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1. 🗽 Why Is New York a Good Place to Buy a Business? New York is arguably the best business environment in the United States for one simple reason: scale. Everything about New York operates at a size and intensity that amplifies business performance in ways no other U.S. market can match. Population Density New York City alone has over 8 million residents packed into 302 square miles — the densest major city in America. The greater metro area adds another 12+ million people. That means more customers, more transactions, and more revenue potential per square mile than virtually anywhere else in the country. Tourism in New York City attracts over 60 million visitors per year, injecting billions into local businesses across hospitality, food, retail, and entertainment. A business in Midtown Manhattan or Times Square can generate tourist revenue that a comparable business in any other city simply cannot access. For those considering their options, exploring the Best Businesses to Buy in New York can lead to fruitful opportunities in this vibrant market. For those considering entering this vibrant market, it’s essential to evaluate the Best Businesses to Buy in New York that align with your goals. Diverse Economy: New York’s economy is not dependent on any single industry. Finance, healthcare, technology, media, fashion, real estate, construction, education, and government all operate at enormous scale simultaneously. This diversity means when one sector slows, others absorb the impact — making New York businesses more recession-resilient than most. World-Class Talent Pool New York has more universities, professional schools, and skilled workers than almost any region on earth. When you buy a business in New York, you have access to an unmatched labor market across every discipline. Infrastructure New York’s transit system, port infrastructure, and logistics network make supply chain management, vendor relationships, and employee commuting viable at a scale that would be impossible in a car-dependent market. Prestige and Credibility Operating a business in New York carries a brand credibility that translates directly into customer trust, investor interest, and partnership opportunities. “Based in New York” means something — globally. 2. 💡 Why Did I Recommend Those Specific Businesses? Each recommendation was based on a combination of four factors specific to the New York market: Market Demand Every business on the list serves a need that New York generates in extraordinary volume — food, healthcare, construction, distribution, and services are all driven by the sheer number of people and businesses concentrated in the metro area. Barriers to Entry: The best businesses to buy in New York are those where new competition can’t easily appear overnight. In New York, licenses, permits, lease rights, and regulatory approvals create natural moats around established businesses. A licensed pharmacy, a bonded contractor, a cannabis dispensary, or a restaurant with Department of Health approval and a favorable lease is difficult to replicate from scratch. Recurring Revenue The strongest acquisitions generate predictable, repeating income. Route businesses, cleaning companies, healthcare practices, and service businesses with contracts all produce cash flow that doesn’t reset to zero each month — making them safer acquisitions and easier to finance. Acquisition Value vs. Build Cost. In many categories, it is significantly cheaper and faster to buy an existing New York business than to build one. The cost of obtaining a liquor license, building out a commercial kitchen, or qualifying for a contractor’s license in New York can take years. Buying a business with those assets already in place is often a better return on capital. 3. 🤔 Why Should YOU Consider Buying a Business in New York? Buying a business rather than starting one from scratch offers significant advantages — especially in New York’s competitive environment. You Skip the Hardest Part. The first two to three years of any new business are the most dangerous. Most startups fail not because the idea was bad but because they ran out of cash, couldn’t find customers fast enough, or couldn’t navigate regulatory requirements in time. When you buy an existing business, you inherit customers, revenue, staff, processes, and relationships from day one. Immediate Cash Flow: A well-chosen acquisition generates income from the moment you take ownership. You don’t spend months or years building toward profitability — you step into an already-operating machine. Financing Is Easier. Banks and SBA lenders are far more willing to finance the purchase of an established business with documented revenue than a startup with projections and a business plan. The SBA 7(a) loan program, for example, is specifically designed to finance business acquisitions and can cover up to 90% of the purchase price with competitive interest rates. Proven Concept in a Proven Market. New York is an unforgiving market. A business that has survived and grown in New York has already proven it can compete. That track record is enormously valuable — you’re not guessing whether the market exists. Wealth Building Business ownership is one of the most reliable paths to building significant wealth. Unlike a salary, a business generates equity that grows over time and can be sold — often for a multiple of annual earnings — when you’re ready to exit. In New York, a well-run small business can be worth 2x to 5x its annual net profit when sold. 4. 🏅 Why Is One Category Better Than Another? Not every business is right for every buyer. Here’s how to think about which category fits your situation best: Business Type Best For Why Restaurant / Food Operators with hospitality experience High revenue potential but operationally demanding — experience matters enormously Healthcare / Wellness Licensed professionals or investors with clinical partners Recurring insurance revenue, aging population, high demand — but requires licensure or qualified operators Construction / Trades Hands-on operators with industry knowledge Strong margins, high barriers to entry, consistent NYC demand — but requires licensing and bonding Route / Distribution First-time buyers seeking stable cash flow Low overhead, recurring income, semi-passive — ideal entry-level acquisition Cannabis Dispensary Risk-tolerant investors with capital High upside in early market — but regulatory complexity

Страховое агентство «Weinsurexyz» Русскоговорящие страховое агентство США «Weinsurexyz» сотрудничает с лучшими страховыми компаниями, чтобы у нашего растущего списка клиентов было как можно больше вариантов.  На сайте страхового агентства «Weinsurexyz» представлены различные виды страхования для физических и юридических лиц. Мы предлагаем страхование автомобилей, страхование имущества, страхование здоровья, страхования жизни, бизнеса, имущества, страхования по инвалидности, а также с медицинским страхованием. и многое другое. Наши специалисты помогут подобрать наиболее подходящий для вас тариф и оформить все необходимые документы. Мы гарантируем надежность и безопасность наших услуг, а также индивидуальный подход к каждому клиенту. Страхование — это документально оформленные отношения между страховой компанией (страховщиком) и клиентом (страхователем). Цель страхования — обеспечение защиты интересов страхователя (в отношении его имущества, здоровья или других важных вещей) в случае наступления определённых событий, оговорённых заранее (страховой случай) за счёт денежных фондов, образовавшихся из страховых взносов. Предмет страхования может быть различным: имущество и ценные вещи, жизнь и здоровье, ответственность, недвижимость, транспорт, финансовые или предпринимательские риски, грузы и так далее. Объект страхования — это конкретная сумма, которая по условиям заключённого договора должна быть выплачена страхователю в случае получения ущерба при наступлении страхового случая. Русскоговорящие страховые  агенты США предлагаем услуги:   Корпоративное страхование Корпоративное страхование — это вид страхования, который покрывает риски и защищает интересы не отдельного человека, а целой компании или группы людей, связанных с этой компанией. Оно включает в себя различные виды страхования, такие как страхование имущества, страхование от несчастных случаев, страхование ответственности, страхование сотрудников, страхование грузов, страхование кредитов и другие. Корпоративное страхование позволяет компаниям снизить финансовые потери в случае возникновения непредвиденных обстоятельств, а также обеспечивает защиту от возможных судебных исков со стороны третьих лиц. Кроме того, оно помогает улучшить имидж компании, демонстрируя ее заботу о сотрудниках и клиентах. Страхование частных лиц Страхование частных клиентов означает предоставление страховых услуг для индивидуальных потребителей, то есть физических лиц. Оно включает различные виды страхования, такие как страхование жизни, здоровья, имущества, автострахование, туристическое страхование и др. Цель страхования частных клиентов — защита интересов и обеспечение финансовой безопасности потребителей в случае наступления различных непредвиденных обстоятельств, таких как несчастный случай, болезнь, утрата или повреждение имущества и т.д. В рамках страхования частных клиентов страховщики предоставляют страхователям (физическим лицам) страховые выплаты, медицинские услуги, юридическую помощь и другие компенсации в соответствии с условиями заключенного договора страхования. Страховое сопровождение Сопровождение от страхового агентства включает в себя ряд услуг для клиентов, связанных со страхованием. Помощь в выборе оптимального страхового продукта или услуги, исходя из потребностей и финансовых возможностей клиента. Консультирование по вопросам страхования, включая разъяснение условий и положений страховых полисов, а также помощь в понимании различных страховых продуктов. Оформление и подача заявлений на получение страхового полиса, а также сбор и подготовка необходимых документов для этого. Обработка и урегулирование страховых случаев, представление интересов клиента перед страховой компанией, помощь в получении страховых выплат. Мониторинг и обновление страховых полисов в соответствии с изменениями в законодательстве или жизненными обстоятельствами клиента. Обеспечение связи между клиентом и страховой компанией, решение возникающих вопросов и проблем. Предоставление информации о новых страховых продуктах и услугах, а также акциях и скидках, которые могут быть доступны клиентам. В некоторых случаях, страховое агентство может также предлагать услуги по перестрахованию (передача части риска другой страховой компании) и управлению рисками (оценка и минимизация потенциальных угроз для клиента). Таким образом, сопровождение от страхового агентства предоставляет клиентам поддержку и помощь на протяжении всего процесса страхования. Услуги подбора страхования Услуги по подбору страхования включают помощь в выборе и приобретении страхового полиса или планов, которые соответствуют индивидуальным потребностям и обстоятельствам клиента. Это может включать страхование домов, автомобилей, здоровья, жизни и т.д. Наше страховое агентство, профессионал в области страхования, может предоставить консультации, рекомендации и помощь в процессе принятия решения о том, какие страховые продукты лучше всего подходят для клиента исходя из вашего бюджета, образа жизни, требований законодательства, истории претензий и других факторов. Эти услуги могут включать оценку рисков, сравнение различных вариантов страхования и содействие в подаче заявок на получение полиса или плана страхования. Преимущества работы со страховым агентством «Weinsurexyz» Широкий выбор страховых продуктов: Страховое агентство «Побережник» сотрудничает с несколькими страховыми компаниями, что позволяет нам предлагать клиентам широкий выбор страховых полисов. Профессиональная консультация: Агентство предоставляет клиентам профессиональные консультации по выбору страховых продуктов и помогает определить, какой полис наиболее подходит для ваших нужд. Удобство оформления: Страховое агентство предлагает услуги по оформлению страховых полисов на месте, что избавляет клиентов от необходимости посещать страховые компании самостоятельно. Экономия времени: Работа со страховым агентством может сэкономить время клиента, так как вы можете получить всю необходимую информацию и оформить полис без необходимости обращений в несколько страховых компаний. Поддержка клиентов: Страховое агентство предоставляет клиентам поддержку и помощь при поиске страховки и в случае возникновения страховых случаев. Мы сотрудничаем с лучшими страховыми компаниями, чтобы у нашего растущего списка клиентов было как можно больше вариантов. Другими словами, мы находим тип страхования, который лучше всего соответствует вашим потребностям и по доступной цене.   Контакты Weinsurexyz 18634 Midland Parkway Jamaica, NY 11432 Телефон: (888) 540-7374                    (718) 872-9425 Факс:        (716) 815-7335                    info@Weinsurexyz.com

How to Grow Your Business Exponentially Just turning a profit is not enough. If you really want your business to grow, answer these three critical questions. How to Grow Your Business Exponentially Today we’re going to talk about how to grow your business exponentially.  There are only three ways that you can grow your business: increase the number of customers, increase the amount of revenue per transaction, and increase the amount of transactions or the frequency of transactions. If you master one of those, you’ll experience linear growth. Linear growth is great, but we’re more interested in exponential growth. What you need to do is master two or more of those: you’re going to increase your customers, you’re going to increase the revenue per transaction, and maybe even at the same time increase the frequency. We’re going to consistently ask ourselves three really pointed questions, and you should ask yourself these questions every single month if you’re smart and you’re in that exponential growth phase. Question 1: Where is the origin of my business? I cannot tell you how many people do not consider this. What I mean by this question is, where does most of your business come from? Does it come from trade shows? Does it come from more market relationships? Does it come from LinkedIn? Does it come from pay-per-click ads? This should be tabulated every single month at least, and I’m going to tell you why. First and foremost, if your business is built on warm relationships and you look back and you say, “Oh my gosh, 80 to 90 percent of my business comes from warm relationships,” then you’re essentially putting your business at risk because if your warm relationships dry up, you don’t have another solid foundation or another pillar to drive in more business. So that’s a huge red flag. A lot of companies I come in contact with have this problem. They have typically one way that they bring in business. When I ask them, “what’s your exit goal,” they tell me they want to sell. Well, what’s going to happen if the warm leads dry up? You’re not going to be able to sell; your business is going to go flat. So you need to find other places to bring in business. Think about it as a diving board and here’s your main pillar and here’s the diving board. As the weight comes on the end, and your warm market leads dry up, your business is going to fail. You need another pillar to hold that business up. In a lot of cases, that’s going to be cold outreach. Start to advertise, start to network more, or start to go to trade shows more. You really need to know where your business is coming from. Another good example is partnerships. Not enough companies consider partnerships. So the smartest thing to do is find out the percentage of business that comes from all the different ways that you generate leads. Question 2: How Can I benefit from the goodwill I have with my customers? This is an incredible question, and it’s a question I ask companies all the time: “Why don’t you ask for referrals?” The fact of the matter is that if you really do believe that your service is outstanding, then you should be able to go up to your client or customer and ask them for a referral. But people don’t want to rock the boat. So what you need to do is find out how it benefits them. Say you are a realtor and you just sold a house to someone. You walk in and you say hello to that person. Make sure that they’re happy with the experience—you should be constantly nurturing them before and after the buying experience—and you ask them if any friends of theirs that want to have a good experience in home buying as well. You have to message it in the proper way. You want to talk to them as to what their benefits are. You want to benefit them. And in this case, the benefit is going to be: help out your friends. Make your friends happy. So continuously ask this question: how do I benefit from the goodwill I have with my customers that will benefit them? Constantly ask yourself that question, because it can help you brainstorm creative ways to get referrals for your business. And when referrals are coming in, business couldn’t be better. So the fact of the matter is, if you really do believe you have an outstanding business and you provide outstanding service, don’t be scared to ask for referrals. Create a plan. Put that plan in place and stay consistent with that plan. Question 3: What ways can I reduce the risk in the sales transaction? This is a huge one, and I help out a lot of companies with this. Maybe you’re getting a lot of prospects, maybe you’re getting a lot of meetings, maybe you’re getting a lot of pitches, but you’re not closing a lot of sales. Typically, the reason for that is because the buyer is taking on more risk than you. If the buyer is taking on more risk than you, they’re most likely not going to go through with the transaction. We’re going to use a methodology called risk reversal. I love risk reversal. It is so powerful. You have to be more strategic and less tactical. And what I mean by that is, be less shortsighted. Think about the long-term business. I have a really great example of a client that I work with right now. They have an amazing LMS video platform they sell to big clients. The LMS platforms they’re going up against cost a million dollars plus to implement. So I asked them, “What makes you guys different?” And they said, “We’re a cheaper alternative; we’re plug and play.” When I asked if they were well-known, they told me “no.” Then I asked them

Want to learn how to get started selling on Etsy? Whether you sell handcrafted goods, crafting materials, vintage finds from yard sales, or other items, this guide will assist you in launching your Etsy online store. Etsy is an online marketplace where sellers can establish virtual stores, price items, utilize free business management tools, and get help when necessary. In 2014, Etsy facilitated $1.9 billion in sales between 22 million buyers. Opening a shop is straightforward, but these tips can help you determine if Etsy is a good match for your business and understand the different facets of the platform. Evaluating if Your Products Are a Good Fit Unlike some other online marketplaces, your merchandise must fall into one of three categories on Etsy: handmade products, craft supplies, or vintage items. Handmade goods are designed or produced by the seller. If you get help making the items, you need to identify that person on your “About” page. If you have a manufacturer produce your designed item, you must apply for outside manufacturing and choose a manufacturer that follows Etsy’s ethical manufacturing principles. Craft supplies can be either handmade or commercially manufactured products. This group includes tools, materials, and components used to create handmade goods. Vintage products must be at least 20 years old. Both commercially made and handcrafted items can be sold in this category if they meet the minimum age criteria. While Etsy’s policies are flexible, some things are prohibited from being sold: You can’t sell handmade products unless you directly participate in making or designing them. In other words, you can’t buy handmade goods from someone else and resell them. You can’t sell items promoting violence, illegal activities, or hate. You can’t sell products with mature or pornographic content. You can’t sell hazardous materials or recalled products. You can’t sell weapons, including firearms. You can’t sell drugs, drug paraphernalia, tobacco, alcohol, or products making medical claims. You can’t sell animals, items with endangered animal parts, ivory, dog/cat-derived items, or items with human remains besides teeth. You can’t sell a service that doesn’t provide a new, tangible product. You can’t sell something violating another’s intellectual property rights. Get Started Selling on Etsy Store To establish your store, you first need to register and set up an account. You can sign up by filling out a form or using your Facebook or Google profile. When registering, you’ll be prompted to choose your username; this will become your shop name, so pay close attention to this decision. You want to pick a creative, distinctive name for your shop. Aim for a memorable name, conjures up an image, or describes your products. Let your shop name reflect your style. If you offer a certain product type, consider including it in your shop name. When setting up your store, you’ll need to select which payment methods you’ll accept and how you’ll pay your fees. Direct Checkout payment options include PayPal, credit/debit cards, Google Wallet, and Apple Pay. Payments are disbursed on a schedule based on the seller’s country. For U.S. sellers, disbursements are normally every Monday. Direct Checkout payments incur a fee of $0.25 plus 3% of the transaction total for U.S. sellers. Fees vary by country, so verify your country’s fee when registering. You don’t have to use Direct Checkout. You can choose to accept money orders or checks by mail, and other options may be available depending on your country. To get Direct Checkout payments, you’ll need to verify your identity and provide a credit card, bank account details, and residential address. As a seller, you’ll be charged two other fees. Each listing, lasting up to 4 months, is $0.20. When you make a sale, you’ll be charged 3.5% of the total as a transaction fee. To pay your processing, listing, and transaction fees, you typically need to provide a debit/credit card, but you may be able to use your PayPal balance. You’re now ready to list products, which involves uploading photos and writing descriptions. Use original images and accurately portray your items. More tips, tools, and assistance can be found on the site. Learning all you can before opening your shop makes starting as a seller easier and faster. Should Etsy Sellers Get Insurance? Etsy sellers are not explicitly required to have insurance by the platform itself. However, obtaining insurance is strongly recommended for several reasons: Protection of Assets: Insurance can protect your business assets, such as inventory, equipment, and supplies, in case of unexpected events like theft, damage, or loss during transit. Liability Coverage: As a seller, you may be liable for injuries or damages caused by your products. Liability insurance can cover legal fees, settlements, or judgments if you’re sued for bodily injury or property damage resulting from your products. Business Interruption Coverage: If your business operations are disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., natural disasters, fire), business interruption insurance can provide coverage for lost income and ongoing expenses during the downtime. Peace of Mind: Having insurance gives you peace of mind knowing that your business is protected against unforeseen risks, allowing you to focus on growing your business without worrying about potential financial setbacks. While Etsy doesn’t require insurance, it’s essential to assess your business’s needs and risks and consider obtaining appropriate coverage. Consult with insurance professionals to explore insurance options tailored to your business and industry.

Market your business more effectively. Use this marketing plan worksheet to plan your marketing strategy whether you’re a startup or existing business. It will help you know who your customers are and what you need to do to reach them. Whether you’re starting a new business, launching a new product, or want to increase sales for your existing small business, you need to understand your product and your market. You need to know who is most likely to buy what you sell, why they will buy it, and what the best ways are to reach those potential customers. If you start marketing without that knowledge, you’ll waste time and money on advertising, social media, website development, networking, and other activities that bring in little or no business. Don’t let that happen to you. You can improve your chance for success by researching your market before you start a small business or launch a new marketing campaign.  Doing the research is as important for long-time business owners as it is for startups. The reason? Markets, customer expectations, and the ways to reach likely customers have changed significantly in recent years. Use the marketing plan worksheet below to help you determine who is most likely to buy your goods and services today and what it will take to reach them. Marketing Plan Worksheet Business Name ___________________________________ Your Products and Services _________________ _______________ _________________________ _________________ _______________ _________________________ _________________ _______________ _________________________ Describe the types of individuals or businesses you expect to use these services. Include age, gender, income, and other important demographics. _________________ _______________ _________________________ _________________ _______________ _________________________ _________________ _______________ _________________________ Indicate when and how often they might need your services. If you aren’t sure, ask potential clients and/or existing customers to tell you when they would use what you sell or why they use it now. For existing businesses, also ask customers if there’s anything about your products or services they’d like to see changed. _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Describe the benefits your products and services will offer customers (the SPECIFIC problems the product solves or SPECIFIC advantages it offers to the customer) _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ How many other services like yours are in your area? _______________________________________________________________ How will your service differ from your competitors? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ What’s your primary competitive edge? What makes you different from (and better than) your competitors? (I.e., industry knowledge, years of experience, customer support, etc.) _______________________________________________________________ How are you planning to find customers? (Check all that apply) ______Email ______Social media posting ______Social media advertising ______Posting videos on YouTube ______Ads on search engines ______Banner ads or links on websites ______Guest posting on websites ______Using affiliates to promote your products ______Search engine optimization ______Text messaging ______In-App advertising ______Direct mail ______Print Classified ads ______Paid display advertising in newspapers or magazines ______Radio advertising ______TV advertising ______Ads on the side of your truck ______Door-to-door canvasing ______Cold-call telephone calls ______An ad in the Yellow Pages ______Off-line word-of-mouth advertising ______Network at business meetings ______Giving speeches and seminars ______Window signs to attract walk-in trade ______In-store displays to sell add-on services ______Exhibiting at trade shows ______Responding to RFPs ______Getting on the GSA schedule ______Other (specify) _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ How do people hear about this product or service now? (Don’t guess! Go out and ask potential customers) ______Through the mail ______Through the email ______Through the social networks ______By watching online videos or slide shows ______By using online search engines ______By asking their smartphones a question ______By using their smartphone “find nearby” function ______Through other online ads ______Through telemarketers ______Through print ads they see in newspapers, shoppers or magazines ______In the Yellow Pages ______At trade shows______Through radio or TV ads ______Listening to talk shows ______Through contacts and networking ______By listening to speakers at conferences and seminars ______By attending trade shows ______Through window signs to attract walk-in trade ______Through In-store displays ______Through a bidding process ______Through the GSA schedule ______Through online classified advertising ______Through their diversity outreach division or website______On Internet Web sites ______Through banner ads on the Internet ______Other (specify) _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Who makes the buying decisions– the consumer, the actual business user, the purchasing department, department head, other? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ How much money have you allowed for marketing? _______________________________________________________________ What will it cost you to use each of these marketing methods? ______Email delivery service charges ______Mailings (postage, mailing lists, printed materials, paper & toner, staff time, etc.) ______Broadcast  (radio, TV) advertising costs ______In-person sales calls (include gas money) ______Staff time or cost of outsourced help for social media networking ______Video production costs ______Photography and artwork cost ______Publicity costs ______Phone calls (including staff time) ______Online advertising ______Print classified ads ______Print display ads ______Yellow Pages ______Network at business meetings (include the cost of  meetings, if any) ______Window signs to attract walk-in trade ______In-store displays to sell add-on services ______Bidding on jobs ______Other (specify) Compare your expected methods of finding customers and costs with the ways potential customers have indicated they are most likely to look for this type of service. Then decide what steps you need to take to get customers to buy from you. List them below and set target dates for accomplishing each. Action Item Start Follow-up Estimated Actual Results Date  Date        Cost        Cost _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ _________  ___  _______   ______   ______ _______ FREE from Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC): Fillable PDF Marketing Research Worksheet

Gideon du Plessis is Highest Earning Insurance Agent in the World Gideon du Plessis failed in the 10th standard and never went to college. He is today the highest earning insurance agent in the world, with annual commissions amounting to Rs 7 crore (Rs 70 million). A record he has maintained over the last 12-14 years, selling 700 policies yearly. Labeled by the Million Dollar Round Table — an international association of leading life insurance and financial services professionals — as “the most productive agent in the world”, Plessis’ efforts mean an average daily accretion of two risk covers for his insurance company Old Mutual Plc. What is Plessis’ secret of success? He lives by 12 mantras that have taken him so far since he got into the insurance selling profession 23 years back. Based in Cape Town (South Africa), Plessis starts his week on Monday morning at 5:30. He flies 2,000 km to meet his clients in various parts of South Africa, works 17 hours at a stretch — doing business across office desks and/or over a cup of tea in the comfort of clients’ homes, encounters at least six to eight persons daily, and then relaxes over the weekends playing golf. But ask Plessis as to how he sells insurance. And he’ll tell you he does not. “People buy people, not policies,” he told Business Standard in an exclusive interview. Insurance continues to be sold and not bought. So the idea is to ask questions and more questions, collect all the information about the client, and then go back to him/her with a solution. You are not selling anything to anybody ever, but rather providing a solution to meet his/her needs, said Plessis. Plessis was on a tour of India last week, educating the agency force of OM Kotak Mahindra Life, Old Mutual’s joint venture in the country, on succeeding in the insurance business. “It is important to pay attention to detail. Flowers on your client’s birthday, condolences when the secretary’s distant relative passes away. The personal touch matters and goes a long way,” he advised local agents, who were more keen to learn if he sat on the chair or the sofa when doing business. Since the age of 10, Plessis wanted to earn money with his mouth. Aiming to be a teacher, but having failed in English, Plessis decided that salesmanship was where his talent lies. Plessis started as a postman, then became a bank clerk visiting farms to sell products, before he was picked up by Old Mutual to sell insurance policies. Since then, Plessis has never looked back. Plessis does not only target the high-networth individual. Rather, 60 percent of his clients are from the middle class. Plessis’ lives by 12 mantras that have taken him so far since he got into the insurance selling profession 23 years back.   Plessis’ daily mantras are; See at least six to eight people daily Selling is not telling: ask a lot of questions go back with a solution. Attend to details Go soft in life Delegate staff People buy people, not policies Educate yourself properly Time management Wake up to achieve what you want Elephants don’t bite, mosquitoes do Desire Enthusiasm