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What You Can Do For A Better 2015!
By Forrest Wallace Cato, RFMA, RFC

During his lifetime America’s most famous motivational writer Napoleon Hill developed many excellent rules for obtaining success.  Hill made his place in history by creating rules.  He even ghost wrote one rule for President Franklin D. Roosevelt:  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  This ghost written rule became President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s best known saying.  One of Napoleon Hill’s rules was, “Always deliver more than you promise.”  His best known rule is most likely, “What the mind of man conceives, and he believes, he can achieve.”  While editing the classic book How To Sell Your Way Through Life by Napoleon Hill, I realized that the essence of his wisdom was embodied in the rules this book contained.   

Throughout America’s history some prominent leaders created rules for personal achievement or living.  George Washington wrote 110 Rules for Civility.  People expect and appreciate helpful rules from leaders.  These rules derive from the unique perspectives, observations, or experiences of their authors.  These rules were used to further build the image, fame, or name recognition of every leader providing the rules.  Every major leader since the founding of America has been careful to influence, control, or manage his or her image.  Often they use a printed set of rules to help them accomplish this.

Failing To Make The Connection Means Failing 

Financial professional Brett Kramer explains, “Rules are very important.  They result because of civilization’s progress.  From The Ten Commandments, to Roberts Rules of Order (for running meetings and conferences), to the Marquis of Queensberry Rules (for boxing), rules most often exist for maintaining standards or achieving success in some area, such as investing success, box office success, small business success, corporate success, dating success, management success, debating success, etc.”   

Mehdi Fakharzadeh, RFC, the beloved MDRT hero and sales super-star adds, “Most agents and planners simply can not make the connection between being well-known in their market in a positive way (famous) and increased sales.  They can not understand this.  They know water can make you wet.  They realize that over-eating the wrong food can make you fat.  They understand that drinking too much can make you drunk.  Most are aware that smoking can give you cancer.  They understand those connections.” 

Mehdi continues, “But they just can not mange to understand the connection between fame in their market and increased sales.  Enough desired local recognition and respect and you can become the sales leader in your market.  But few agents and planners are able to understand this.  They fail to realize that they can do precisely what many famous leaders did and obtain far greater sales results.  So they do not value the efforts necessary to create, establish, and maintain an image as the leader in their market.  They do nothing significant to accomplish this.  And the existing market leader continues to capture many of their sales.” 

My most reprinted article was written in 1987 and is titled Cato’s Rules For Meeting Famous People.  The people requesting copies or asking to reprint this article are most often athletic coaches, teachers, professors, Boy Scout and Girl Scout leaders, insurance companies, sales trainers, then artists, agents and managers. 

Most rules are assumed to be success rules.  Abraham Lincoln had Rules of Conduct, Mark Twain had Rules of Writing, and there are many others.  General George S. Patton had Seven Rules of Success.  Among current famous names with rules are Steve Job’s 12 Rules for Success, the Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules for Living, General Colin Powell’s Rules for Success, Joe Girard’s 13 Rules to Success, Harvey MacKay’s Rules for Success, Zig Ziglar’s Sales Rules, and there are many more people who use rules to enhance their image.

A “set of rules” is one “tool” a leader can use to help establish and maintain a desired image.  Jeremy, Will and Lew Nason, of the award-winning Insurance Pro Shop® often distribute copies of Thomas Jefferson’s 10 Rules.  You can even use someone else’s rules to promote yourself.  Here are Thomas Jefferson’s rules:

Thomas Jefferson’s 10 Rules

1. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend money before you have earned it.

4. Never buy what you don’t want because it is cheap.

5. Pride cost more than hunger, thirst and cold.

6. We seldom repent of having eaten too little.

7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.

8. How much pain have the evils cost us that never happened.

9. Take things always by the smooth handle.

10. When angry, count ten before you speak; when very angry, count to a hundred.

IARFC and financial planning hero Harold Franklin Chorney, RFC, was named after Ben Frankklin and has researched the ancestry of this founding father. Hal keeps a copy of Benjamin Franklin’s 12 Rules on his office wall.   Hal has also framed and displays one rule by the great sales legend Mehdi Fakharzadeh, RFC: “The impossible takes a little longer.”  Benjamin Franklin’s rules are as follows:

Benjamin Franklin’s 12 Rules

1. Finish better than your beginnings.

2. All education is self-education.

3. Seek first to manage yourself, then to manage others.

4. Influence is more important than victory.

5. Work hard and watch your costs.

6. Everybody wants to appear reasonable.

7. Create your own set of values to guide your actions.

8. Incentive is everything.

9. Create solutions for seeming impossible problems.

10. Become a revolutionary for experimentation and change.

11. Sometimes it is better do 1,001 small things right than only one large thing right.

12. Deliberately cultivate your reputation and legacy.

Because my writings have been published in many parts of the world, my list titled Cato’s 20 “Always” Rules has appeared in many countries, again-and-again.  This list has been translated into twenty-two languages.  These are my basic rules for achieving more in your endeavors. My rules are very elementary and often involve basic communication skills and positive image projection. 

Cato’s 20 “Always” Rules are all based on common sense.  I compiled these during thirty years of speaking to financial professionals about improving their image.  I noticed that many of those in my audiences needed these simple reminders.  Your mother should have taught you these basics.  Amazingly, today most people in any profession do not realize the importance of these “obvious” rules and most people do not practice them.  Show me a person who practices all of my rules and you will be showing me a winner.  It is impossible for a person to practice these simple rules and be a failure.   My simple, but essential rules are:

Forrest Wallace Cato’s 20 “Always” Rules

1.  Always look directly into people’s eyes.
2.  Always hold your shoulders back.
3.  Always speak-up, speak correctly, and convey sincerity.
4.  Always be relaxed and non-threatening.
5.  Always project confidence and authority.
6.  Always know absolutely what you are talking about.
7.  Always be on time and properly dressed.
8.  Always wear shined shoes and have a proper hair cut.
9. Always avoid presuming to have an immediate answer for everything.
10.  Always encourage the other person to speak.
11.  Always ask logical and intelligent questions.
12.  Always listen attentively.
13.  Always work an honest compliment into your conversation.
14.  Always be encouraging.
15.  Always be reassuring.
16.  Always acknowledge the other person’s input.
17.  Always practice productive “success” habits.
18.  Always pay attention to your desired image.
19.  Always do your research or homework and then deliver.
20.  Always make the other person look good or feel good.

Create Your Own Set of Rules And Use Them In 2015

Norman G. Levine, RFC, the man who built more insurance agencies on both coasts than any other person in history, says, “The secret to your sales success is your continuing intelligent efforts to promote the image of yourself in your market area as the local leader.  Many agents and planners, possibly most, never understand this during their entire sales careers.”

Since you are the leading financial advisor in your market area, or you are becoming the leader in your market area, therefore you are a prominent, important, and respected professional.  So if you can make the connection (between local market status and increased sales) why don’t you create your own rules?  That’s right, create your own rules and merchandise them to help spread awareness (in your market area) of your fame and knowledge. Don’t copy from Hill, Jefferson, Franklin, Cato, or etc., but create your own rules that relate to what is unique, special, and precious about you or your situation. 

Use Your Own Set of Rules To Help Promote You

Once created you can use the page of paper containing your printed rules as a tool for many years!  Your rules can be on parchment on plain bond paper.  Your rules can have your photo and signature and address and slogan and a few other lines in small print.  Add your rules to your arsenal of items that promote you.  Make this an impressive and classy piece.  You might consider often working your rules into many of your talks, appearance, and presentations.  

There is no reason why you should not have and frequently use your own rules.  Doing this enhances your desired image.  If your rules are original then this becomes a very impressive item you can use with prospects, clients, associates, students, Boy Scouts, business groups, market targets, etc.  You can base your rules around your family history, your personal experiences, your work, your philosophy, etc.  Merchandise your rules.  As with most anything they are useless if not used.  You can make your rules available to groups for no cost, have them published in the local newspaper, reprinted in volume for local associations or influence centers, provide them to hospitals and colleges, place them on your Media CD, in your Press Kit, use in your mailing, post on your web site, send out a news release offering a copy of your rules on parchment, etc.

www.CatoMakesYouFamous.com  forrestcato@gmail.com

"All of the top achievers I know are life-long learners. Looking for new skills, insights, and ideas. If they're not learning, they're not growing... not moving toward excellence."
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