due to the horrible economic news.  It seemed as though people were not doing anything and my business was feeling it.  I even decided to scale back my operation.  However, thanks to Lew's and Jeremy's coaching and support I was able to hang-in-there, and this year seems like it will be one of my best ever.  Even during this economic downturn, I never stopped sending out my newsletters, or doing my workshops.  In fact, I've even uncovered several free speaking engagements and I am starting to profit from those.  I have stopped doing expensive dinner seminars and now I am doing much cheaper workshops at the local Library.  The last one I did, I literally had to turn people away because I had more people sign up than I could fit in the room.  Not only that, but many of the people who were too scared to do anything last year called me back this year and told me they were ready.  In the ten years I spent in this business before I started working with you, I can't remember anyone ever calling me back and telling me they were ready to move forward. 
Now, it happens all the time."
Antonio Filippone, RFC, FMM  - IL - Sept. 2009
(16 years)
 

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