Bananas + onions … a measured approach

When I talk about how life insurance is sold, I put up a slide with two pictures on it … bananas and onions. For a long time I used it to explain what I don't do. I've come to see it differently.

A banana is sleek looking. The peel is bright and attractive, and under it is something soft and sweet … quick energy, easy to like, easy to say yes to.

That's the salesperson's gift. The banana is what gets people to the table. Without it, most people would never get life insurance off their to-do list, and a family that needed protection would go without it. I've learned to respect the banana.

An onion is the opposite. The shape isn't attractive. Nobody puts one in a fruit bowl. And sometimes it makes you cry. You can't really eat an onion by itself, either. What an onion does is combine with other ingredients and make them better.