“While meeting a new high-net-worth client, I assumed that he would be asking for a certain type of investment based on his profile and went prepared only for that. But it turned out that he was open to a much wider investment scope. Eventually, I lost out on a much bigger opportunity than what I could finally materialize. Lesson learnt: never to assume the client’s needs, prepare with all options before meeting a new client for the first time”, said Deepti Gupta, a 14-year MDRT member from Dehli, India.  

Rajiv Jain, a 19-year MDRT member from Delhi, India, shared how keeping up with change helps to maintain productivity. “Since the day I had started working as an advisor, I have believed in meeting clients in person and advising them after understanding their needs. This client-centric approach helped me become a winner. I grew on a year-on-year basis, and this growth helped me progress on both personal and professional fronts,” he said. 

However, as the pandemic kicked in, things were different, and he found it difficult to maintain such high productivity levels due to the lack of physical interaction. “In contrast, the advisors who had adopted technology and started engaging with clients either through Zoom or other video conferencing tools were able to achieve their targets successfully. Though I achieved my Court of the Table targets, it was hard. Now I believe we must be agile enough to upskill ourselves in sync with the changing times or else you will be left behind,” Jain said.  

For 12-year MDRT member Anant Jain from Jharkhand, India, he found that time management is directly related to productivity. “As of now, I strongly feel social media has changed the world of content and how we consume it. At the same time, we should not forget that it also causes a lot of distraction if you don’t manage time wisely. Today we all are creators and always have an urge to try out new social media marketing tools, ideas and latest trends. As a result, we end up wasting a lot of time scrolling up and down and not focusing on the real things that could help us grow and upskill. That’s how social media becomes a time killer. My tip is to be agile and keep learning new things but equally respect time,” he said.  

Tushar R Shah, a 29-year MDRT member from Ahmedabad, India, shared, “My biggest productivity mistake was not finding new prospects. I became a little hesitant to meet people during the pandemic. Those times were challenging as most people lost their dear ones and faced financial crunch and emotional instability. The same affected me somehow deep inside and made me reluctant to interact physically. I didn’t even realize that I could have continued the process through various virtual tools. What I learnt is to never stop or give up due to any reason. Life goes on, and so should you.” 

Productivity isn’t a tool but an art that you can practice and master slowly and surely. It’s important to know what you shouldn’t do as well as what you should do. Eliminate those things that consume your time to focus on more critical things. That’s the mantra to be productive.  

Contact: MDRTeditorial@teamlewis.com