WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE CHALLENGED TO SUCCEED?

""If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed." Og Mandino

Throughout high school and college, Duane worked as a butcher in a small meat market. It was there that the owner, Tom, taught him about investing. Tom stressed the importance of paying yourself first and forced Duane to open his first brokerage account. "Each week, Tom took money out of my check and added it to the account. When he gave me a bonus it went into that account. This was my first discovery of my passion for investments." In order to pay for college, Duane began trading stocks. It wasn't long before he had made enough trades to pay for his Bachelors Degree from The University of Michigan, where he majored in Finance and Economics. After graduation Duane took his first position with John Hancock Financial Services, where he still enjoys a thriving career.

TURNING POINTS

After about two years of struggling in the business, the agency's top representative at the time, John Tarnowski, agreed to mentor Duane. Though John's training was sometimes demanding and trivial, Duane learned a lesson he's never forgotten. "John called it C.H.I.T., which stands for Character, Honesty, Integrity and Trustworthiness. He said 'if you follow these simple rules in your life, as well as with your clients, you will never have to worry about anything.' He was absolutely correct as I have become a better person, friend, husband, father, as well as Financial Advisor." During his first year under John's mentorship Duane achieved Pinnacle Club, which was the highest level an investment representative could attain at the time. Since then he has reached and surpassed company production goals, including being a Member of the Million Dollar Round Table several times.

Duane's second turning point came in 2004. His Managing Partner, Keith Mitchell, continuously presented him with three challenges:
• Think bigger
• Do not fear success
• Hire your first assistant

Keith convinced Duane to hire an assistant in order to spend more time in front of clients. "After hiring an assistant my business flourished again, almost doubling the previous year's business. I now utilize two assistants. Garry Kinder asked me this year, 'Why did it take you so long to get the second assistant?' and 'When are you going to get the third?'"

Duane attributes the most recent surge in his career to being challenged to set higher goals. "I had the great pleasure of being trained by Garry Kinder this year where I made the commitment to achieve Court of the Table. With Garry's support and advice I am on pace for Court of the Table through mid- August." Duane qualified for MDRT by June 2007. "Garry taught me the importance of time management and how to get the most out of my assistants so I can maximize my days. He has also taught me how to brand myself in my community. I believe through his lessons this year there is another level I will be reaching in the near future."

PHILOSOPHY - BOTTOM LINE EVERYDAY

Duane's approach to this business is very simple: "Always do what is right for the client, not what's right for you." In his office the motto is:
NEVER FORGET A CLIENT AND NEVER LET A CLIENT FORGET YOU

"I don't make sales, I make relationships. I strive every day to give the best financial advice I can and to build solid relationships with my clients and other professionals, like CPAs and Attorneys. When you gain peoples' trust they will refer you to others on their own because they enjoy working with you."

Duane is readily available to all of his clients. He sends monthly motivational postcards, quarterly newsletters and birthday cards as a way to show his clients he cares about their business and their referrals. He knows he is blessed with a wonderful clientele and believes it is because of his relationship building that approximately 95% of his new business comes from either current clients or referrals.

Duane believes that if we change the way we look at things, the things we look at will change. "Set solid goals and believe in yourself is my advice to new reps. We attract what we think about, so we should all be aware of our thoughts. My thoughts are on Court of the Table! Where are yours?"