The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-09

Il
nve-minute discussions on the follow
ing subjects: How best to overcome
the difficulty OF securing new agents; .
Does not the work possess a special
dignity?' and lis not the percentage
OF success greater In life insurance
than any other lines?"
The election OF officers and selection
OF the next place OF meeting will be
dealt with Saturday afternoon. Henry
j. Powell, OF Louisville, KY, now vice
| president OF the association, will be
the next president, according to the
sentiment among the delegates.
Ebert Hubbard and Sir George w.
Ross. the latter president OF the Man
ufacturers' Life. and member OF the
Canadian senate, are scheduled TO
reach the city tonight and Will be
| heard at the convention on Saturday.
The delegates will have boat ride
and dance on the steamer Pleasure
tonight.
Hugh Chalmers Address.
The Friday afternoon session was
featured by an address by Hugh Chal-
mers, of the Chalmers Motor Co., on
Employing, training and supervising
| statesmen" He said In part:
Advertising Is nothing but sales
manship. The two are identical, ex-
cept that in advertising you are talk
| ing to thousands OF people at time,
1 while a salesman usually talks but to
one or two. To my mind II the proper
advertising were done, men would be
I made to see that insurance Is not a
| luxury, and that the life insurance
man Is not a bore, but. on the other
hand, that life insurance Is a neces-
sity and that life insurance agent Is
a friend.
I'm advertising | go on the theory
that in order to make thousand
sales you must appeal to million
minds. and you must keep on appeal
| ing to these minds. Ii Is necessary
TO keep up this advertising. because
We forget easily.
When II comes to the salesman
ship required to sell life insurance, |
believe that there is no other business
or profession where personality counts
| for so much as IL does In the life In
surance business. The life insurance
man must win the confidence OF his
prospect in both himself and his COM
pany, because | believe that. after all,
one gives insurance largely on the
confidence one has In the man solicit
ing II. believe that the principal
qualities necessary to success on the
part of any man in business, regard
less OF his vocation. are about as fol-
lows Health, honesty, ability, initia-
tive, knowledge Of the business, tact.
sincerity, industry, open-mindedness,
enthusiasm
Only Fools Dishonest.
"A man Is nothing short of fool
nowadays who is not absolutely hon.
est There are three kinds OF hon
esty. legal, moral and inherent. But
honesty goes farther than just what
q man does. Honesty means what q
man thinks as we'll as what he does.
After all. gentlemen, there Is only one
man in the world who knows whether
man is honest and that Is himself
But | give ii to you as good sense,
and business logic that honesty In all
things must be the rule of all men IL
they are going to succeed.
"As for initiative, Ii has been my
experience that there are but three
kinds of men In the world--first, the
kind you have to tell once to do a
thing and you can bet your life 1t
will be done. The second Is the kind
you have to tell three or four times,
and the third Is that great business
producing, creative lot of men who
don't have to be told at all. They
have initiative. They know what to
do and they go ahead and do 1t.
sincerity is that rare quality which
not only makes friends, but holds
them. | admire a sincere man and
SO do you. l hate jollier. IL Is your
friend who criticises you and your
enemy who fiatters you.
Keep busy. Keep your clerks busy.
Teach them to do their work right
"Open-mindedness Is the willing
ness to take suggestions. The man
who knows II all is standing on a
banana peel placed there by a fool
killer who is waiting just around the
corner.
The man who doesn't get some
comfort and enthusiasm out OF his
daily work Is in bad way.
You are certainly In a great bust
ness-a business in which you can
feel that you are not only making
money, but you are doing a great deal
Of good besides"
James V. Barry, insurance commits
| sioner for Michigan, was the chief
speaker at the Thursday afternoon
session. He spoke on The relation
Of the insurance department to the
field and emphasized the point that
the menace to the investing and In
surfing public lies in the activity of
the professional promoter, whose sole
concern is to secure the abnormal
compensation he exacts for selling
the stock, and in the over-enthusias-
tic but honest boomer, who does not
possess the ability to make his COM
pany a success after he incorporates
It.
San Francisco is planning to get
the convention for 1915, when the city
will hold q monster exposition in con-
nection with the opening of the Pana-
ma canal