Member Insights - Maximizing Client Trust with the NEB Logo
“Ethics means honesty in everything you do. If you sell the right product to a senior, it will come back ten fold.”
Steve DeJohn, president and CEO of Premier Investment Group, has a big heart for seniors and a strong will to win in financial services. That combination of traits led him to join the National Ethics Bureau late in 2005. He wanted to provide seniors with a meaningful way to protect themselves in the marketplace—and himself with a great tool to differentiate his Rolling Meadows, Illinois, firm.
“Being a member of the Better Business Bureau is great if you’re a plumber,” he says. “But it isn’t so great if you sell financial services. Consumers in the market for our products want a much more detailed background check than the BBB provides.”
To that end, DeJohn positions NEB’s verification services early in his seminars, the marketing engine for his practice, which did $15 million in sales last year ($10 million from annuities and half that amount from life insurance).
At each of his Tuesday seminars, he speaks in front of a banner that identifies his firm and displays the NEB logo. After he explains to attendees who he is and what he does, he describes NEB and points to the laminated NEB Professional Profiles standing on every table. “Check to see if your current advisor is a member of the NEB,” he advises. “If he or she isn’t, you may want to find out why. There are only two reasons: The person can’t qualify or he or she isn’t a real player in the industry.”
“Success is all about presence and demeanor and setting yourself apart,” says DeJohn. “NEB membership lets you do that.”
In addition to leveraging NEB in his seminars, DeJohn displays the NEB logo on his business cards and stationery, along with his MDRT Top of the Table distinction. “Anybody who receives correspondence from me will see the NEB and MDRT logos. They represent the cream of the crop in this business.”
Although DeJohn can’t quantify increases in sales after being admitted into the National Ethics Bureau, he knows his clients place a lot of value on his membership. “Two out of three people will pull out my NEB Professional Profile in our initial session. They’ll say my seminar information was good, but my Professional Profile gave them the peace of mind to come in.”
In today’s environment, peace of mind is a rare commodity. “There are a lot of salespeople out there who don’t tell their clients the whole game. Plus they’re touting ‘stock market-like returns” for insurance products,” says DeJohn. “That’s just not a good phrase.”
DeJohn freely admits there are bad apples in the financial services business. But advisors with integrity will win the game. “If you sell the right product to a senior, it will come back ten fold.”
How are you maximizing your NEB membership to grow your business? Would you like to be featured in our newsletter? The National Ethics Bureau welcomes your input. Send your comments to: hlew@ethicscheck.com
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