Just a few short months from now, thousands of the world’s leading insurance agents from around the globe will gather at the annual Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) meeting in Miami Beach, USA.
For many of these top financial professionals this will be a career- and even life-changing event, which will enable them to build lifelong collaborations and friendships and learn cutting-edge success strategies from inspirational speakers, as well as from fellow members from other corners of the world.
It wasn’t until I attended my first MDRT annual meeting that I realised the enormity of my profession as a finance professional.
Firm believer in professional development
Having entered the insurance business over 40 years ago, I have always been a firm believer in professional and personal development through learning from other leading professionals in the field.
Earlier in my career and as part of my work with ALICO AIG, I had routinely qualified for all of the company conventions.
I saw them as a wonderful opportunity for global networking, as well as to gain valuable knowledge and skills while learning from fellow top-performing professionals in my industry.
I had never missed a single opportunity to attend a convention, and travelled the world alongside my wife, Nutan, while meeting my peers around the globe and further expanding my professional network.
Naïve impression
At this point in my career, I was under the naive impression that I had already achieved the ultimate success, and finally “made it” in the insurance business.
However, my illusions of being a top producer were suddenly shattered when one day at work, a colleague and friend mentioned the US-based organisation called MDRT.
After carrying out some research, I learned that MDRT is a global, independent association that recognises the world’s leading financial advisers and life insurance agents.
I also learned that MDRT membership is globally recognised as the standard of excellence in financial services and the life insurance business. Immediately, I set the goal of becoming a member of the MDRT.
Eye-opening and humble experience
Attending my first MDRT meeting was both an eye-opening and a humbling experience for me. While being surrounded by thousands of top producers, the enormity of my profession had finally dawned upon me.
I still have vivid memories of my conversations with Mehdi Fakerzade, Ben Feldman, John Savage, and Norman Lavine during my first meetings. I remember being in complete awe of these industry giants, who were humble enough to be willing to spend time with me and share their expertise.
At my first MDRT meeting, I understood that despite considering myself successful in my field, I still had much to accomplish in my career.
My interactions with the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals inspired me to strive for more, revealed to me the full value of our profession, and inspired my ongoing pursuit of excellence in helping families achieve financial security.
With newfound inspiration and mentorship, and after several years of hard work, I qualified for Top of the Table membership, which requires achieving six times the qualifications of MDRT membership.
This had become my biggest professional achievement and once again, I thought that I had finally made it in my career. And yet, I was humbled again to discover there were many advisers with outstanding qualifications who were producing many times over the requirements for Top of the Table membership.
It was then, while interacting with other Top of the Table members, that I realised the true, infinite potential of our profession and the limitless existing opportunities to achieve more, all while improving the lives of others.
Becoming a member of the MDRT made me realise that the market is bigger than I could ever imagine. It also made me aware of the importance of networking in developing innovative ideas by learning from the best minds in my profession. Importantly, attending MDRT events also helped me cultivate life-long friendships.
Veteran call to action
Today, many insurance agents and financial advisers are already aware of the MDRT, and have even registered as members, but have not yet taken the leap of attending their first MDRT event.
In our busy professional lives, we often forget the importance of being in a face-to-face setting with other professionals from our global community.
From sharing ideas to finding valuable mentorship, perspective and inspiration, these exchanges and interactions can be instrumental in helping achieve growth and success in your business.
As a veteran of the profession, I urge you to experience the life-transforming event of attending your first MDRT meeting.
Million Dollar Round Table, The Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, was founded in 1927 and is a global, independent association of more than 66,000 of the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals from more than 500 companies in 72 nations and territories.
