The Motivated Minister
Jesse S. hasn’t been with Senior Life Insurance Company long but he’s already making his presence known and his history with the company goes back further than February 2020. Back in 2013 Jesse was working in a car dealership in Tallahassee, Florida. One fateful morning he was visiting a church service in neighboring Thomasville when he came upon a big building he had no idea what it was for but it caught his attention. After the service was over he drove back to Tallahassee to visit his mother, he decided to take a side road to get there and on the way “I passed a big gigantic house. I thought, man, a millionaire must live here. So, I did a U-turn in the street, pulled up in the driveway, wrote down the street name, and went on my way to my mom’s house. The next day at work I entered the address into the computer, and the building came up and the name Ron Powell.” He discovered that Ron was an the owner of an insurance company and the big building he had passed earlier was Senior Life Insurance Company. He called Senior Life and they put him straight through to Ron. He started by telling Ron how he came across his house and looked him up when Ron stopped him mid- sentence “Wait a minute if you’re doing all that you need to be selling life insurance. Come down here one day and let my guys show you the ropes.” Jesse spent half the day with Senior Life, learning about the industry’s ins and outs, “I never knew how lucrative the insurance business was.”
In Jesse’s short time with Senior Life he’s already written a monumental $20,000 in production in just one week. “It’s by the Grace of God Iwas able to achieve that. That’s the first time I’ve ever done something like that, and I’ve been with 3 companies. It was very very motivating.” Jesse set out each day with the goal of being top producer for the week. “I thought, man! What If I do this next week, I could get even higher. It’s amazing what having a goal can help you do.” Jesse considers himself a goal-oriented person. Goals keep him focused and incentivize him in accomplishing as much as he can. There are many goals at Senior Life that Jesse has his eyes on next “like the company trips, making the millionaires club, being a top producer. They’re powerful and they keep me motivated.”
During these recent events, it’s easy to get discouraged. But Jesse has powered through it with some advice for those in the field. “Keep your head up, stay motivated, the people need us. People responded to the company and they need what we have, and my job is to help them, and their families get coverage. Keep that fact in mind, the people need what we have, we are very valuable to society and keep that as your motivator.” Jesse has kept social distancing and other safe practices in mind as he sells in the field. When meeting with customers he’ll knock on their door, introduce himself and give them two options: he can call directly from his jeep or he can grab the folding chair from the trunk, place it 6 feet away and they can have a face to face from a safe distance. Jesse’s story is a great example of how with a little creativity an agent can be cautious while still making sales.
“Senior Life has helped me dramatically. What they bring to the table, being an innovative company, being state of the art. The vision that our leader Ron Powell has, having a family that supports you. Senior Life has brought my career to a whole new level.”
“I THOUGHT, MAN! WHAT IF I DO THIS NEXT WEEK, I COULD GET EVEN HIGHER. IT’S AMAZING WHAT HAVING A GOAL CAN HELP YOU DO.”
Jesse’s transition to Senior Life didn’t come without trepidation, however. “At first it was tough, I got to admit to that. I was a top producer with my former employer.” Jesse turned down the offer to work for Senior Life at least 7 separate times. Finally, Ron and Executive Vice President, Robert Shiver, told him “you’re doing good where you are, if you just want to be a producer stay where you are. But if you really want to build a team, and you need to, we would love to have you here at Senior Life.” That was it, the light bulb came on. For Jesse, his calling is to help people. By gathering a team of men and women throughout the country he could show them how to be top producers. How they could change their lives financially and their families’ lives for the better. Jesse thought long and hard about making the leap, he weighed the pros and cons, “prayed to my lord and savior Jesus Christ. And he gave me the ok to do this. It was a no brainer. I got my wife involved, and I just love what we have here at Senior Life”.
Jesse’s spirituality has been a major part of his life, not only is he a top selling agent but he’s also a minister. “I mean this from my heart, I really believe Jesus Christ, I have made him my business partner, and the success I’m having is because he has orchestrated this.” Jesse believes God has put him on the path for as he calls it “supernatural accelerated success.” He made that prayer in 2016 and since then his career has skyrocketed. His ministerial work has also aided in the field. “I have married people before and buried people before. When I talk to seniors I can talk with them on a whole other level when I tell them I’m a minister.” Being a minister has opened doors for Jesse, figuratively, and literally. “I’ve had customers tell me I don’t normally let people into my house but I trust you, and once they find out I’m a minister they understand why. Being a minister, and doing what I do as a minister, I see final expense and all this goes hand in hand.”
“I MEAN THIS FROM MY HEART, I REALLY BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST, I HAVE MADE HIM MY BUSINESS PARTNER, AND THE SUCCESS I’M HAVING IS BECAUSE HE HAS ORCHESTRATED THIS.”
Today, Jesse can reflect on his journey back to Senior Life. On the day he first discovered the industry that transformed his life through sheer happenstance or perhaps divine intervention. He’s come full circle “I’m back with the company that first introduced me to this business, and I knew that this was all about destiny, my steps are in order. It started with Senior Life and it’s going to end with Senior Life.”
