managing your practice
| By Jennifer A. Borislow, CLU
CUSTOMER SERVICE
The Wow Factor
Get to know your clients well and help them achieve their personal and professional goals.
Ientered the life insurance business 27 years ago by answering an ad in The Boston Globe and started
my career selling life insurance and
disability income protection to individuals and small-business owners. It is a
text book story—cold calling, working
at night and meeting people in their
homes to sell them life insurance.
Shortly after I began, I founded
Borislow Insurance. As the business grew, our focus changed from
individual life insurance to employee
benefits. In the beginning, I hired my
neighbor’s kids to stuff envelopes for
bulk mailing, paying them eight cents
per envelope. Today, our organization
employs more than 26 full-time staff.
I have come a long way and I didn’t
do it alone. Five years ago, I made
the decision to partner with Mark S.
Gaunya, and together, we have built a
wonderful business.
So how did we do it and how can
you achieve similar success? You must
begin with the end in mind.
Core values define your culture and who you
are and serve as boundary markers as you grow
your business.
focus brings great results and very
satisfied clients.
ates you from your competition
and what does that feel like to your
clients?
Turn vision into reality
How do you turn your vision into
reality? You must ask yourself five
important questions; they are straightforward, but the answers are often
challenging and difficult to articulate.
■ What are your core values? Core
values define your culture and who
you are and they serve as boundary markers as you grow your
business. They also represent your
standards and expectations.
Take some time to answer these
questions clearly and concisely. Doing
so will enhance your opportunity for
success.
■ What are you passionate about? If
money were no object, how would
you spend your time? What is your
personal mission? What do you
know and care about that can help
other people?
■ What is your target market and
why do they need your products/
services? Trying to be all things
to all people is a recipe for failure;
■ What differentiates you from your
competition? In a world full of
choices, why would someone want
to work with you and your organization instead of the next available
option? How will you stand apart
from your competitors and make
yourself memorable and different
from everyone else?
■ How do you do business? How will
you deliver the value that differenti-
How we do it
So, how do we at Borislow Insurance differentiate ourselves from the
competition?
We take the time to get to know
our clients on a personal and professional level, and our priority is to help
our clients achieve their personal and
professional goals and vision. We
promise to serve our clients’ needs,
and as an organization, we are committed to helping our clients in a per-
