Winning Insurance Agent of the Year was an inflection point of my career - Divya Tusnial

| 21 Feb 2018

Divya Tusnial was a housewife from a traditional Indian family and a mother of two daughters when she joined Tata AIA Life Insurance Company with nothing except her willingness for untiring legwork and an indomitable passion. This amazing lady shared her formulae for success with Asia Advisers Network on her transformation from housewife to being crowned Insurance Agent of the Year at the 2nd Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards in 2017.

I have been on my journey of transformation from a housewife to a true insurance professional during the period 2008 to 2017 where I achieved honours including five MDRTs, one COT and three TOTs.

Much of it started with my exposure to the Membership Communication Committee of MDRT Southeast Asia. It had me believing and thinking hard about contributing to the insurance society and also going global. 

As I continued to improve myself and to work towards my goals, I was honoured to be nominated for the 2nd edition of the Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards 2017 in the category of "Insurance Agent of the Year". Luck was in my favour as I was selected as the winner among other high-calibre and worthy finalists, and I was fortunate to have my parents witnessed the awards ceremony “live” in Singapore.

Huge uplift in career since win

Though I was really excited and proud on winning the award, I never expected it to give me a huge uplift in my overall career the way it did.

The confidence this award gave to my customers about the quality of their agent surely had an impact as my production went up by four times in the year 2017. (4.3 times TOT production in the calendar year 2017.) 

This win also gave me further exposure to the insurance community at a large scale. While I regularly conduct "Hello Divya" classes to all MDRT aspirants on the 1st of every month in my city, Kolkata, India, earlier this year, I had the privilege of being invited by AIA Hong Kong to address 3,500 of their MDRT aspirants at its MDRT Kickoff event. 

Following are the key formulae of success I shared in Hong Kong:

Formula 1: Purpose – Do you know why do you work?

The most frequently asked question I get is, “How to achieve MDRT/COT/TOT?”.

I think this question is not as relevant when compared to the most important question which is, “Why did I do MDRT/COT/TOT?” - the purpose behind me getting up in the morning and meeting customers tirelessly.

I work for a few reasons which are really compelling for me.

  • One, I want to give the best of the best higher education to my children in the United States and this requires lots of money.
  • Secondly, I have to prove to my two girls that their mother is the best in what she is doing so that they are inspired to do the best in what they do.
  • Thirdly, the smile on the face and the spark in the eyes of my parents when they saw me receiving the Award can’t be bought with money. All these can only be achieved with hard work.                           

Formula 2: Discipline

An army is always ready for a battle as they practise discipline every moment. An insurance professional’s life is no different.

I reach office before 9:30am 6 days a week. For instance, I was in office at 9:30am even on New Year’s Day. I reach a customer’s place 10 minutes in advance to get accustomed to his office and spend some time to read materials in his office lounge and gather useful information from observing the way people work in the office. This gives you immense confidence when it is time for you to enter the customer’s chamber for a discussion.

Formula 3: Train Your mind

It’s all in the mind. As Napoleon hill stated: “If your mind conceives and believes, your body can achieve.”

Keep chanting “I AM AN MDRT” multiple times a day to get it inside your subconscious mind. You can also put posters of MDRT in your office, home and wherever you frequently check.

Keep reading about, listening to and watching videos of successful insurance professionals – with many even available for free online and on YouTube.

Keep training your mind that you will become successful and it will make you do it.

Formula 4: Be fearless

I have seen insurance agents getting afraid of pitching high premiums or talk about the importance of insurance.

First and foremost, your conviction about the concept which you are selling is absolutely necessary. If you have that, you should follow this principle of being fearless in every interaction you have about insurance.

I remember closing a large value case (the biggest one in the company at that time) and the entire branch was celebrating my success. But I was sad. I was sad because what I had pitched was just one-fifth of the premium he could and should have paid to meet his needs even better.

So be fearless in your approach and it will take you a long way. You are in one of the best professions and what you sell is unique.

Success depends on you

To conclude, SUCCESS depends upon the second letter and that is “U”.

However much motivation you get externally, you can move yourself only for a day or a week unless you desperately want to achieve it.

Ask yourself this important question, “Why do you want to become MDRT/COT/TOT?”. If the answer is powerful, then you will be wearing the crown.

Read about why Divya Tusnial was selected as Insurance Agent of the Year in 2017 and watch the video of her acceptance speech here.  

Want to get an uplift in your career too? Participate in the 3rd Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards. Hurry, nominations close 28 February!