For most of you the bad news is easy to see, four more years of President Obama. Most will forget the good news, according to the Incas, the world ends next month.

Am I disappointed, absolutely? Will it change what I am doing, no? We have seen elections go in the wrong direction in previous contests and yet, we survive and those who work; will thrive. If you remain as optimistic as I do that our best years are still in front of us, you will find ways to change your business to accommodate any new challenges. Will I like everything that is put in place, definitely not? Do I think our country is moving in the right direction, nope? Do I fear that we have allowed Government to take over our personal responsibilities, yes? What am I going to do about it? Well, for beginners, I will look to helping find better leaders for the future. As for our business, we will adapt to the changes that are sure to come. As I have stated numerous times in my blog, the general public needs good advice. When people need something, those who have it will flourish. The basic law of supply and demand will always allow those who own something to be rewarded by those who are in need. Now the hard part, do you have the type of knowledge that your clients are willing to pay for? What do you do that sets yourself apart? If all you do today is look for the lowest price for your clients, you are obsolete and no longer necessary. I would start looking for a new career because the exchanges will put you out of business. If on the other hand, you are willing to look for the best solutions for your clients, you have unlimited opportunities in this new world. OCI recently released its private exchange and to my surprise, most brokers have neglected to take advantage of it. They find excuses as to not using it because, believe it or not, many have said that it would require that they meet with more people. Duh! When I began my career 25 years ago, I sat on a telephone (it was legal then), and begged people to let me sit down with them and find insurance solutions. Those few who did meet with me always seemed to be in need of some type of coverage. More surprising was the fact that they knew other people who had similar needs and because I spent the time to help educate them, they would tell others to contact me. Unfortunately, many of those people also wanted to sit down and discuss insurance. I had to meet with all of them and solve their problems which then somehow got them to mention to others. Wow, now that I think about it, I wasted so much time solving problems and getting paid to do it that I didnโ€™t have time to play computer games or shuffle paper. Each of these people has continued to compensate me over the last twenty five years but it did require me spending a little time with each of them.

Seriously, when did being in front of people on a favorable basis to provide insurance products become a bad thing? Let me ask you, if I could give you twenty leads per month, free, would you accept them? I know the election didnโ€™t go the way you wanted it to but now you need to โ€œpull up your bootstrapsโ€ and go forward. What happened yesterday does not determine your future; it only puts closure on the past. We now know the rules and I believe most of you will find a way to win if you know all the rules. Good luck with adapting to the new world of socialized medicine and look for new more efficient ways of doing business.