Volume 4 Issue 8

August 1, 2014

DONOVAN INSURANCE SOLUTIONS

What makes the difference b y P a u l D o n o v a n

Insurance News You Can Use

What makes the Difference

1

Levi Strong Update 2

The Aging Suit 2

Encouragement

Chronicles

3

Movie Trivia 3

The 7 Pitfalls of Negotiations

4

Headline Ins. News 4

Inside this issue: It’s been said that, imitation is the sincerest art of flattery. In the business world there

is never anything that is proprietary for long. If there’s profit to be made, competitors

will always try to match your technology, accessibility, programs and prices. If

everyone is copying each other, than what makes a firm truly different? Ask yourself

the following questions about your company.

What do your competitors fear most about your product, company and/or you?

What do your competitors claim to others, is your major weakness?

What’s the one question you hope buyers never ask?

Why do your best customers continue to do business with you, are you sure about the answer?

Where was your most recent customer defection and why did it happen?

What are the biggest obstacles that need to be overcome?

I use to send a beautiful marketing piece to prospects showing why I thought my firm was unique. Here’s what most

prospects think, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah! Big whoopdeedoo. If I had bothered to do my research, I would have

found almost all my major competitors stating similar claims. Here’s a revelation, the main differentiator to every sale

is…. YOU! Take a look in the mirror, that’s right, YOU. You are the face of the product and service for your company.

When a sale is made, 99.9% of the time the client didn’t buy the price, the product or the brand, they bought you. The

client put their trust in a relationship with you. You were the difference, in the approach, the follow up and the delivery.

Realizing that you are the main difference (for the company you work for) is a two sided sword. When you go the extra-

mile and provide outstanding problem and conflict resolution for customers, it reflects well on the company. However, if

you have a bad attitude, no sense of urgency and a half-hearted approach towards customers, that also reflects upon the

company’s image.

During an introductory meeting a business man was asked, “What makes your company better than your closest

competitors? It’s probably your employees, right? The business owner said, absolutely not, my competitor can take my

best employees tomorrow, but he can never, ever, steal my CULTURE.” What a wake-up call, and he was right. Your

company’s culture is driven from the top down. However, employees make or break that image daily. The culture of an

organization speaks volumes about trust, commitment, results and opportunity. Check your mirror daily and remember,

be confident, you’re the difference.

“A man has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word.” Proverbs 15:23

P A G E 2 I N S U R A N C E N E W S Y O U C A N U S E

Levi Strong

Amy Patel, a 50-year-old from the United Kingdom was given an “aging suit” that added 30 – 40 years to

the way she felt. Both of her parents are in their 80s and she wanted to emulate their experience.

The concept was developed by the dementia unit at the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust to help those

who care for the elderly to better understand their patients’ needs and fears. Patel wore dark glasses to mim-

ic cataracts, leaving her with tunnel vision and blurred peripheral sight. She wore ear defenders to simulate hearing loss, a neck brace to limit her mobility and a weighted vest that made her stoop. Additionally,

weights were strapped on to her feet to imitate arthritis and vibrating gloves reproduced the feelings of

Parkinson’s. The result was not pretty, but realistic.

Patel couldn’t see, bend down, hear or hardly move. As she described it, it took ten minutes to transform her from a vibrant 5 feet 7 inch tall woman into a “bowed down old lady, my back aching, unable to do more

than shuffle along with the aid of a walking stick.” She felt isolated confused, and frightened. As she said,

small tasks like making coffee or a meal became a major project. The worse part? Not only did the aging suit change her physically, but mentally as well. Her loneliness, embarrassment and feelings of defenseless-

ness left her depressed. After only an hour and a half in the suit, she was physically and emotionally drained. She wasn’t the

only one. A physically fit 19-year-old rugby player who tried on the suit couldn’t even walk 100 yards in it.

The lesson

Be Compassionate To The Elderly: If your parents have problems getting in and out of the car, maneuvering stairs or

forgetfulness, it’s important to be compassionate not critical. Don’t hurry them, they’re probably going as fast as they

can.

Don’t honk at elderly drivers. Chances are, they probably shouldn’t be driving, but they don’t want to give up their independence. Hold the door open for the elderly if they are walking into a building. Gently repeat things be aware they

may have hearing problems (don’t get annoyed at them)

Many elderly people don’t get the respect in our culture that they deserve. If you have not walked in the shoes of the elderly

and infirm, don’t be too quick to judge. The older we get the faster this important realization becomes.

Important lesson from The Aging Suit

The Tarpon Springs High graduate and former wrestler always dreamed of going into the military,

and as soon as he finished high school he made those dreams a reality. On June 26, 2014 the young

sergeant was in Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated and caused traumatic

injuries to his lower limbs, sending him to a hospital in Germany in a coma with fluid in his lungs and

broken limbs. Levi was transferred to Walter Reed on July 4. Word in the Tarpon Springs community

spread fast and funding to help with expenses for the family started with bracelets (Levi Strong),

T-Shirt sales and a tremendous outpouring of love, prayers and support. Over 200 people gathered on the local Tarpon

Springs High School football field and formed the word Levi Strong, which made the front page of the Tampa Tribune.

As of today we are happy to report he is out of the coma, alert and in good spirits. In fact, we received a picture last

week of President Obama visiting with Levi at the hospital. His mom posted this morning, “Levi is

healing and his broken bones seem to be mending quite nicely.. He is getting stronger everyday,

eating more and more and bossing me around more lol.” You can read more about Levi on the

Facebook page for updates on his progress. “The Latest on Levi.”

““There is no such thing as fun for the whole family.” Jerry Seinfeld

“With old age comes what is called second childhood, so that we may meet our Maker precisely as we left Him. “

—Malcolm Muggeridge

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 8

Guess the Movie Quotes b y P a u l D o n o v a n ( j u s t t h e m e s s e n g e r )

Encouragement Chronicles B y P a u l D o n o v a n

One day the father of a very wealthy family sent his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of

showing him how poor people live. The son spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be

considered a very poor family. On the return from the trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It

was great dad.” “Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked. “Oh yeah,” the son replied. “So tell

me what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father. The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and

they had four. We have a pool that reached to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no

end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reached the front

yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go

beyond sight. We have servants who serve us but they serve others. We buy our food but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them. “ The boy’s father was

speechless then his son added, “Thanks dad for showing me how poor we really are.” Perspective is a won-

derful thing. What would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we do have instead of worrying about

what we don’t have. Remember, it’s hard to be depressed when you’re grateful!

“What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to

hear the lamentation of their women."

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster by your side, kid."

“Wow, I wish I could speak whale.”

"You idiots! These are not them! You've captured their stunt doubles!"

"Maybe you're the plucky comic relief."

““Sorry, Professor, but I must not tell lies.”

(Under truth serum) "Have you ever killed anyone?" "Yeah, but they were all bad."

“Life's not about how hard of a hit you can give... it's about how many you can take, and

still keep moving forward.”

"Aha. Look what I've created. I have made FIRE!"

“At age 11, I audited my parents. Believe me, there were some discrepancies, and I was grounded.”

Stick it in your ear La Fleur. I wouldn’t sell you your gym back for all of King Midas’ silver. The gym is mine! So

you can take your bank of yellow bellied losers and just crawl on outta here!”

“Mama says that, happiness is from magic rays of sunshine that come down when you're feeling blue.”

“Ted Nugent called. He wants his shirt back.”

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions,

loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I

will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

“Everry man dies, not everry man trruly lives.” (yes the r’s are added so roll em)

“When he whispers “ You love me, real or not real?” I say, Real.”

“Who’s Bill Murray? I’ve never hit a kid before, I mean that’s like asking who Gandhi is….Who’s Gandhi?”

“The chocolate coating makes it go down easier. But you have to wait fifteen minutes for full potency. And you

shouldn’t go in swimming after, for at least, what, an hour...yeah, an hour.”

“Every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for Jujubes.”

“I don't need to be made to look evil. I can do that on my own.” Christopher Walken

Answers on next page

Negotiating is a part of life. We all experience it and whether you like the process or not, according to Eldonna Lewis-Fernandez in her book, Think Like a Negotiator, there’s an art to surviving and thriving through your next

process. She shares her 7 pitfalls of negotiation.

1. A lack of confidence. Some negotiators believe being loud and brazen will win the day. However, tenacity and

preparedness are often the best approach for finding common ground with an opponent, anticipating their objections and

discovering their motivations. Being confident also means showing your humanity, which will put people at ease.

2. Neglecting relationship-building. This is perhaps the biggest mistake of all. The most important thing in life is relation-

ships. Learning what matters to others can be of great value if you later find yourself in negotiations with them.

3. Believing in non-negotiable. Everything is negotiable! Free your mind from restrictions. Decide at the outset that the

terms of whatever you are negotiating can be altered to your advantage and don’t concede too much up front because the

other party may be open to alternative solutions.

4. Failing to ask for what you want. You must ask for what you want if you are to have any hope of getting it. It may be helpful to remember that, in business, rejection is never personal, it’s just a sign that you did not make a good enough case for

your position.

5. Saying too much. Continuing to talk instead of holding your tongue at crucial moments can result in lost

ground during a negotiation (married people already know this). Ask for what you want and be quiet. You

may have to suffer through an awkward silence or two, but your chance of success will increase dramatically.

6. Neglecting documentation. It is essential to get your final agreement in writing. If it’s not in writing it’s not true.

7. Failing to read before signing. No matter how many pages an agreement has, read each one before signing. It’s better to

take your time at the beginning of an agreement to make sure it’s what you want than to try to change it later.

Learning the art of negotiation will give you an edge in getting what you want and letting others get what they want too.

Pg. 4

7 Pitfalls of Negotiation By Eldonna Lewis-Fernandez

Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

Two Moscow subway workers were detained in the investigation into a train crash, which killed 22 people and

injured 162, the deadliest incident in the city’s underground system since 2010 suicide bombings.

Actor-comedian Tracy Morgan sues Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for negligence over a New Jersey Turnpike accident

last month that left him critically injured after a company truck driver went at least 24 hours without sleep. The suit

alleges Wal-Mart “knew or should have known” it was unreasonable for their driver to commute about 750 miles

(and then work almost 14 hours) leaving its drivers routinely fatigued putting themselves and others on the road in

danger. The accident also resulted in one fatality.

American International Group Inc.(AIG), the largest commercial insurer in the U.S. and Canada, said it will get at

least $650 million as part of a settlement with Bank of America Corp. tied to faulty mortgages.

The Philippines' first major typhoon Rammasun (aka Glenda) of the season passed close to the capital, Manila on

7/15/14 killing at least 12 people and evacuating as many as 350,000 people from their homes.

Insurance companies are seeking exponential growth in the cyber-liability coverage market. Hacker innovation

has made this area of insurance coverage challenging. Recent data breaches of customer information has also made

retailers add this new coverage expense to their insurance coverage line item budgets.

Ukraine shoots down Malaysian Air passenger plane killing all 298 on board. Claims adjusters will determine

act of war or accident and how to compensate. The “war zone” has made investigation perilous.

Insurance News Making Headlines

Answers to page 3 Trivia: 1. Conan the Barbarian, 2. Star Wars, 3. Finding Nemo, 4. Spaceballs, 5. Galaxy Quest, 6. Harry Potter,

7. True Lies, 8. Rocky, 9. Cast Away, 10. The Other Guys, 11. Dodgeball, 12. The Waterboy, 13. Oceans Eleven,14. Gladiator,

15. Braveheart, 16. The Hunger Games, 17. Zombieland, 18. The Princess Bride, 19.Avatar