Mike McKnight has worked in the employee benefits industry for years not as a broker, but as a carrier rep. Brokers depend on him so they can look good to their clients.
Unfortunately, Mike's job was recently eliminated his company made the difficult decision to pull out of the Texas market, leaving Mike without an income at a time when jobs are hard to come by.
The day the news hit, Mike received more than a hundred phone calls. Not from agents concerned about their clients, but from brokers and competitors concerned about Mike. Clearly, he has a lot of friends in the industry.
That's because, over the years, Mike has learned the value of "social networking." Not the kind that's on Web sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, but the kind that's done in person, face to face, over a drink.
Mike is a long-time member of the Fort Worth Association of Health Underwriters, a local NAHU chapter, and he was the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Donna Carnall Career Achievement Award. During his acceptance speech at our annual awards banquet, Mike credited FWAHU with much of his success in the industry, and he shared a few memorable stories from past conventions and happy hours. There are a lot of stories
If there's one thing FWAHU does well, it's have fun. Following every monthly luncheon, about half of the attendees stick around for a drink (or two). We used to gather at the restaurant across the street, but we recently moved our meetings to a country club with an attached bar it's just easier that way.
Drinking during the work day might seem irresponsible to some, but we actually get a lot of work done. Employee benefits is the one thing we all have in common, so that's what we spend most of our time talking about.
I remember when I was president of the chapter, I was quietly approached by Ken Smith, a former president and certified teetotaler. He said that some of the trustees were concerned about our happy hours; they were worried about how it made the association look. When I explained to Ken that most of our new members and all of our board members in the past 12 months had been recruited over drinks after the luncheons, he simply replied, "Well then by all means, continue." If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Over the past three or four years, our monthly gathering has become a can't-miss event in Fort Worth. In fact, FWAHU member Sharon Alt once moved her weekly radio show to a different day because it interfered. Of course, we don't limit our outings to once a month. Whenever a member of the group is having a bad day, he or she will send up the "bat signal," texting a couple dozen people to let them know where and when to meet up. Rarely does that person have to drink alone.
It's no secret that many people in the insurance industry enjoy an occasional adult beverage, and it seems that Benefits Selling has figured this out. They've made the wise decision to serve drinks in the exhibitor hall during their annual expo, and as a result they have no problem attracting attendees. AmeriFlex, a major sponsor of the event, went one step further a couple years ago by serving shots at their exhibitor booth. They made a lot of friends that day.
So is all of this socializing or "networking" as we like to call it really a good thing? I think so. Insurance agents are, above all, social creatures. We make a living by building relationships with our clients, so it's no surprise that we also like socializing with other people in the industry. Those of us who have taken the time to build a social network always have someone to call when we have an insurance question or need assistance with a difficult case. And for me, one of the true perks of working in the benefits industry has been the lifelong friendships I have made.
If you'd like to increase the size of your social circle and meet some people in the industry who you can share a drink and some stories with, please consider joining the LinkedIn group I've created specifically for that purpose. It's called - you guessed it - Friends with Benefits.
Eric Johnson can be reached at 817-366-7536 or eric.johnson@agentallies.com.
