Nichole V. Schurr, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CASL

Sales Vice President

Some people say "money makes the world go ‘round." I suppose in some regards, this is true – and it's certainly an important part of what we do. But there's a larger piece of the puzzle that is overlooked far too often in our industry: to look beyond a bottom line and truly make a difference in the lives of those we work with.

I began my career in this industry about 25 years ago as a debit agent with Prudential. At the time, my clientele was mostly elderly and I personally delivered a lot of death claims. It was an eye opening experience for me, and had a profound impact on my view of what we all do for a living. Those experiences made my job that much more important to me, and created a drive in me to do my job well. I became Rookie of the Year in my first year, and went on to qualify as an International Conference qualifier in all subsequent years.

My associates in the industry started a bank brokerage program, selling mutual funds and annuities within the bank system. I joined them, and was a stellar performer – typically in the top five to ten percent of representatives. In 1997, I became a Sales Vice President and helped spearhead a life insurance program, which was a successful and rewarding experience.

Eventually, I was recruited into the world of life insurance carriers, where I learned about the mechanics of our industry – top to bottom, how life insurance is manufactured. When North American found me in 2008, I recognized that this was a carrier doing things differently.

Something that is important to me, not only professionally, but also personally, is the notion of giving back. My family and I volunteer our time regularly with the National Charity League and local church, helping to make a difference for those who need it most. North American appealed to me because of the way they do business. Here is a privately owned carrier that wasn't under the pressures of publically held companies. Here is a carrier that was making decisions for the long-term benefit of the policy holder, the agent, and the managing general agent. This is in stark contrast to other carriers who I saw making too many decisions for strictly the sake of the bottom line. North American isn't in it to get the sale now and worry about how that impacts the company or industry later. Instead, North American is operating under a different philosophy—to truly make a difference in the lives this company touches.

As a Sales Vice President for North American, I have grown my region and the sales goals exponentially since 2008. I began partnering with agencies, and together, we took our 2008 regional goal of $1.5 million, and grew it to a goal of $16 million by 2011.

It's all because of the Partner Program—this business model is working. We're working closely with our Partners to help them set goals and achieve them. At every level of the organization—from the principal, to the marketers, to the operations, and the folks who answer the phone—we provide coaching in the form of scripting, sales training, and strategies to assist our customers in achieving their financial goals. Each year, we're meeting and exceeding the goals we set together, making a difference not only in the lives of your customers, but also in the growth of your business.

If you care about your customers, what their lives will be like in 20 years, 30 years, or longer; if you care about their passions and dreams and want to make a difference in their lives—you've come to the right place.

I invite you to have a meaningful discussion regarding Partnership with North American and look forward to working with you and your team.