The things that bug me! Alphabet Soup of Sh^t

[James]

First off, I don't want to paint pro. designations in a broad stroke. In no way or manner want to insult worthy and crediable designations such as CLU, LUTC, MSA, CFP, RHU and so on. Yet lets face it there is a new breed that has emerged over the years such as the CSA which is total BS! Okay let me qualify, the CSA is a worthy course if you're a Case Manager or Care Provider but for the Agent/Broker this course may not be useless but it is not a designation!

From their website: http://www.society-csa.com/AboutandContact.aspx

Important: Certified Senior Advisors (CSA) have supplemented their individual professional licenses, credentials and education with knowledge about aging and working with seniors. You should ask what those licenses, credentials and education signify. The CSA designation alone does not imply expertise in financial, health or social matters.

In other words this was never meant to be a stand alone designation such as many in the Insurance Biz is now using it. Yet though this really never bothered me yet it is annoying when you meet up with the egg head that has this mix in with another useless designation, such as the CLTC. What is this CLTC? Well I went and checked it out, WOW! The wow factor is the 2 day course or take it online, basically its nothing more the CE course structure that has no underlying requirement such as the three year expierence as in the RHU (register Health Underwriter). No you pay your $900 dollars (well someone has to have a reason to create it!LOL) or whatever and take your online course (can you fail it is the big question?) and then agree to act in accordance to the Standards which really says nothing the best I can figure out. http://www.ltc-cltc.com/consumers/cltc-code.html

Oh well things that just bug me at times! Now I have a real designation, IDGAFFFI (I don't give a flying flip for IDIOTS)

Psps: my rant for the day, if you find it wasn't worth the cost of admission please notify me and I'll happily send you a refund of cost! Of course there will be a small shipping and handling charge.

Oh well there is a sucker born every moment they say so here is a sucker for the suckers!

 

[somarco]

In an earlier discussion the concensus was that designations of any flavor do not make you a better salesperson and do not lead to additional sales. Frankly, the public has no idea what the letters mean, even CLU which is possibly the granddaddy of all. Nor do they understand what those designations mean in terms of education.

I agree that the designations have become almost redundant & meaningless. I have to chuckle when someone hands me a card with CLU, ChFC, CFP . . .

It is almost as if the designations should go on a separate card.

Rightly or wrongly, the designations do mean something to those of us in the business. It is an indication that the individual spent time & money gaining additional information about a particular topic and education is always a good thing.

While I may not know what the letters mean from some of the designations, nor do I know much (if anything at all) about the subject matter, when someone put's the letters after their name it tells me they care enough about their profession to pursue something beyond just a basic sales course.

I can learn more about an individual in GA by just visiting the DOI site and looking at the CE credits. That being said, in all the years I have been in this industry, I have only had one client (that I know of) who actually visited the DOI site and reviewed my experience & training before agreeing to let me represent them.

This is in spite of the fact that I encourage prospective clients to visit the site of any agent they are considering and see how long they have been in the business, and what course work they have taken to maintain their license.

Prospective clients are basically lazy, even when you tell them the steps to follow to check out an agent or carrier. Very few follow through and check DOI sites, or bother to Google information about a particular carrier.

My main website has links that will take people directly to sites where they can check out carriers or agents yet when I review the linking stats I see almost no clicks to these sites.

Go figure.

 

[midwestbroker]

I have never had a problem with no letters after my name.

I have looked into CSA, and decided that it was not worth it. I do take the extra efforts in my career, but I do them on my own.

I can explain to my clients why Canada drugs are cheaper, why generics take so long to get to market, what is going on with Medicare, and tell them in honesty if they are better off with what they have or if they should make a change. And usually somewhere in there they laugh, and that is the most important!!! If you can make them laugh, that will break a lot of ice!

That is what I have found what they care about, not letters after your name.

 

[somarco]

Several of my clients use Isrameds

http://isrameds.com

The meds are Kosher and individually packaged. Many times the meds are cheaper than through Canada or other sources like

http://crossborderpharmacy.com

And their point of entry is in NY which (supposedly) allows clients to pay for them from their HSA. I am also told that since they are labeled Kosher the FDA will not seize them.

 

[seth.rhodes]

I have never had a problem with no letters after my name.

I have looked into CSA, and decided that it was not worth it. I do take the extra efforts in my career, but I do them on my own.

I can explain to my clients why Canada drugs are cheaper, why generics take so long to get to market, what is going on with Medicare, and tell them in honesty if they are better off with what they have or if they should make a change. And usually somewhere in there they laugh, and that is the most important!!! If you can make them laugh, that will break a lot of ice!

That is what I have found what they care about, not letters after your name.

You will not need any designations after your name, especially if you carry that picture of Sinatra around with you.

 

[insureman07]

agreed

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

This thread was certainly brought back from the dead.

 

[James]

This thread was certainly brought back from the dead.

You know, I feel that way sometimes too!

 

[senior-advisor-indiana]

agreed

 

[WBunch]

Personally, I feel that these fly by night designations like CSA and CLTC, and a numerous list of others are a slap in the face to the legit designations and the people who have earned them. I put a lot of hard work and study over a number of years earning my CLU and ChFC. I also teach LUTC and FSS classes for my state NAIFA chapter. I have gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise in my field. It also bumps my credibility with my market because they know they are working with someone that knows what's going on. I have clients that have said they chose to deal with me because of my education and dedication to further my craft, so it does help in certain markets.